Just finished watching NFL Live! on ESPN. They more or less confirmed my worst suspicions. Neither Marcelus Wiley nor Mark Schlereth believe there is any such thing as minor back surgery. Schlereth said he had 20 knee surgeries (!) but he would have taken 20 more rather than the single back surgery he had. He says his back hurts him every single day. It has ever since the surgery. Evidently, it is not quite so with the knees.
They were particularly concerned about the effects of a herniated disk on a bull-rushing power back whose game is predicated on thumping defenders and making them pay for trying to make the tackle. Now, ESPN has a vested interest in sensationalizing this stuff. Worries about Steven Jackson will galvanize Ram fans. Should I discount their statements for this reason?
Nope. I know a little something something about these surgery things. The doctors do everything possible to avoid surgery. Surgery is the option of last resort for most of these guys. Back surgery is particularly thorny business. Doctors don't take that liability lightly or flippantly, especially with million dollar athletes.
There is another factor. You are reading the writing of a guy who hero worshiped Earl Campbell. Campbell is so badly damaged and worn down now that he is said to need a walker to make it any significant distance in public. He uses his hands constantly to take weight off his legs when not using the walker. They say the same about George Rodgers. This is rumored to be happening to Jerome Bettis now.
In many ways, Steven Jackson's career has defied logic. He continues to excel on a crappy team. Nobody has to motivate him. He is driven by the furnace inside. He doesn't want to leave. He hasn't been disgruntled. He hasn't had scandals {recent false accusations set aside}. He hasn't asked to be traded. He has made it 6 full years as the single back in a pathetic offense, and he has been a thumper all the way. He accounts for 40% of our offense. He was both our leading rusher and our leading receiver last season.
Most running backs have a very difficult time getting that second contract. The life expectancy of a running back in the NFL is just 4 seasons. When the fall off into injury happens, it is usually sudden and swift. Just look at Shawn Alexander. Jackson is exceptional... but you have to worry... has his career begun that sudden and swift decline? Very scary.
It is hard to for me to talk about Steven. Why? Because his career seems so damn tragic to me. I can't imagine what it would be like to be the only great player on a team, to sacrifice your body and your career hammering away on a project that will never bear fruit in your professional lifetime. I haven't seen a case this tragic since Walter Peyton. Peyton did make it to a massive Super Bowl victory eventually.
What are the odds Steven's career does the same?
This is why I say Steven's career seems like such a tragedy to me. It's hard for me to talk about this. Anyway... I'll drop it.
I was the only dude in the Ram forums declaring that we should be looking at Toby Gerhart before the Draft. They wanted to stone me... and that was just for starters. I warned them that Steven's age and the beating he has taken should not be discounted lightly. Let's just say my testicles were almost crushed in the uproar. I even had the audacity to publish that statement at BleacherReport.com between day 1 and day 2 of the draft. I got the cold shoulder.
Now it looks like the dick is up the other ass. All those guys who thought I was a mad man sure wish Gerhart was on our football team now, don't they?
They are going to do the same fucking thing 3-5 years when Tim Tebow explodes.
What is worse, we have no real solid or sound backup for Steven. Talk about putting all your eggs in one basket and jogging to market...
It is more than likely that Jackson will miss something like 3-5 games this season. What do we plan to do during those 3-5 games? Where is Sam Bradford's security blanket going to come from during those games?
You see... the official game plan for 2010 is already breaking down.
