Pasha Jackson Journal No. 7

This is the seventh installment of the Pasha Jackson journal and this week I'm going to answer more of your questions you emailed in. Click on the link at the end of this page to email more questions for next week's journal.

Pasha Jackson
Journal Entry No. 7 (Oct. 23, 2003)
Missouri came in just like we expected them to and that was with Brad Smith running all over the field. He did a good job but I think in the end the defense did a good job of containing him especially when you look at the second half numbers.

When you play a guy like Brad Smith, he is going to make plays and you can't beat yourself up about it and we executed our game plan and held their offense to 66 yards in the second half. We also kept the tailback Abron to minimal yards, so that is the type of defense we wanted to display. Everybody stepped up and it seems like each week new guys are stepping up their play. Overall, Missouri went pretty well, we chalked up the win and that is all that matters.

Now, we travel to Colorado and their team is a little different than last year. They have a new quarterback -- a mobile guy. I think he averages like 250 yards passing a game. And the running back, Calhoun, is a strong runner. If you watch film on him, he displays great balance and when he gets hit, his low center of gravity just keeps him running through tackles.

They will be coming out with a couple different attacks and they are certainly no push over. We will execute our game plan like we do every week and let the rest take care of itself.

Now it's time to answer some of the questions from the fans, which have been great so far. So keep emailing me more of your thoughts and I'll try to tackle them in next week's journal entry. Here is the first of a couple:

Pasha, what would be the best advice that you would give someone that is a linebacker and is going to play it on the varsity team next year?
- Nick from Noble, Okla.

One thing that you can't coach is desire and that is one thing that all football players need to have above everything else -- especially linebackers. You can be athletic and all the rest of it, but when it comes down to it, you need that desire. When you have that and you want that ball -- no matter what -- you're going to get to it and make plays happen. It doesn't take talent to have desire and anybody can have it.

Although Teddy and Lance get most of the spotlight, you also have great linebacker size and speed. What is your outlook in regard to the NFL?
- Bailey from New York, N.Y.
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That is always something that someone playing college ball thinks about. Just like when I was in high school, I thought about playing college football. But the thing to remember is that you have to play for the moment and worry about the next level when that time arises.

You have to always play for the level of the sport and you can't worry about playing at that next stage. So right now, I am doing my thing at OU and we will see what happens afterwards. And if you are effective enough at your current stage of play, then possibly you can succeed to further your career in football.

Pasha, I was reading an article about Eric Bassey and it mentioned he is a rapper and has a CD coming out in November. Is he good at making rhymes?
- Ryan from Tulsa, Okla.

I'll say one thing about "E-B" he can do better than I can, that's for sure. But seriously, I take my hat off to him. With him being a student and an athlete, he still finds time to put together rhymes and that is impressive. That takes a whole lot of concentration so more power to him.

You hear him all the time on the bus, shouting out. Whether it's on the way to the movie theatre or whatever, he'll grab the microphone up front and just start spitting out lyrics. "Bass" is one of those guys that if he puts his mind to something he can accomplish it and he definitely has the drive to do so.

What is the one most important lesson that you have learned from Coach Stoops and the staff?
- Carrie from Fort Worth, Texas

The coaching staff looks at everything underneath a microscope. Perfection is always a goal and the big problems do not happen here because they stop the small mistakes before they even have a chance to evolve, and that goes for things both on and off the field.

The most important lesson is to realize that the little things lead to big things and if you can catch them early, then you will be all right. We try to be perfect and that's impossible to do, but we get as close to it perfect as possible in the classroom and as athletes.

Pasha, I saw in an article that you had torn your labrum and had shoulder surgery in the off-season. I tore my labrum at the start of this football season and am preparing for surgery. I was just wondering how it went and how it feels now playing since the surgery. And possibly get some advice on getting back on the field. Thanks for your time and God Bless. Go Sooners!!
- Justin from Lexington, Okla.

Justin, that injury is no joke and that is a very, very serious injury. It took me a good six months to rehab after I played the whole season with it torn, so each time I hit someone there was basically nothing for my shoulder to rest on and it was extremely painful.

Coming from one of those surgeries, all you have to think about is how bad you want to get back on the field. You can't lift with your upper body and it is tough to see everything deteriorate. But despite your arms looking like spaghetti and your chest being so small, you can't focus on what is on the outside. You need to focus on what is on the inside.

This goes back to the question earlier and my talk about desire. You have to have that drive to get back to playing football but even when you see that wound begin to heal, you still need to take it easy. You can't do anything to stress out your shoulder and let anything rush you, even the guys trying to out-bench each other in the weight room or whatever. The key is to take your time with it and let it heal properly. And o

Once it is all said and done with, your desire will take you where you need to go. My shoulder is giving me absolutely no problems so I hope the same success for you.

It is about that time to say goodbye -- don't forget to keep emailing me your questions. I hope everyone enjoys the weekend and can make it out to Boulder to watch us against the Buffs. GO SOONERS!

Pasha

- #53 Pasha Jackson

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