Clearing up some Steven Jackson myths
Let’s clear up two misconceptions about Steven Jackson that are being promoted by “experts” posting on Internet sites:
1. Jackson is not “soft.”
2. Jackson is not “all about me.”
Item 1 is answered easily: Just watch Jackson when he has the ball. No back in the league runs it harder. Any number of Rams opponents have made that observation. He’s never been one to avoid contact, yet he becomes more effective as the game wears on and defenders wear down.
For the answer to Item 2, consult his teammates. To a man, they praise Jackson as a fierce competitor and a team-first guy.
Jackson probably won’t play Sunday against the Jets. His strained right thigh isn’t responding. After he tried to make a go of it last week vs. the Cardinals, an MRI on Monday “was actually worse than the first MRI,” taken after he was hurt Oct. 19 against the Cowboys, he reported.
“It’s getting better, but a hamstring, a quad, a groin, those kinds of injuries, one day you feel great and then the next day, the little slightest movement or tweak can really set you back,” Jackson explained. “That’s just what I’m dealing with right now. One day I feel great, feel like I can go. And when it’s time for me to prove that I’m ready, something is just not responding the way we want it to.”
Jackson is “very frustrated,” but he’s also matured considerably during his five NFL seasons, and he realizes that if he’s not at, or very near, 100 percent, then he’ll hurt his team by trying to gut it out. He thought he was at that point Sunday, but he miscalculated. He won’t make the mistake again — and Jim Haslett won’t let him. Jackson will play when he knows he’s healed enough to produce his best for the Rams. And then proves that to Haslett in practice.
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Notes & quotes:
*RB Antonio Pittman (hamstring) has been doing some running and probably will try to practice Friday. If he can suit up Sunday, he’ll be worked into the rotation in some manner with newbies Kenneth Darby and Samkon Gado.
*The Rams will dial back the offensive game plan some for Darby and Gado. “We’ll try to play to their strengths,” Haslett said. “We want to make sure we give these guys an opportunity to be successful.”
*C Nick Leckey, generously listed at 6-3 and 302, will have a big — and we mean big – assignment in Jets DT Kris Jenkins, who goes 6-4 and 349 and is having a Pro Bowl-caliber season.
*Haslett was pumped Thursday afternoon. “Practice I thought was great today. Lot of energy, the guys were into it. That’s all you can ask of them. I was very pleased with the way we worked today.”
All for now . . .
After this week, Ken Darby will be the Rams starting RB. S Jackson is soft as a marshmellow. Darby is a big time talent and that will be on display Sunday.
The Saints are lucky they signed him..
I don’t think that he’s soft, but he is injury prone and that is frusturating for fans (and Jackson too, I’m sure). He might very well be a team guy, that’ never been an issue for me. He is, however, immature. The comments about the music at the Ed, the give me the ball sign in his locker, criticizing fans….et. those are the things that give some fans fits. I don’t know how you can fault fans for that. The contract holdout and his inability to pick up the blitz just throw fuel on the fire.
tone down the offence!
Aren`t we already last in total offence.
tone offense down? forget that, open it up and go for broke. why not? swing for the fences, get creative and get after it…ala miami. i’m not suggesting wildhog offense, but take some chances, what’s there to lose? the season is done, may as well see what some young guys and some creativity can do!
I like Hasslet’s upbeat attitude even though the injuries have been pretty devastating to this team. Are there better coaches? Maybe. Are there worse coches? Definately! I am hoping that Darby and Gado will have a game like Kurt did when Green was injured and he replaced him.
Kinda reminds me of the last time we went to Jersey to play the Jets. Marshall was hurt and Canidate ran for like 170-some yards.
Jackson is not only soft,but he’s a big JERK besides.Most times he can’t even get 1 yd. on a 3rd and 1 due to his jumping up and down style.The long runs he’s had were just pure luck or bad tackling. I’d much rather have someone like Mewelde Moore,or someone of that ilk.
He’s a running back. They all get injured. They have an average NFL lifespan of 4.5 years. Doesn’t that say something about the sport more than the person?
Jackson has not been healthy as much as I would have liked him to be, and no doubt some of it could have potentially been avoided by being in camp…but to say he’s soft? That’s ridiculous.
People need to put his comments in the past. Next year he’ll be two years older and more mature than he was when he made those stupid comments.
He’s a kid, guys. He needs to grow up, and he is growing up. He’s MUCH different this year than he was last. And I expect that change to continue in a positive direction.