Hue Jackson On Khalil Mack: ‘The Guy Is A Rolling Ball Of Butcher Knives’

USA Today

The Oakland Raiders will host the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday with offensive coordinator Hue Jackson making his return to O.co Coliseum for the first time since being fired by the team back on 2011.

Jackson was recently asked about second-year defensive end Khalil Mack and his potential. Jackson said the following about the promising young pass rusher, via Coley Harvey of ESPN:

“He’s fast, he’s sudden, he’s strong, he’s got spin moves, he’s got karate moves. The guy is a rolling ball of butcher knives,” Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson said. “He can play.”

The Raiders head into the 2015 NFL season with high hopes of finally turning things around in the Bay Area. The last time Oakland had aspirations of making the playoffs was with Jackson at the helm. Jackson led the team to an 8-8 record with Carson Palmer under center. Since that time, the Raiders have struggled with little hope of getting back into playoff contention.

With the addition of Mack, Derek Carr and Amari Cooper, the Raiders seem to be back on the right path. Oakland was able to sign another top-tier defensive end on Friday in the form of Aldon Smith making Mack’s job that much easier and bolstering the Raiders defense.

Although it is uncertain whether this Raiders squad can be a playoff contender this season, Oakland is clearly back on the right track and turning heads in the process. Mack and company may turn the corner this year with the matchup against a perennial playoff team in the Bengals being the first step in an attempt to become relevant once again.