ORCHARD PARK http://www.panthersfootballauthentic.co … -authentic , N.Y. (AP) while playing professional football in Germany, he and his wife had to rely on their poker winnings to afford going out for fancy dinners.”I was broke,” the former Buffalo Bills running back said, laughing while reflecting back to his 2006 season with the now-defunct NFL Europa Rhein Fire.”We played poker so we could go out to eat and go see some of the sights and stuff like that courtesy of my teammates,” he added, noting his wife, Danielle, was better than him at cards.”It was one of those things that made me appreciate everything about this, coming from those humble beginnings.”Jackson had time to reminisce Wednesday upon returning to Buffalo to sign a one-day contract to retire as a member of the Bills. The formality brought closure to a nine-season NFL playing career Jackson built on both a powerful running style and sheer perseverance.That combination led the undrafted Division III Coe College product to make the jump from playing in the U.S. Indoor Football League to Europe and then Buffalo’s practice squad before finally entrenching himself as a Bills’ fan-favorite.”It’s a story that’s like nobody else’s, and that’s something to be proud of,” said Jackson, who made his NFL debut with Buffalo as a 26-year-old rookie in 2007.”It’s something that I try to share with students when I go talk to schools. Just because you don’t get drafted Will Grier Jersey , don’t give up. And it makes it that much sweeter when you accomplish it.”Jackson led the Bills in yards rushing during four of his eight seasons in Buffalo despite sharing a backfield first with Marshawn Lynch and then C.J. Spiller. He still ranks third on the team list with 5,646 yards rushing and 15 100-yard games, and fourth with 30 touchdowns rushing.As for popularity, Jackson became one of the faces of the franchise for his leadership and lunch-bucket approach. He was so respected by his teammates , many began honoring Jackson by wearing a T-shirt that featured the phrase: ”FredEx Delivers.””When I looked at Fred, I identified him as a guy like, `You know what? I really don’t want to let that guy down,”’ Bills veteran defensive tackle Kyle Williams said.”Those guys are, I’m not going to say rare because I feel like we’ve had some good guys come through these doors. But those guys are special, and Fred’s one of those guys.”Overall, Jackson finished with 5,746 yards rushing and 39 touchdowns (nine receiving) http://www.panthersfootballauthentic.co … -authentic , including his final season in 2015, which he spent with Seattle after being cut by the Bills.Though he’s not played since, Jackson said he was still attracting interest from teams, including the Minnesota Vikings last season.At 37, he decided it was finally time to call it quits.”That’s ancient for a running back and it was just time,” Jackson said. ”And to be able to come back to Buffalo and sign a one-day contract makes it a little easier.”Though he now lives in Iowa, Jackson plans to maintain a connection to Buffalo, where he is a part owner of a downtown steak restaurant. He’s already made plans to hold a youth football camp in August, which he hopes becomes an annual event.Jackson will always remain a Bills fan, and felt a part of the team last season, when Buffalo clinched a playoff berth on the final weekend of the season to end what had been a 17-year postseason drought.”I was running around the house screaming, and my son was doing the same thing Jordan Scarlett Jersey ,” said Jackson, who made the playoffs in his one season with the Seahawks. ”We’re still huge Bills fans. This is still family for us. We were as ecstatic as everybody else.”— ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) — A week off helped cure the Oakland Raiders offensive woes even with Amari Cooper and Marshawn Lynch not around.The defense still is plagued by all the problems that have been evident all season and a major reason why the Raiders are such a big disappointment in Jon Gruden’s first year back as coach.The Raiders (1-6) allowed Marlon Mack and the Colts to run for 222 yards, gave up three touchdown passes from Andrew Luck to his trio of tight ends and failed to generate a sack or takeaway in a 42-28 loss that came after what players and coaches felt was the best week of practice for the defense all season.“Well it just wasn’t good enough,” Gruden said Monday. “I’m not going to sit up here and say much more. We have to do a better job collectively. Getting off blocks, staying in the right gap and making physical tackles and knocking them backward. Those areas, it’s hard to practice live. It’s hard to practice against the exact look you’re going to see at full speed, as you know. But we are practicing well. We are practicing hard.”The results just aren’t there. The Raiders have allowed their most points (218) through seven games since 1961 and rank third worst in the league in third-down defense (49.4 percent), second worst in scoring defense (31.1 ppg), last in run defense (144.7 ypg) and last in sacks (seven).Oakland even made several changes in personnel with defensive backs Gareon Conley, Karl Joseph and Nick Nelson; and linebackers Jason Cabinda, Kyle Wilber and Nicholas Morrow all getting their most extensive playing time of the season as searches for answers.But that didn’t help at all as the Raiders allowed 42 points for the second straight game at the Coliseum.“We’re looking for more consistency. We’re looking for somebody to step up David Montgomery Jersey , not only on game day but during the week,” Gruden said. “We’re still working through who are the best corners, who is the best combination for us in every situation. Hopefully we can settle on it soon.”The one positive to take away from the game was the performance of the offense in a week after the team traded Cooper and placed Lynch on injured reserve, knocking out the No. 1 receiver and lead running back.Playing behind a healthier offensive line that provided much more time than it did the previous game in London on Oct. 14 against Seattle, Derek Carr had perhaps his best game yet under Gruden.Carr threw three touchdown passes, ran for a fourth score, completed 17 straight passes at one point and perhaps most importantly, committed no turnovers for just the second time this season.“I think we’ve tried to be creative. I think anyone will tell you that the injuries on the offensive line, multiple injuries at left guard, right tackle, can stymie you, it can make things tough on everyone http://www.bearsfootballauthentics.com/ … -authentic ,” Gruden said.“An 11-hour flight can make things doubly hard. I’m not going to say anything other than yesterday we had a good rhythm, we were able to finish some drives. I think Derek Carr showed you what kind of quarterback he is when he gets legitimate pass protection and gets some balance. That was exciting.”The offense got a boost in the running game with Doug Martin playing his best game yet in place of Lynch. Martin ran for 72 yards on 13 carries and caught two passes for 17 yards in his most prolific game since 2016.But Martin also lost a key fumble in the fourth quarter with Oakland trailing by seven, sealing another loss.“He’s a good player,” Gruden said. “He had the fumble. Obviously, that will be remembered by a lot of people and rightfully so. But, what a performance he had yesterday. He picked up a couple blitzes. He ran with authority. He can catch the ball. He has a great stiff-arm, still. He still has a lot of life in his legs.”NOTES: Gruden is hopeful LG Kelechi Osemele could return from a knee injury this week. … OL Backup OL T.J. Clemmings will go on IR soon with a season-ending knee injury. … DT Eddie Vanderdoes could return this week from a major knee injury in last year’s season finale.