"Early in last Thursday's preseason opener, Vincent Jackson caught a 48-yard pass in stride and took a few more steps before the just-burned cornerback was able to trip him up.

Jackson rose quickly and in understated celebration stalked forward in that slow way only a superior athlete (or a dancer) can make look smooth.

So familiar as an on-field scene, so fitting as a metaphor.

Forward is how Jackson wants to go.

In interviews over the past week, it is apparent that Jackson allows no regret, is certain he will continue to be everything he was while leading the NFL in receiving average from 2008-09 and that he believes his future is limitless, even if it isn't entirely in his hands.

Since the moment he reported to camp, having signed his one-year franchise tender that guaranteed him $11.4 million, it has been clear Jackson has made an effort to arrive at a peaceful juncture.

In fact, a firm believer in life experiences adding up to the sum of a man, Jackson counts the experience of his 2010 contract dispute and its accompanying ugliness as a sort of pathway to enlightenment.

"It brought me to just understanding the brutal business (that) this game can be," he said this week. "Does it have to be? No, it doesn't have to be. But at times it is. There is no frustration. I think I've gotten a little bit more frustrated (in the past) about things outside of my control, and so I've really just honed in on, 'You know what, I'm going to be better, I'm going to be the best football player I can be, work hard, make my teammates better, make guys around me better.' Because when you leave this game -- it's a short window that we get to play this game -- and I want to leave an impression here.""