Alumni day: Steven Jackson declares he is greatest Rams running back of all time

[dieterbrock]

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BettJe00.htm
Bettis only had three years with the Rams. I would say SJ39 is ahead of him as the best Rams running back.

Yeah well Jim Everett has more tds and yardage than Kurt Warner but he’s not In his league either.

 

[nighttrain]

just sayin....
I love Jackson but he could not carry MF or ED jock strap in terms of skill.
He was great though and a true pro, slugging away on God awful teams without complaint.

SJ did have to run behind OL that would make Barry Sanders gag
train

 

[fearsomefour]

SJ did have to run behind OL that would make Barry Sanders gag
train

Those Lions lines were nothing special.

 

[dieterbrock]

True, but before the season started he said he wanted to play for Pittsburgh and it sure look like he was doggin it to me.

And then surprise he got his wish.

I don’t recall that at all. Heck if Bam Morris didn’t get busted for dope, I don’t think Pittsburgh would have even thought about Bettis.

 

[kurtfaulk]

Those Lions lines were nothing special.

i might be wrong but i remember hearing about a stat that said sanders was tackled behind the line of scrimmage more than any other rb in the history of the nfl. imagine that guy behind the cowboys oline emmitt smith had in front of him.

.

 

[tempests]

i might be wrong but i remember hearing about a stat that said sanders was tackled behind the line of scrimmage more than any other rb in the history of the nfl. imagine that guy behind the cowboys oline emmitt smith had in front of him.

Yes, he lost over 1000 yards to tackles for a loss. But that was owing to his running style too.

 

[OnceARam]

By the end of his career I fully expect Gurley to be one of those top two spots, but at this point, he’s not above SJax.

:redcard: He would need to earn that distinction.

 

[HE WITH HORNS]

We can only imagine what Jackson could have done playing for a good team in his prime. When he went to Atlanta, he was already slowed down considerably.
Keep in mind in his time with the Rams, he had to run into 8-9 guys in the box almost every play.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

And Joe Montana played for the whiners with Bill Walsh as his coach instead of playing for the bucs. Tom Brady has had 5 seconds to throw the ball for pretty much his whole career. That's the luck players have in the nfl.

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So you really think they would have sucked on some other team? But, your missing the point. SJ still put up very good numbers even though he had a crap line. It's not like he was terrible. With a good OLine he likely would have been even better. He still leads the teams rushing list.

Maybe by the end of his career Gurley will hold that record, but it can be very difficult for running backs to be as consistently good as Jackson was for so many years. He was a physical freak.

 

[JackKirbyFan]

Great post @TSFH Fan especially the comparison of Wade Phillips & Raymondo Giuseppi Giovanni Baptiste Malavasi. IMO, Malavasi never gets enough credit and I for one have always been tough on the former High Profile Defensive Coordinator and then Head Coach. I adored Knox and had always wished that Carroll Rosenbloom went with gut and hired Bill Walsh back in 1978 as opposed to George Allen, which even at 12 I knew that Allen and Rosenbloom could never coexist.

In fact I will never forget a quote from the Rams first owner Dan Reeves (Hall of famer) and first person to move his team west said....Reeves said "I had more fun losing with Harland Svare, then I ever had winning with George Allen." Anyway Ray Malavasi made Knox's teams great because of his defense and in fact, was the only holdover when the Rams hired Allen as Ray was going to run the offense under Allen before Allen's abrupt firing and Malavasi's unexpected promotion.

I also remember Fred Dryer saying that they knew they could win in the playoffs with "Ray." Because Ray would do whatever needed to be done to win, where Knox always played things too close to the vest. Anyway it was Malavasi and former renown DC Bud Carson that devised the 7 defensive back scheme that drove Roger Staubach into reitrement in 1979.

I read the article in today's Times and sent it to a fellow Ram fan who doesn't read newspapers. I've been a Rams fan since 1965 and Steven Jackson was unequivocally one of the great Rams and NFL running backs of them all. I watched him every game via Sunday Ticket and went nuts cheering for him. These weren't great Ram teams but SJ39 was fun to watch and was always my MVP. Look, Ernie Banks of the old Chicago Cubs played on lousy teams and even was a league MVP if I'm not mistaken. And today he's in Cooperstown. And I believe SJ39 belongs in Canton.

 

[badnews]

Jackson, when times were at their worst, would regularly drag 4 or 5 guys for the extra 3 or 4 yards necessary to get a 1st down or put points on the board... many times he was our ENTIRE offense.

 

[Bayrams]

I remember an article I read about SJ39. After a Rams home game in St. Louis, on his way home, he’d stop at a nearby Mini-Mart and buy 2 fifty pound bags of ice to sit in in his bathtub for all the pounding he took in the game. It wouldn’t have been so bad had the Rams won the game, but as usual, they lost. It is normal for running backs to get beaten up in a game, but it is 10 times more hurtful when you lost.

 

[kurtfaulk]

So you really think they would have sucked on some other team?

have you seen brady operate under extreme pressure? it's not pretty. many player's careers have been ruined by being drafted by the browns. look at the rams players with jeff fisher and boras in charge. some players just luck out and play for teams with great coaching.

.

 

[CGI_Ram]

I remember an article I read about SJ39. After a Rams home game in St. Louis, on his way home, he’d stop at a nearby Mini-Mart and buy 2 fifty pound bags of ice to sit in in his bathtub for all the pounding he took in the game. It wouldn’t have been so bad had the Rams won the game, but as usual, they lost. It is normal for running backs to get beaten up in a game, but it is 10 times more hurtful when you lost.

I remember that too. SJ really tried to take care of himself. Slept in an oxygen tent, too.

 

[Ramstien]

The Rams have had a lot of great backs over the years; Dickerson, Faulk, Bettis, and Jackson just to name a few from recent history. I have to admit they all had their own niche/style, but I did enjoy Jackson's combination of speed and power. Gurley seems to be continuing the tradition of great Ram RBs and he is a lot of fun to watch with his speed, power, and hurdling abilities.

 

[OC--LeftCoast]

Well statistically speaking, he is

The rest is nothing more or less than perspectives and opinions

 

[den-the-coach]

I read the article in today's Times and sent it to a fellow Ram fan who doesn't read newspapers. Look, Ernie Banks of the old Chicago Cubs played on lousy teams and even was a league MVP if I'm not mistaken. And today he's in Cooperstown. And I believe SJ39 belongs in Canton.

Confusing about the newspapers, if in electronic form, however, everyone lately today is even sensitive on how they get their news or lack there of, amazing....Anyway I watched every game Jackson played too and yes he was on some bad teams, but I also watched every game Marshall Faulk played and many that Eric Dickerson played too.

Jackson was special because of the power and speed and he also had the ability to catch the football too, but I don't see Jackson making it to Canton. Seems you have to win to do that lately, but I will be rooting for him to be there. You are right though because I guess I was so upset with the teams Jackson played on I guess I could have taken his play for granted and love the Ernie Banks reference, what a class act Banks was and Ernie never had to say he was the greatest Cub of all time because the people just knew that, big difference!

 

[TexasRam]

Faulk
Gurley
Dickerson
Sjack

Faulk was multidimensional and made defenders miss on his own, he had a great ability at the goaline.

Gurley is multidimensional but doesn’t have the jukes in the open field like Faulk. Gurley also has a great feel at the Goaline.

ED was one dimensional and played behind the best offensive line but had no QB so faced 8 men boxes.

SJack wasn’t the best pass blocker but could catch passes out of the backfield. His Oline was the worst of the 4. But Sjack had subpar goaline game.

 

[badnews]

SJack wasn’t the best pass blocker but could catch passes out of the backfield. His Oline was the worst of the 4. But Sjack had subpar goaline game.

I disagree on your last point.
Jackson did not possess any supernatural gift for getting in the endzone... but nothing about him vs. 11 defenders (after doing all of the work to get it down there) was "subpar" at the goal line.
During his prime, most Rams TDs came with 3 defenders draped across SJs back.

Its true that his TD numbers are not elite but imo that has almost everything to do with his supporting cast and nothing to do with his ability at the goal line or instinct to score or anything like that.

Also, Gurley hasn't proven himself to be a better back than ED or SJ but he is a top 4 Rams RB and on many teams he would be higher... but this is the Rams and great RBs is what we do.
To Gurleys credit, last season he looked better than Jackson ever did.
But the season before? Not pretty. looked worse than Jackson ever did...

 

[Mojo Ram]

I always felt like SJ went down too easily with ankle tackles, and for a monster-sized back he couldn't get a yard too many times.

He was a great talent surrounded by JAGS and i get all that, but honestly i feel like he was a bit overrated in terms of the all time great backs. That combo of size & speed was rare but i saw a RB who ran smaller than he was at critical times.

IMO Bettis is as underrated as SJ is overrated among Rams fans in general.