Steven Jackson ready to step up

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"St. Louis Post-Dispatch

ST. LOUIS — As part of the annual end-of-the-season evaluations, one member of Mike Martz’s coaching staff strongly suggested last January that it would be better for all concerned if Marshall Faulk didn’t return in 2006.

Faulk was near the end of the line, and it was time for Steven Jackson to stand alone in the St. Louis backfield. That wasn’t the plan once Scott Linehan took over as head coach. In fact, Linehan wanted to give Faulk a little more work in ‘06.

But the reality is that Faulk’s career appears to be over because of continuing problems with his right knee. You never say never in the NFL, but no one at Rams Park expects him to play again.

So for the first time since being the first running back chosen in the 2004 draft, Jackson will step out from the long, Hall of Fame shadow cast by Faulk.

“That makes it easier from a controversy standpoint,” Jackson said. “Now, we’ll see where I’ve come in three years of being a pro. I’ve prepared myself the last two years. ... Now it’s time to take the test.”

It is widely believed that Dallas coach Bill Parcells passed on Jackson in the ‘04 draft because of concerns about his durability. Jackson has been slowed in the NFL by a variety of ailments, including knee and hip injuries. Even so, he managed to rush for 1,046 yards and score a team-high 10 touchdowns a year ago.

But now, in an offense that promises to run the football more often, Jackson is being counted on to be a workhorse. ... For all 16 games. Can he do it?

“You look at how big he is,” quarterback Marc Bulger said. “I think that’s the kind of back he is. Obviously, he’s been nicked up here and there. But if we can get him the ball, I think he is a 25-30 touches-a-game back.”

Jackson reported to training camp at 228 pounds, about five pounds lighter than usual. He seems anxious to take on the new challenge.

“One of the big things is Marshall’s not here, so I don’t have to deal with that any more,” Jackson said. “And it’s a new regimen. Coach (Linehan) is making a point that the running game is going to be something that he expects to be there. So there’s no more excuses.”

Jackson isn’t necessarily a “party-line” player. In the past, he has been critical of the workload—or lack thereof—he carried during the Martz regime. And he hasn’t always said the right thing when it comes to Faulk. But with the 2006 season upon us, he wants to put all that behind him.

“You know what? I don’t want any controversy with it anymore,” Jackson said. “Me and Marshall are good friends. We haven’t talked (lately). I hope he has a speedy recovery (from surgery) and comes back.

“But what I’m saying is that I don’t have to deal with the comparisons to Marshall. I’m not a Marshall Faulk running back. It’s not disrespectful to him. It’s not disrespectful to me. We’re just two different backs.”

The Rams’ dependence on Jackson has never been greater. Faulk’s departure leaves them without a true safety net behind Jackson. Among the other running backs on the training camp roster, only free-agent pickup Tony Fisher has carried more than 18 times and gained more than 90 yards in any NFL season.

“I think we helped ourselves with Tony Fisher,” Linehan said. “That was a big signing because he does help us in the special teams area, but he really is a very effective running back and can handle that number two spot.”

But in four seasons with Green Bay, Fisher never carried more than 70 times or gained more than 283 yards. Fisher obviously is a big upgrade over Arlen Harris as the No. 3 back, but it’s debatable whether he can be a true No. 2.

So the search continues for a backup to Jackson. According to league sources, the Rams have made a trade offer to New Orleans for Michael Bennett. In fact, it’s believed to be the best offer the Saints have received. The Rams also have talked with Tennessee about Chris Brown.

But neither the Saints nor the Titans are ready to trade—at least not yet. In New Orleans, No. 2 overall pick Reggie Bush remains unsigned and Deuce McAlister is coming back from knee surgery. Bush eventually will sign. McAlister is expected to be fine. So it may be a couple of weeks before the Saints are ready to part with Bennett, who has been injury-plagued and not very productive since rushing for 1,296 yards and making the Pro Bowl in 2002.

Nonetheless, he’s the Rams’ preferred option, having played for Linehan in Minnesota in 2002, ‘03, and ‘04.

Meanwhile, Brown’s agent has asked for a trade in Tennessee, where the Titans also have former 1,400-yard rusher Travis Henry and second-round draft pick LenDale White of Southern Cal on the depth chart.

Brown rushed for 851 yards a year ago. Henry was suspended four games a year ago for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy, and Titans coaches haven’t been enamored with White’s work ethic so far. So the Titans may be less inclined to trade than New Orleans.

The Rams brought in another former Viking, free-agent Moe Williams, for a visit in the offseason. But Williams is coming off knee surgery and didn’t pass his physical in that visit to St. Louis.

“The issue with this position is everybody needs the same thing we need,” Linehan said. “So, people aren’t in a hurry or anxious to give us their No. 2 running back. You know, they’d make their team weaker.”

But the Rams are only looking for someone to spell Jackson or fill in if he gets hurt, not replace him. For all the great things Faulk has done in his career, he was a role player last year—gaining a career-low 292 yards at age 32.

In the big picture, the Rams simply need a breakout season for Jackson.

“I want a guy who’s back there in the fourth quarter that we can give the ball to six, seven times on a drive like Marshall used to do and just close the game out,” Bulger said. “And I think Steve is the guy.”

The Rams are banking on it."

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