Soon after the Falcons signed Steven Jackson last year, he boldly proclaimed his intention to “break the mold” for running backs who often fall into decline once they turn 30.
Instead, Jackson’s body broke down after one game and one series in 2013. He missed four games and went on to have the least productive season of his 10-year career.
His hamstring injury marked the third consecutive year Jackson suffered a soft-tissue injury early in the season. That dubious streak continued when another hamstring injury, sustained on the fifth day of 2014 training camp, sidelined him for the rest of the preseason.
Now that Jackson, 31, is set to play in the season-opener against the Saints on Sunday, he’s trying to take the optimistic view about missing training camp.
“I just see it as a silver lining, to make sure that I come into the season as fresh as possible,” Jackson said. “I’m coming into this season confident, unlike last year (when) I had to learn the offense. This year I knew the offense, so that allowed me to be better leader. I was able to help guys out when they had questions. I will go into this game on Sunday healthy.”
If Jackson can stay healthy and productive after what he’s called a “fluke” year in 2013, he might still be able to break the mold for older backs. History suggests it won’t be easy.
The list of standout backs whose production declined significantly once they turned 30 includes Earl Campbell, Jamal Lewis, LaDainian Tomlinson, Eric Dickerson, Eddie George and Marshall Faulk.
Jackson had played more games (131) by the year he turned 30 than all of those players except Faulk. His combined rushes and receptions (2,802) were more than all except Tomlinson and Faulk, and neither of those players were big, power backs in Jackson’s mold.
Still, it was just two seasons ago that Jackson averaged 4.1 yards per carry for the Rams. The year before that, Jackson had what had become a typical season for him in the latter part of his career: 1,145 yards rushing on 260 carries (4.4 average) with five touchdowns and 42 catches for 333 yards (7.9 average).
Jackson was named to the Pro Bowl in 2009 and 2010 but the Falcons likely don’t need him to play at that level to optimize their offense. With Matt Ryan throwing to Julio Jones, Roddy White and Harry Douglas, and Devin Hester adding a new dimension, Jackson can provide one good option among many.
“With all these weapons that we’ve got outside, (defenses) have to do something,” Jones said. “If you are going to go zone, we are going to run the ball. That dimension there in the running game with Steven Jackson, he’s big, strong and he’s athletic. He can run a guy over and take it to the house because he has the speed and everything too.”
The question remains whether Jackson can stay in the lineup each week. He’s only done it three times in his career.
Jackson and the Falcons clearly were being cautious during the preseason in an effort to keep him healthy. They decided a sound hamstring to be more important than getting him work in practice or live games.
“Steven knows his body,” Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter said. “He’s been doing this long enough. He knows what he has to do. All you have to do is take one good look at him to know that he’s in good shape.
“He practiced (this week). He looked fast. He’s got fresh legs. Steven is a player. I know that he will be ready.”
Jackson acknowledged that “game speed is different” than practice, so there figures to be an adjustment in his first game since the 2013 finale. He said he’s not sure how many snaps he might play against the Saints.
“All I can do is make sure that whatever that is, I have to make sure that I’m ready to carry the workload,” he said.
The Falcons have some depth at running back behind Jackson. They selected Devonta Freeman in the fourth round of the draft and also have veteran holdovers Jacquizz Rodgers and Antone Smith.
Koetter said Rodgers is a steady player. Freeman showed some promise in exhibition games. Smith has a knack for making big plays in limited touches.
But none of them can do the things Jackson does — when he’s healthy.
“That’s a great part (of the offense),” Jones said. “I love having Steven Jackson back with us.”
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