Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

Country, yes, off the cuff, yes - loved it all.

Put people in their place about Benson, took a jab a those toilet seats (Colts) for how they left Baltimore, said what we're all thinking about the possible lock out, and didn't back off his faith.

:bng:

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

Looking for the video on NLF.com ... but they haven't posted it yet ... strange since they got everyone else's.

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

I didn't like it. It seemed like he put no time into it at all. I'm a Jackson fan, and I'm glad he got in. Didn't like the speech though. Sounded like he was drunk.

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

Brings to mind vintage Jackson interviews... he's ALWAYS sounded like that.

Now that he's in, I think we should fully retire his #57.

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

Rickey is a great player... one of the best that played the game.

Rickey is not a great speaker. He never has been. He comes off as a simple person, but he was a genius on the playing field both physically and mentally.

I do agree he seemed un-coached. But I've met him and that's his style. He was exactly how he is in real life and probably wanted to be that way.

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

At least it wasn't like Jerry Rice's.

No disrespect to Jerry, but his speech sounded like a little kid was reading it.

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

Jerry not a great speaker either. I thought Ricky was Ricky

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

While his speech wasn't polished it was from the heart I thought. He was being himself, not putting on an air. The content of what he said was far more important to me than the way he delivered it. His enshrinement into the H.O.F. is the icing on the cake of the greatest season the Saint's have ever had. Congrats to Ricky, the Saints and to us (the fans) too, for sticking by them, through all the good and bad (mostly bad) times.

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

Here's the video from NFL.com

The vid illustrates and echoes what you all have said. But it's just Rickey being Rickey. Would you want it any other way?

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

You can tell why most of these guys decided to play football and not become public speakers. Just sayin'.

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

Great player, but he sounded like he was trying to be Longfellow , Thoreau, or Emerson.

Fail

My favorite moment was when Emmit broke up thanking Daryl Johnson.

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

I don't know. His speech kinda made me wonder if he wore a helmet when he played but at least he wasn't reading word for word off some piece of paper like Jerry Rice. As much as I like Jerry, he should have just jotted down some talking points and done the rest from his heart. Good to have a Saint in the HOF though. Now when all the busts start talking after the lights are off, there will be one to give them a WHO DAT!

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

You won't see Ricky as a NFL channel broadcaster anytime soon.
Rickey was just being Rickey. Does being the 1st Saints player in the HOF get your number retired? Good question. We shall see.

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

Rickey was just Rickey..i wish he would have gave a shout out to the WHO DAT nation....i hate to say it but the best speech of the nite by far was Emmit Smith....kills me to say it but ...it was good

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

Sorry ..but Benson would have left in a heartbeat....Tags wouldnt let him....

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

Actions speak louder than words?The man earned his stripes on the field and I don't think after drinking a gallon of firewater(whiskey)I'd tell Rickey "your speech wasn't quite to my liking"lol. Him being a down to earth person and a LB who didn't care for a upright QB works for me.Here's to Rickey and his speech!:cheers:

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

C'mon cher! Just imagine Rickey, Buddy D, Hokie and Hebert in the booth. I guess there would be many many references to Pahokee, Florida and fishing.

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

The last 3 speakers Jerry, Floyd and Emmitt were very articulate and great to watch. Rickey did a good job overall. WYSIWYG and I love Rickey. Only I grimaced a little when he plugged Tom Benson for the HOF (very few owners should ever be allowed into a HOF) and misstating that losing the Saints would be 10 times more devastating than Katrina (I knew the point he was trying to make, it just came across wrong).

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

I don't remember his exact words but I think he meant that Katrina would have been 10 times worse if the Saints had left, not that the Saints leaving would be worse than Katrina.

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

Yeah i think your right...

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

Look I LOVE Rickey ... But, his speech!??! WOW ... Just WOW! I cringed as I heard other fans in my head saying "See, look how dumb the Saints and their fans are" ... It sounded TERRIBLE!!! I will take heat for saying this, but I honestly felt a little embarrassed that he didn't have the decency to put together a small speech ...

Off the cuff from him was ridiculous when you're talking about the HOF induction!!!

In the end though ... SUPER GLAD that RICKEY JACKSON #57 is in the HOF ... Congrats to him ... He earned it! (Which I guess also means he can say/act however the hell he wants during this speech)

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

I kinda agree...i just cant knock him..All those sundays with my brother watchin him play....man what a D Ricky was a monster LB..and really fired us up......i dont know about everyone but i wanted to see our D on the field back then more than the offense...:bng:

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

I seriously doubt Joe Montana or others were *****ing or worrying about his "articulate rhetoric" when Rickey was stuffing the snot outta them when sacking and tackling them. He ought to have more sacks credited too since they did not start keeping track of them until a year or two after he'd been in the league. If there were a way to get those uncounted sack totals, it might make him the all time sack leader of the NFL.

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

Im a Ricky fan, but speech was terrible. Seemed to me like he thought it up when he got up to the podeum. I know he's not exactly polished, but it was sort of embarassing.

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

He was a football player not an English major, his job was to hit people not read them poetry!! How nervous and thrilled do you think he was to finally make it in the HOF. Give him a break about the speech.

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

Somebody count how many times he said "my hometown".... Like I said, I love Ricky. My point is this, I'm not a "poet" either per say, but if I were to be inducted into something this important, I would have gotten some help from someone. It was just awful.

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

I liked Ricky's speech, it sounded natural and real. Smith came across as pompous and fake to me. My favourite of the night was Dick LeBeau.

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

There's your answer.

Look, I could make you a great speech. It's what I do, and I've been a speaker for almost 30 years.

I can't play linebacker in the NFL.

Have you ever heard Lawrence Taylor speak?

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

Yes...but speaking of LT, I can't help think with all the sniffing JR was doing while "reading" his speech that maybe LT was somewhere in the audience.

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

Well Rickey was himself thats for sure,,i will leave it at that...i want to know why Jerry Rice was rubbin that nose and sniffin like crazy..lol...he must have been listening to Barry White..

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

Ricky was Ricky. He spoke from the heart. It took him a little bit to get his thought process rolling, but I think he gave the speech he wanted to give. Just great to have a TRUE Saint in the HoF!

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

I agree that's how he is. He could care less about naming this and glorifying that. He was better than Jerry by a mile. Jerry's speech was horrific. I loved his hat.

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

What was up with that? I love JR, but that was really bugging me. Someone on twitter said he was sniffing like a cokehead. I sniffle whenever I get choked up, maybe that's why, but I didn't see any tears, or hear a quiver in his voice. IDK, it was just weird.

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

Let's hope we get the other 3 in. Pat, Sam & Vaughan

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

New Orleans Saints great Rickey Jackson called an audible at Hall of Fame induction | NOLA.com

http://media.nola.com/saints_impact/...3a7d_large.jpg

Looks like he had a prepared speech after all .....

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

Just glad we got the no HOF monkey off our back ,,and he deserved it..yeah the speech was ..well kinda funny...we have the best defensive Saints player ever in the HOF...pretty kewl if ask me..

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

I'll never forget that facemask. LB, tell the younguns the story.

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

I think he was really nervous and it was his body's way of handling the anxiety. It was annoying and made him hard to follow.

Re: Loved Ricky Jackson's Speech.
 

I liked his speech, I really loved the highlights and seeing the hair styles from the early-mid 80's. U gotta love all the hi-top fades with the lines in the sides and still a few jerry curls and mullets running around on the sidelines.