Alabama football head coach Nick Saban carried a bright smile during his interview with the media in Birmingham on Monday, and part of the reason was seeing how well many of his former players performed in week seven of National Football League action.
Two guys in particular, Amari Cooper and Eddie Jackson, were monumental in assisting their respective teams to victory.
Cooper, a first-round pick of the Oakland Raiders in 2015, caught 11 passes for 210 receiving yards with two scores in the Raiders’ 31-30 win over Kansas City.
Nine of his 11 receptions went for first downs or touchdowns.
Cooper again! 2 first quarter TDs #builtbybama pic.twitter.com/dOxejKU1HJ
— InsideBamaRecruiting (@RTRnews) October 20, 2017
Jackson, a fourth-round selection to the Chicago Bears in this year’s draft, anchored the defense with four tackles, one pass breakup and two defensive touchdowns – which was an NFL record.
His 75-yard interception return and 75-yard fumble return were the lone two touchdowns for the Bears as it defeated Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers, 17-3 to improve to 3-4 on the year.
76-Yard #Pick6 Former #Alabama Current #Bears Safety @EJackson_4 pic.twitter.com/uEwzoRLxmP
— InsideBamaRecruiting (@RTRnews) October 22, 2017
After securing two Pro Bowl invites and having back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, Cooper’s outing against the Chiefs landed him with AFC Player of the Week honors.
As for Jackson, he becomes the second rookie safety in franchise history to win a Defensive Player of the Week Award since Mark Carrier in 1990.
Both players were Southeastern Conference and national champions during their time at the University of Alabama, but now they are doing big things at the next level.
Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @Smsmith_TDALMag.
