Steven Jackson Isn't Good, Teams Just Give Him Yards Out of Pity
by Eric Nagel on May 31, 2010 5:06 PM CDT
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PrintThe title is the rational from Jason Cole over at Yahoo! Sports who has to have one of the worst arguments I've ever heard when ranking RB's. Not only that, but Cole ranks Steven Jackson (or the Rams team rushing in total; which is still just Steven Jackson) 19 out of 32 teams. I'll allow you a minute to pick up your jaw, and when your ready, keep reading.
Cole starts out by explaining that the teams are being ranked, not the players. That's understandable, given the two (or even three) back systems that are used today. But the problem with that when you look at the Rams is that as a team, there is only one running back worth anything and that is Steven Jackson. The Rams don't run a two-back system, because in the past, they haven't needed one. The point is that if you use the argument that the Rams team rushing is ranked 19th, not Steven Jackson, then your merely using a cop-out because Steven Jackson is the Rams team rushing.
Cole starts out his blurb about the Rams by saying:
Steve Jackson put up surprisingly good numbers (1,416 yards and 51 receptions) last season for an awful Rams team.
The word surprising jumps to my mind, because if anyone has ever seen Jackson play, it wouldn't be surprising that he did so well. There have been plenty of examples of running backs have good seasons on bad teams. When players have as much talent as Jackson has, they are going to stand out, no matter how the rest of the team is. There is nothing surprising about that at all. I'll give him the fact that the Rams were bad last year, because, well, they were. But while this sentence could make some sense if you read between the lines, his next argument has to be one of the dumbest things I've ever heard:
However, you got the feeling watching the Rams play that teams were often conceding yards to Jackson because they ultimately knew the Rams were not a threat and/or the opponents usually had a lead. This is a sad end to a nice career.
The fact that he had the stones to say such a stupid thing on a nationally viewed article astounds me. Did he even watch a Rams game? Opposing teams often stuffed eight, even nine men in the box because of Steven Jackson. If teams were to concede yards to him out of pity, he could have easily had the numbers Chris Johnson had this year. This can't be considered anything than a slap in the face of Jackson, who has to be one of the most ferocious and dedicated players the Rams have (and quite possibly ever will have). His determination to fight for every last yard is one of his best qualities and I also strongly doubt you will ever find a team that willingly gives the opponent a better chance to win.
He continues to say that the Rams should trade Jackson, which is another matter entirely an one that could deserve its own article. But the fact that he could be this ignorant blows my mind. It's time Steven Jackson paid a visit to Yahoo...
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His arguement about the lack of depth at running back
is obviously a valid point but is somewhat let down by putting Tennessee at number 2 solely cause of Chris Johnson. You can’t have your cake and eat it.
I don't understand how the jags can be 13 slots ahead
with this logic. and the point about giving SJAX yards is just idiotic. I don’t think any NFL player would ever let someone gain extra yards on them. Plus we were close in at least 4-5 games through the third quarter and
Keith Null won't accept my friend requests.
what a douche.
What a silly article. Trolling at its finest. The audacity of him to diminish S-Jax’s work ethic and desire and equating it to pity. Absolutely ludicrous. You ask any coach, player, fan, its beyond a doubt that Jackson is a top 5 RB.
To be, or not to be, — that is the question: — Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer — The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, — Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, — And by opposing end them?
by AbsolutMoose on May 31, 2010 6:01 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
WTF.
I mean, WTF. At this point, every media member in the country that I’d heard gives nothing but praise for Steven for playing so hard in these conditions. Is this guy serious? Conceding yards? LOL.
FAIL.
"I was just letting the shots fly. You know, I don't leave any bullets in the chamber."
"Everything negative- pressure, challenges- is all an opportunity for me to rise."
" 'So what if I hit the wall?"
(Reporter): 'Why?'
'Because I'll run right through it."
-Kobe Bryant
Let him hear it!
Make sure his ignorance doesn’t go without response.
"I was just letting the shots fly. You know, I don't leave any bullets in the chamber."
"Everything negative- pressure, challenges- is all an opportunity for me to rise."
" 'So what if I hit the wall?"
(Reporter): 'Why?'
'Because I'll run right through it."
-Kobe Bryant
SENT
"The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall." - Vince Lombardi
Touche!
"I was just letting the shots fly. You know, I don't leave any bullets in the chamber."
"Everything negative- pressure, challenges- is all an opportunity for me to rise."
" 'So what if I hit the wall?"
(Reporter): 'Why?'
'Because I'll run right through it."
-Kobe Bryant
1416 Yards
were the 3rd highest in NFL history for a RB on a 3 win or less team. The dude is a beast and deserves his props, esp what he’s gone through in the last couple of years…….
I Guess It Won't Be Locker In 2011
OMG
I FEEL LIKE IM GOING TO EXPLODE HEARING THAT. All we need is a veteran qb LIKE CHAD PENNINGTON… who doesnt start on the dolphins and a dynamic wr and te and our offense will be the most explosive in the league
I have no comment
Wait, I do.. (expletive withheld) Jason Cole. Try watching some games this year… might help you to write with more accuracy.
"The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall." - Vince Lombardi
I thought about putting this in a FanShot earlier
but decided not to because his piece is so ridiculous.
Honestly, the most ridiculous ranking to me isn’t the Rams at 19 – it’s the Vikings at #1. Minnesota was 13th in team rushing yards. Somehow, Toby Gerhart pushes the Vikings up to #1 on this list. Unbelievable.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys (who were 7th in yards and 2nd in yards/rush) are ranked 9th. Of course, he falls prey to the mythical San Francisco rushing attack (25th in yards, 12th in yards/rush), ranking them 11th.
The Cincy ranking deserves criticism as well. He’s got the Bengals in 5th, and would likely point to the fact they were ninth in total yards. But, they ran the ball more than all but three teams. Call me crazy, but I’m not all that impressed by a running back committee that includes Cedric Benson, Bernard Scott, Brian Leonard, and Cedric Peerman.
Garbage stuff.
You don't seem to want to accept the fact you're dealing with an expert in guerrilla warfare, with a man who's the best, with guns, with knives, with his bare hands. A man who's been trained to ignore pain, ignore weather, to live off the land, to eat things that would make a billy goat puke. In *St. Louis* his job was to dispose of enemy personnel. To kill! Period! Win by attrition. Well, *Steven Jackson* was the best.
He must be impressed by Brian Leonard leaping ability
It’s enough to move them up a few slots IMO.
The House of Spears reigns supreme
What a dummy
Hope he spills coffee on his keyboard so he can’t spread more of this filth. Putrid. Jackson deserves more respect.
Julio Jones for Rams 2011
We agree on something.
“…when you look at the Rams is that as a team, there is only one running back worth anything and that is Steven Jackson.”
die, Cole, die...
can’t believe he said and published those things….doucher
"Twin-headed infinite swirling vortex of grotesque suckitude known as Tony Clark and Eric Byrnes"
Wow....
I read his article first…jaw dropped….then came here and guess what the top article is!!!!
How insulting to every defence the Rams played last year…..they should give some pay back if they were taking downs off!
Ha! Pfft, Yahoo?
Credible news source? That’s like a step up from TMZ or ProFootballTalk. Barely. I’m not sure but, It’s really close though.
Regardless, saying player X sucks because team Y sucks works out most of the time but, Cole might want to proof read those MadLib’s before he posts them up on the Interwebs.
Complete Rubbish
It’s not just the Rams, I think his whole ranking system is completely messed up. The Bengals at 5?!
Wow
8-9 men in the box because the Rams cannot pass and this is the love that Jax gets? FU Cole.
Jason Cole has written decent stuff before ... not sure where he's coming from here.
I thought his “”http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=jc-directsnap022210" >Step-by-Step guide to drafting a QB" was a very well written piece. But his logic and analysis here is just plain wrong. Not only was Steven Jackson the running game, he was the Rams offense. I believe SJ led the league in percentage of his team’s offensive yards.
The very notion that defenses played soft on the Rams running game at any point in the game depends on the idea that defenses had to focus, or play anything other than a base set, to stop our passing game. That just wasn’t the case. I doubt Steven had the chance to run against a “prevent” set all season long, and had only a handful of snaps against a base seven-man front.
Hidden among those 1400+ yards was a decent number of carries for no gain, particularly on those awfully predictable drive-opening carries and 1st-and-tens with no hint of play action. There’s no doubt that, had the Rams’ passing game been at all effective, SJ could have added another 200 yards easy on the same workload of carries.
RamsHerd.com - Graphic Rams Discussion
fixed link
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=jc-directsnap022210
RamsHerd.com - Graphic Rams Discussion
That friggin' settles it!
No longer will I patronize Yahoo! Sports nor will I ever take anything I read or hear about sports that comes out of Yahoo!
Never cared for Yahoo! anyway, now I care even less (it that’s possible) and those statements made Cole just gave me more reason to doubt his credibility than I had before.
Go Rams!
"We can't run. We can't pass. We can't stop the run. We can't stop the pass. We can't kick. Other than that, we're just not a very good football team right now." --- Bruce Coslett, New York Jets Head Coach circa 1990s
In Cole's defense...
It appears that he’s ranking the strength of teams coming into the 2010 season, not the results of the 2009 season. It also appears that scoring punch is a big part of his equation.
- The Titans will probably fall off as a team, even if Chris Johnson is still insane.
- The Vikings #1? ehh, but it’s debatable.
- The Rams should rank higher, but not top ten - unless Jackson is truly healthy, and until he begins to get red zone carries.
- The Cardinals and Seahawks both ranked beneath the Rams? Totally correct.
The team I think he missed the most on is the 49ers. With those two brutal new guards, a healthy Frank Gore, and a real backup in Anthony Davis, they could be truly fearsome in the run game. Top 5 is possible.
Meanwhile, the Broncos should be ranked much lower, as their whole philosophy on the offensive line is in transition, and they have already lost Ryan Clady for the season.
RamsHerd.com - Graphic Rams Discussion
The main problem that we all have with this article is that he says that teams
were just letting Jackson get yards, that he wasn’t that good last year, and that it was “surprising” that he played well.
He has a point about depth
But in reality if you put him behind a team like the Jets or Vikings offensive line, he’ d be a lot closer to 2000 yards.
I am a bear of very little brains and big words bother me.
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