Chris Smith's Thoughts

A year ago, running back Steven Jackson finished with his first 1,000-yard rushing season and ten total touchdowns, good enough for 11th overall at the running back position. However his performance last season seemed to be just the tip of the iceberg of what he is capable of if he gets the ball into his hands more often. The former 1st round pick has a great blend of size, power and quickness and he has the ability to elevate his game into the fantasy elite tier if he gets enough touches.

Why Jackson should be considered as a mid-first round pick in fantasy leagues:

Mike Martz has left the organization
Martz is known as an offensive guru but a more appropriate moniker may be a passing specialist as he often neglected to use the rushing attack. Martz is now the former head coach / offensive coordinator of the St. Louis Rams as he took that pass-happy approach to the game over to the Detroit Lions. This is potentially great news for Steven Jackson as the offensive approach in St. Louis this season will be more conventional than in year’s past.

Jackson is the prototypical workhorse back
Steven Jackson is a running back with the size and ability necessary to carry the ball 20+ times per game. He only had that chance three times last year. In those three games he carried the ball 70 times for 386 yards (5.5 yards per rush) and scored four touchdowns. Jackson is the type of back that gets better as the game goes on and he can wear down a defense if given the opportunity to do so.

More balanced attack in ’06
New head coach Scott Linehan likes to run a much more balanced offense than his predecessor and he will stick with the running game if it is going well. The Rams will slide into more conventional offensive formations this season than in the past when they predominantly used the spread attack. Jackson is the prototypical big back who can and will thrive in an offensive that uses tight end to help pound the ball. In 2005 the Rams passed the ball 598 times even with the injuries to the quarterback position and ran the ball only 380 times. Under Linehan, that split will be much closer to 50/50.

Rams committed to getting him the ball
New offensive coordinator Greg Olson had this to say about his young, talented running back. "If you can get the ball to him (Steven Jackson) 20 times or more, he seems to get better," Olson said. "We think that's a good number to shoot for. He's one of our primary weapons that needs to get more touches."

Jackson us ready for big season
Bill Coats of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported back in March that Jackson expects to have a big season in ’06 and that his first season as the Rams' primary running back wasn't at all what he expected. "I wasn't getting the amount of touches that I wanted to get and I wasn't being used in the way I wanted to be used", Jackson said. "I'm expecting a lot more touches than the last couple of years. I'm expecting more balance.”

Solid run-blocking offensive line
Tackle Orlando Pace anchors what appears to be a very strong run-blocking offensive line. There are some age concerns up front but this unit should be able to open up holes for the running game to exploit.

Positives

• Perfect mix of size, power and quickness
• Team focused on getting the ball into his hands this season
• Rams have a pretty strong run-blocking offensive line

Negatives

• Veteran Marshall Faulk may stick around to steal some touches
• He hasn’t proven he can handle a full 20+ carry per game workload at the NFL level
• It isn’t known yet how smoothly the switch to a more conventional offense will ultimately be

Final Thoughts

Last season we got a glimpse of how terrific running back Steven Jackson can be at the NFL level. This season he will get the opportunity to become one of the best running backs in the league. The Rams are planning on leaning heavily on him in 2006 and he should average 20 carries per game throughout the season. With good run-blocking in front of him and a return to a balanced offensive attack, the sky is the limit for Jackson in ‘06.

Quotations from the Message Board Thread

To view the entire Player Spotlight thread (there's a ton of fantastic commentary in there), click here.

Big Score:
Getting only 254 carries last year, in the pass happy Martz offense, and having the disadvantage of trying to run with Martin & even worse, Ryan Fitzsucks at QB, Jackson still managed to post a respectable 4.1 ypc avg. His hands aren't too shabby either. Very solid natural pass catcher. Jackson doesn't fight the ball into his body. Instead he can use those soft hands of his, to pluck the pass out of the air. Excellent run after the catch ability.

I think Linehan recognizes that Jackson is the kind of back who gets better as the game goes along. Linehan will make better use of his 231 lb RB than Martz did. I easily see Jackson getting 46 more carries than last year (that's slightly more than 2 per game) and honestly expect about Linehan to feed Jackson about 70 more times then last year. We also know Jackson is a bull at the Goal Line. Even if he's having a terrible day rushing the ball elsewhere on the field, feed him the ball at the Goal Line and he has a nose for the end zone.

SoloMatisse:
Id expect solid but unspectacular #s from Steve Jackson. He runs with power and isn't afraid of contact, and that can get you hurt from time to time. IMO, he has plenty of speed, moves and power to be a Rudi Johnson type back....13-1400 yds rushing with at least 10 or 12 TDs. He brings an added dimension taking swings and screens out of the backfield and can use his power on those plays to earn another 400 yards.

mbuehner:
St Louis was 29th in the league in rushing attempts in 05, running the ball just 37% of plays. Even so, Jackson racked up 1,054 yards rushing, 8 TDs in 15 games at 4 yards a clip- not bad at all. Add 320 receiving and 2 more touches and Jackson quietly had a really nice season. Numbers wise Jackson looks a lot like Lamont Jordan or Rudi Johnson sans a few touches. Even a modest increase will put Jackson comfortably in the top 10.

Steven Jackson Projections

SOURCE	RSH	RSHYD	RSHTD	REC	RECYD	RECTD
Chris Smith	0	1380	10	43	335	2
Message Board Consensus	0	1325	11	40	346	2