If Steven Jackson proved nothing else last Sunday, he did show all his doubters that he's still the St. Louis Rams' No. 1 option. Jackson took 21 carries for the Rams against the Detroit Lions--out of the 23 the team had--and caught four balls while he was at it. Isaiah Pead was basically invisible. Unfortunately, he was awful; the Lions stuffed him for just 53 yards, and his silence left the Rams' offense moribund until the Sam Bradford they drafted back in 2010 made a sudden cameo in the fourth quarter.
↵The Lions, facing the 49ers on Sunday, were gunning for him. But the Redskins will do the same thing on Sunday, unless Sam Bradford can push them out; when facing a Jeff Fisher team it's generally a good idea to gun for the big running back unless forced to do something else. And Jackson will also have to deal with the loss of free-agent center Scott Wells, whose fractured foot will cost him a third of the season.
↵So one question from the offseason is answered: Steven Jackson is still the No. 1 running back, and rookies Isaiah Pead and Daryl Richardson won't fit right into the offense right away. But now we have a new question: Does Steven Jackson want the carries, when they come like this?
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