Atlanta Falcons Don’t Plan to Use Steven Jackson Much in Preseason
By Josh Sanchez
The Atlanta Falcons went out in free agency and signed former St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson to bolster their running game. Jackson sill has some treat left on his tires, but the Falcons are admitting that he is on the downside of his career.
Jackson will still enter the season as the featured back, but you won’t be able to tell during the preseason.
In an effort to preserve Jackson’s legs and save some mileage, the Falcons are not planning to use Jackson much during the preseason games.
“Steven’s got a gazillion carries in his career,” Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter said, via the team’s website. “Coach Smith will determine how many carries he gets, but I don’t believe Steven Jackson needs a bunch of touches in the preseason. You can only run inside zone, outside zone so many times. He doesn’t need to go out there and prove himself. Preseason is live tackling and getting your running backs beat up in the preseason, I don’t see the benefit. Coach Smith will determine how many carries he gets.”
Jackson is a veteran, so the Falcons have nothing to worry about when it comes to Jackson being ready for the season.
If Jackson can pick up on the new offense before the season despite a lack of reps in training camp, the Falcons move will pay off in a big way.