The St. Louis Rams lost to Pittsburgh this weekend, bringing their record to 2-13 on the season. While it has been a lost season for the Rams, there is a silver lining on this cloud.
First, the Rams are tied with the Colts in the "Suck for Luck" campaign. Second, in the loss, Steven Jackson went over the 1,000-yard mark for the seventh season in a row.
Only six other running backs in the history of the NFL went over 1,000 yards seven years in a row. The other running backs on this list are a "Who's Who" of running backs, and some of the best to ever play in the NFL—Emmitt Smith, Barry Sanders, Curtis Martin, Thurman Thomas, Eric Dickerson and LaDainian Tomlinson.
So, Jackson has definitely put himself into elite company.
Of course, in order to achieve a milestone like this, it means he has had to be very good over a long period of time. As we all know, running backs have a shelf life.
That got me thinking, "How much does Jackson have left in the tank?"
What was the average season for these same runners after they ran for 1,000 yards seven years in a row? How much did they have left after taking that pounding for seven straight seasons?
These are the averages based on a three-season average after their seventh 1,000-yard season:
| Name | Carries | Yards | YPC | TD |
| Emmit Smith | 303 | 1268 | 4.2 | 9 |
| Barry Sanders | 328 | 1699 | 5.2 | 9 |
| Curtis Martin | 318 | 1366 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Thurman Thomas | 176 | 686 | 3.9 | 4 |
| Eric Dickerson | 173 | 647 | 3.7 | 3 |
| LaDanian Tomlinson | 245 | 918 | 3.8 | 10 |
Looking at the numbers, half of the guys on this list were not the same player after so many years of poundings. Of every player on this list—ironically, Jackson most resembles Eric Dickerson, one of the all-time greats for the Rams' organization.
Jackson (6'3", 229 pounds) and Dickerson (6'3", 230 pounds) were big backs, and they could dish out punishment as well as they could take it. Both backs had a good "yards per carry" average throughout their first eight seasons in the league.
It was that eighth season, however, that was the beginning of the end for Dickerson.
Injuries and contract disputes derailed his career, and he never ran for over 1,000 yards again. Honestly, after that seventh 1,000 yard season, Dickerson could have probably ran for over 1,000 yards for another year or two if not for the disputes with Colts' management.
So what does all this mean for Steven Jackson?
He could run this hard for another two or three years, or he could be running on fumes already. Jackson has had to carry some sorry teams for years now. I think we'll see one more good season, maybe two, out of Jackson before he begins to seriously decline.
So the Rams need to starting thinking about "life after Steven Jackson." They need to add a young understudy—someone who can take the reins from Jackson like he did from Marshall Faulk.
Or, they need to consider trading Jackson now to a team that needs a runner of his caliber to take their team to that next level.
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