Promising start for rookie O-linemen

The question of when Austin Jackson would be ready to get into the starting lineup at left tackle for the Dolphins got its official answer in the Week 1 game against the New England Patriots.

The issue actually had been settled long before that, and that’s a testament to how quickly Jackson showed he could handle the assignment.

For good measure, he went out in his first NFL game and showed that the situation simply wasn’t too big for him.

Of everything that happened in the 21-11 loss against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium, as disappointing as it was, it just might be that Jackson’s performance was at the top of the list.

He joined some pretty select company that day, becoming only the fourth rookie in franchise history to start an opener at left tackle.

The first three were Richmond Webb in 1990, Wade Smith in 2003 and Jake Long in 2008.

Like Webb and Long, Jackson was a first-round pick, though he wasn’t considered nearly as much of an NFL-ready prospect as the other two.

On the contrary, a lot of draft analysts suggested that even though he had a high ceiling, Jackson might need some time to develop and reach his potential.

That still might be true, but nothing will change the fact that he looked impressive in that opener against the Patriots.

“Well, it’s the first game; there’s a lot of things he’s going to improve on,” offensive line coach Steve Marshall said. “The thing that I was really impressed with Austin was his competitive spirit. The guy fought hard. He’s a tough guy and really did some good things. Obviously we went back and looked at the tape and talked about what needs to get done here moving forward.”