Jackson gets deserved playoff shot with Patriots
Ben Frederickson
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/ben-frederickson/benfred-jackson-gets-deserved-playoff-shot-with-patriots/article_bb0e7f4f-7770-5476-9965-d97da6645947.html
Steven Jackson always could make the impossible look easy. His latest act is another great example. He’s going to make us pull for the Patriots.
Yes, the Rams’ all-time leading rusher will now run for New England.
The man who logged 11 seasons, 2,743 carries and 460 receptions with just one playoff appearance to show for it will finally return to the postseason. And he didn’t even have to play a snap in 2015 to get there.
Jackson, 32, took to Twitter on Monday to confirm he has joined the running-back-depleted Patriots. He reportedly agreed to a one-year deal for the league minimum. Good for him.
When the Falcons in February released Jackson with one year left on his contract, many tried to force the workhorse into retirement. His 11,388 rushing yards rank third among active players, behind only Frank Gore (11,879 yards) and Adrian Peterson (11,504). He had nothing left to prove.
That doesn’t mean he had nothing left to offer.
His hope when he left St. Louis for Atlanta was that he would close his career carrying the Falcons toward trophies. It didn’t work out like that.
Injuries popped up. His touches went down. For the first time in his career, he averaged fewer than four yards per carry in back-to-back seasons. Mike Smith, the coach he signed to play for, was fired.
Jackson tried to tell us he wasn’t done.
“I can still punish a defense,” he wrote on his website after his release. “I still have a warrior’s heart. There are 1,000-yard seasons left in these legs.”
Right now, the Patriots need legs, period. They’re 12-2 and first in the AFC East despite an injury bug that makes Jackson the 75th different player to appear on the 53-man roster, according to NFL Nation reporter Mike Reiss. The running back position had become too thin after battering ram LeGarrette Blount went down with an injury. Insert the Battering Ram.
It makes a ton of sense. Jackson can still pound it. He doesn’t fumble. He is an outstanding teammate. This has the feel of a traditional Patriots reboot that will look brilliant when all is said and done.
Maybe Jackson was available in late December because teams questioned the tread on his tires.
Or, maybe he only wanted to return if it meant playing for a sure thing.
New England, winners of four Super Bowls since 2000, is the closest thing to a guarantee.
Jackson’s lone postseason experience came as a rookie, when the 2004 Rams (8-8) beat the Seahawks in the Wild Card before losing to Atlanta. He didn’t know back then that he would spend the next decade watching the playoffs from his couch. Now, finally, another shot.
Rams rookie running back Todd Gurley’s recent milestone reminded us just how good Jackson was here. Last Thursday, Gurley became the first Ram since Jackson to rush for 1,000-plus yards in a season. Jackson did it from 2005 through 2012. Only three backs — Emmitt Smith (11), Barry Sanders (10) and Curtis Martin (10) — reached the milestone more consecutive times.
If that doesn’t justify Jackson jumping on board with one of the favorites to win it all, how about this?
His 158 regular season games were third-most in NFL history by a player who never played on a team with a winning record, according to Elias Sports.
If Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and Co. seize another ring, Jackson’s presence will at least make it easier to swallow.
If Jackson helps carry the Patriots to glory, how could you not cheer?
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Agamemnon
