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Steven Jackson to lose touches (1 Viewer)

On April 28, 2007, Leonard was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the second round with the 52nd overall pick of the 2007 NFL Draft. Coach Scott Linehan has decided to use Leonard as a fullback, running back, and a special third-down back, which will give Steven Jackson a break. Linehan has also stated that Leonard will receive 15-20 touches per game. So far in rookie training camps, Leonard has been only one of two running backs, the other being Brad Lau. “We only have two backs right now so I am running in single back and halfback so I will be the running back unless we get another running back in here,” Leonard said. “It’s nice to get the reps, but it is tiring.” Brian Leonard ran for the Rams first touchdown of the year against the Minnesota Vikings in preseason on August 10, 2007.[4]
Didn't read the entire thread so I don't know if this is a honda. but what was the context of the quote? This sounds like he was talking about the preseason games. No way he was talking about the regular season....
:shrug: I was thinking the EXACT same thing when I read it.

 
Linehan was just on local radio.

Talked about making Leonard the starter.

Also discussed Marshall Faulk's ball cancer.

 
Linehan was just on local radio.Talked about making Leonard the starter.Also discussed Marshall Faulk's ball cancer.
I live in St. Louis. I heard this too....He said something about it being sad that Faulk wouldn't be around long enough to be at the HOF ceremony when he gets voted in 5 years from now. Very sad story....Who's going to take care of those 7 kids he had with 6 different women? I think we need to start a Faulk kids college fund....
 
I'm thinking 100 touches

I do think the occasional handoff to the FB each game will help a little and 3rd down chores should be the bulk of his touches. Last year Steven took some wicked hits and almost always stayed in the game, might not be bad idea to get him out for a play after some of those.

I think Linehan is saying the sum of above=him being used alot and on the field alot and it just got carried away.

Leonard is a very useful player and I do think he'll annoy Jackson FF owners this year but mixing it up and keeping a guy fresh is different from RBBC

 
I'm thinking 100 touchesI do think the occasional handoff to the FB each game will help a little and 3rd down chores should be the bulk of his touches. Last year Steven took some wicked hits and almost always stayed in the game, might not be bad idea to get him out for a play after some of those.I think Linehan is saying the sum of above=him being used alot and on the field alot and it just got carried away.Leonard is a very useful player and I do think he'll annoy Jackson FF owners this year but mixing it up and keeping a guy fresh is different from RBBC
Finally, a :thumbdown: with some moderate, realistic thinking on the subject.Here's my take..Steven Jackson's value isn't going anywhere. However, having a talented versatile backup like Brian Leonard will help Jackson (and the Rams in general) quite a bit IMO. I see no reasons what-so-ever why Linehan wouldn't get Leonard involved into the offense, not at Jackson's expence, but to keep him fresh throughout the game and reduce his overall wear and tear and injury risk.Jackson will still get his 2,000+ yards and most of the TDs.. but I envision Leonard scoring 3, 4 or even 5 TDs this year through a combination of running and catching passes out of the backfield.Leonard is a very, very good football player that will help the Rams offense giving them another solid dual purpose threat in the backfield - and oh yeh - the kid can block and play special teams well, too.It's not a RBBC by any means, but if Jackson gets hurt, you better believe that Leonard's value will skyrocket if/when Jackson is on the sidelines. The Rams have a lot more balance offensively this year. Linehand is a good, creative coach and he'll get all of these guys involved and they'll present a lot of matchup problems for defenses with Bennett, McMichael and Leonard in the mix.
 
At this point, is it an absolute given that Leonard is the "handcuff" for Jackson? Is there now NO QUESTION that Leonard - and not one of the 27 other RBs on the current Rams depth chart - will assume the 20+ carry per game load should Jackson go down?

 
TheFanatic said:
RAIDERNATION said:
Linehan was just on local radio.Talked about making Leonard the starter.Also discussed Marshall Faulk's ball cancer.
I live in St. Louis. I heard this too....He said something about it being sad that Faulk wouldn't be around long enough to be at the HOF ceremony when he gets voted in 5 years from now. Very sad story....Who's going to take care of those 7 kids he had with 6 different women? I think we need to start a Faulk kids college fund....
:confused: :thumbup: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:
 
North said:
This happens every year. 1st preseason game and the rookie does well, all the sudden he is going to take away from the starter? If Jackson would have played last night to the extent of Leonard he would have put up 100+ yds and you would all be saying he is going to break the single season record. So now I'm gonna go out and move Jackson down in my rankings to b/c some dumb (thats right, I said dumb) coach shoots his mouth off to the media. It was Lanny that didn't give |SJAX the ball that much the 1st half of the season last year and look what happened. 2nd half offensive coordinator starts calling the plays and what happens? Jackson gets the touches he needs to become effective in the offense, the Rams win and |SJAX puts up MONSTER numbers!Leonard looks like he has talent but no more then any other backup in the NFL. He has played 1 game against a weak Minn D and did O.K. He may cut into SJAX carries a bit, but to think St. Louis will move to a RBBC because of 2 weeks of training camp and 1 preseason game against Minn is crazy talk!
He has much more talent than most backup RBs. So much so that Linehan was raving about him BEFORE the preseason game. This is not just a premature response to one preseason outing. Remember, just because he might see 10-15 touches, doesn't necessarily mean he will be taking away from SJAX. They mentioned him lining up at various positions on top of his backup duties. Certainly not RBBC, but I am pretty confident you will see both of them on the field at the same time fairly regularly. And believe it or not, some of those plays will be designed for Leonard.
 
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North said:
This happens every year. 1st preseason game and the rookie does well, all the sudden he is going to take away from the starter? If Jackson would have played last night to the extent of Leonard he would have put up 100+ yds and you would all be saying he is going to break the single season record. So now I'm gonna go out and move Jackson down in my rankings to b/c some dumb (thats right, I said dumb) coach shoots his mouth off to the media. It was Lanny that didn't give |SJAX the ball that much the 1st half of the season last year and look what happened. 2nd half offensive coordinator starts calling the plays and what happens? Jackson gets the touches he needs to become effective in the offense, the Rams win and |SJAX puts up MONSTER numbers!Leonard looks like he has talent but no more then any other backup in the NFL. He has played 1 game against a weak Minn D and did O.K. He may cut into SJAX carries a bit, but to think St. Louis will move to a RBBC because of 2 weeks of training camp and 1 preseason game against Minn is crazy talk!
He has much more talent than most backup RBs. So much so that Linehan was raving about him BEFORE the preseason game. This is not just a premature response to one preseason outing. Remember, just because he might see 10-15 touches, doesn't necessarily mean he will be taking away from SJAX. They mentioned him lining up at various positions on top of his backup duties.
Doesn't 10-15 touches seem wildly high considering this offense boasts Jackson, Holt, Bruce, Bennett, and McMichael? Why plan to give a rookie all these touches at the expense of one the league's best 3 backs, one of the league's top 5 WRs, a potential future HOFer, and 2 proven veterans?
 
Doesn't 10-15 touches seem wildly high considering this offense boasts Jackson, Holt, Bruce, Bennett, and McMichael? Why plan to give a rookie all these touches at the expense of one the league's best 3 backs, one of the league's top 5 WRs, a potential future HOFer, and 2 proven veterans?
I think 15 touches is "wildly high", but 10 is not out of the question. The fact that Linehan even mentioned those numbers should speak volumes about the kind of player that Leonard is.
 
I can see him (Leonard) getting 10-15 maybe.That would give him 160- 240 touches over the course of a year. St Louis last year got the ball to all their running back's 620 times, Any back (according to NFL.com) not named S. Jackson touched the ball a total of 184 times last year or 11.5 times a game.
:unsure: Look...some actual facts! Which seem to show that everyone is right. Leonard will get his carries and Jacson will get his!Now we can all play nice!
 
He has much more talent than most backup RBs. So much so that Linehan was raving about him BEFORE the preseason game. This is not just a premature response to one preseason outing. Remember, just because he might see 10-15 touches, doesn't necessarily mean he will be taking away from SJAX. They mentioned him lining up at various positions on top of his backup duties. Certainly not RBBC, but I am pretty confident you will see both of them on the field at the same time fairly regularly. And believe it or not, some of those plays will be designed for Leonard.
There is no basis for saying he has more talent than most backup RBs. He is a rookie that was JUST drafted behind several other RBs who are not considered "better than most backup RBs" a couple months ago.So Linehan said good things about him before the first preseason game? Are you kidding me? Where have you been the last 10 years? By now Koren Robinson and Bobby Wade should be future hall of famers based on what coaches have said about them in training camp, and that's only the absolute minimal beginning of this list.Go back and read through some training camp quotes from coaches through the years. You will find dozens upon dozens of 2nd-7th round draft picks that coaches "raved" about and never once made an impact in an NFL game.I'm not saying that Leonard will be one of these guys or that he will not be used, but seriously to base anything on "the coach raving about him before preseason" is just about as rookie as it gets in FF.
 
Wow does this thread need some sanity....

Brian Leonard is good, but he's not "displace SJAX good". He'll get a few carries, maybe even a series, and some 3rd down plays this season if SJax remains healthy. Maybe 15 PLAYS on offense, but not 15 touches. SJax owners shouldn't and won't worry for a RBBC. Leonard and McMichael (TE) will take away targets and catches though - but no more than 40-50%. That still leaves SJax with at least 45 catches, which is >>> most backs.

Is there a chance at a goal line theft? Sure, anything is possible. Especially if SJax runs for 75 yards and gets pulled down inside the 10. He'll be tired and either Leonard or McMike or Bennett will score. If it is Leonard, people (FF people) will go ape over it.

Relax. BLeonard is 100% the handcuff. He's got talent. 2nd round draft talent. He is capable and can shoulder an NFL load. If SJax gets nicked or hurt, you better have him SJax owners.

As for other comments - MIN D is actually good, and a #1 vs. the run IIRC last year.

Also - what is IPP???

 
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ANOTHER paranoia thread about a running back who will be fine this year (see LJ).

SJAX is THE man in STL. The Rams are looking to spell Jackson some to save him for the long haul. What's wrong with that? I see it as a good thing. When it counts the most, SJAX will get the rock.

 
Steven Jackson was on CBS Sportsline's Fantasy Show today. He's in a charity ff league with other players and drafted himself. :help:

They didn't ask him about TDs but he did acknowledge he'd probably get less receptions. I'm just sharing -- I'm not worried! -- and I'm not drafting Leonard)

 
Steven Jackson was on CBS Sportsline's Fantasy Show today. He's in a charity ff league with other players and drafted himself. :help:They didn't ask him about TDs but he did acknowledge he'd probably get less receptions. I'm just sharing -- I'm not worried! -- and I'm not drafting Leonard)
did I miss something? Bryan Lenard = white?
 
I wish I had Leonard in a league or two so I could sell him high based on the hype. :bag:
I took him yesterday in the 19th round :lmao:
He'll look good riding your pine.
So you start your 19th round pick? Hes only a S. Jackson injury away from being a productive fantasy RB.
I'm yanking his chain because I drafted Jackson at 1.02 in the same league RudiStein is in.
 
This is a similar scene to what happened last yr when Matt Castle blew up in a pre season game and everyone went bananas. I think even Billy B said, "lets not annoint him to Canton yet" in a press conference.

Let's put it this way... Is Leonard worth drafting? I think so as legit backups always warrant a roster spot. Problem is... if he continues to look this good and his hype increases what round do we see him being drafted?

 
What's funny about these Leonard threads is how heated these discussion about him become. It's obvious that the critics are seeing something that worries them, otherwise they wouldn't be so willing to bash someone they know so little about.

I understand the hype is a bit much for a 2nd round draft pick, but as a Rutgers season ticket holder, this is not unlike what happened when Leonard came to RU. He was recruited as a linebacker, shifted to fullback, and then beat out everyone to become the starting tailback. The Rams message boards today look very similar to the Rutgers boards 4 years ago, as fans starting to realize they had something special in their midst. I'm not saying that college and the NFL are in any way similar, but I am saying that Leonard has a history of quieting doubters very quickly.

I'm not saying that Leonard is going to beat out Jackson any time soon. Jackson is too talented. But Leonard will force the Rams to find ways to use him, whether it's as a 3rd down option, on the goal line, or to spell Jackson. This will cut into Jackson's production, but he'll still be a fantasy stud. But at the same time, maybe the Rams might win this year. That's a bit more important than SJax and his individual goals.

 
On April 28, 2007, Leonard was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the second round with the 52nd overall pick of the 2007 NFL Draft. Coach Scott Linehan has decided to use Leonard as a fullback, running back, and a special third-down back, which will give Steven Jackson a break. Linehan has also stated that Leonard will receive 15-20 touches per game. So far in rookie training camps, Leonard has been only one of two running backs, the other being Brad Lau. “We only have two backs right now so I am running in single back and halfback so I will be the running back unless we get another running back in here,” Leonard said. “It’s nice to get the reps, but it is tiring.” Brian Leonard ran for the Rams first touchdown of the year against the Minnesota Vikings in preseason on August 10, 2007.[4]
From the St Louis Dispatch - "The 6-foot-2, 231-pound Jackson was particularly proud of his 436 carries and catches combined. Only Kansas City's Larry Johnson had more, with 457. The Rams, however, would like to lessen Jackson's workload a bit, which is partly why they drafted Rutgers running back Brian Leonard in the second round this year."Draft Jackson in the top 5, but he had an extraordinary amount of carries last season. Since Jackson is an investment for the Rams it would make sense for both the Rams and S. Jackson to lighten the workload just a bit. If, and thats if Leonard can help out by taking touches(not all carries) and keep Jackson fresher for a potential playoff run then the idea of getting Leonard 15 "touches" a game just make sense. Too many folks here get hyperventalted(including me) when anyone dare suggest the stud they own or covet is threatend with news or speculation like this. The idea that Jackson is a lock to be a top ten, top five or the top back this year is hardly a fargone conclusion. Scheduals, injuries to the RB or O-Line, hell even to the QB can drastically effect a players performance from year to year.

Leonard gets 15 touches a game maybe, so what. It may or may not effect Jackson's "fantasy season". I would still take him in the top 5 picks.

 
There is no basis for saying he has more talent than most backup RBs. He is a rookie that was JUST drafted behind several other RBs who are not considered "better than most backup RBs" a couple months ago.So Linehan said good things about him before the first preseason game? Are you kidding me? Where have you been the last 10 years? By now Koren Robinson and Bobby Wade should be future hall of famers based on what coaches have said about them in training camp, and that's only the absolute minimal beginning of this list.Go back and read through some training camp quotes from coaches through the years. You will find dozens upon dozens of 2nd-7th round draft picks that coaches "raved" about and never once made an impact in an NFL game.I'm not saying that Leonard will be one of these guys or that he will not be used, but seriously to base anything on "the coach raving about him before preseason" is just about as rookie as it gets in FF.
There is a basis for my statement. Again, I'm basing his talent on 4 years of watching him play. I suggest you actually watch him, before you comment on him. He was drafted behind several other RBs because teams projected him as a FB. Simple as that. Many of those RBs didn't have anywhere near the college career that Leonard had. Not that thats a guarantee of success.
 
On April 28, 2007, Leonard was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the second round with the 52nd overall pick of the 2007 NFL Draft. Coach Scott Linehan has decided to use Leonard as a fullback, running back, and a special third-down back, which will give Steven Jackson a break. Linehan has also stated that Leonard will receive 15-20 touches per game. So far in rookie training camps, Leonard has been only one of two running backs, the other being Brad Lau. “We only have two backs right now so I am running in single back and halfback so I will be the running back unless we get another running back in here,” Leonard said. “It’s nice to get the reps, but it is tiring.” Brian Leonard ran for the Rams first touchdown of the year against the Minnesota Vikings in preseason on August 10, 2007.[4]
guys, scott linehan has already gone on record saying this. I really don't think he'd lie.
This is kind of a ridiculous post. Linehan said 15-20 SNAPS, not touches. Here the quote:"We're open to wherever that takes us," Linehan said. "As a rookie, he's certainly going to be a big contributor on special teams. And he's going to have a big role in situations that require a big back with size. But he also has the ability to run and has the ability to catch."

Once the regular season starts, Linehan envisions this kind of workload for Leonard each Sunday:

— A few snaps at fullback as a lead blocker for Steven Jackson.

— A few snaps at running back, spelling Jackson.

— A few snaps as a third-down back.

— Perhaps a play or two in short yardage.

"Before it's all said and done, he's in the game for 15-20 snaps," Linehan said.

Link

 
I don't see why Leonard wouldn't be on the field if he's as good as advertised, but I doubt he has an impact into the realistic numbers expected from SJ.

That being said, I do think that many owners are expecting similar numbers from SJ this season which is unlikely imo.

He'll still be a top 5 back, but closer to the 5th spot.

 

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