You might think that the year after the St. Louis Rams draft a running back in the second round—the year their long-time starter and future Hall-of-Famer turns 29—sounds like a good time to moderate the number of touches Steven Jackson gets in a given game. That's because you are neither the Rams nor Steven Jackson, apparently—Turf Show Times has a great piece up about both parties' expectations, and if I had to summarize it in one sentence it would be, "Steven Jackson doesn't remember what actually happened to Eddie George."
↵Jackson wants 25-30 touches a game, and the Rams, with their conservative new offense and their uncertain passing game, are in a position to give it to him. Unfortunately, 25 carries a game adds up to 400, which is the number that buried 27-year-old Eddie George back in 2000. Assuming some of those touches are receptions and some of his urge to touch the ball 30 times is bluster, this isn't a death sentence, but it's not the kind of thing you draft a running back just to let happen.
↵Running backs just can't—or at least shouldn't—take that kind of punishment. It doesn't make sense for a team, especially in the increasingly pass-heavy NFL, and it doesn't make sense for the player who ostensibly wants it.
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