With Matt Ryan struggling to get the passing part of the Atlanta Falcons offense moving, Steven Jackson becomes one of the most important members of the team. The Falcons signed the running back during free agency with the hopes that he could rejuvenate the struggling backfield highlighted by Michael Turner. That has yet to really happen and as the Falcons continue on a losing streak, the coaching staff is requesting more from Jackson.
Jackson has returned to the field after missing four games with a hamstring issue. That hurt the offense as Jacquizz Rodgers and Jason Snelling were thrown into starting roles. Since his return, Jackson has just 74 yards on 33 carries in the past three games. That is not what the Falcons were expecting. While Atlanta's offensive line might be one of the worst in the league, the lack of production could suggest the veteran does not have a lot left in the tank. Offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter believes the issue is Jackson not getting the ball enough.
"My opinion is Steven Jackson is a workhorse running back and we haven't been able to work him. I mean, I think Steven is one of those guys that gets better the more he touches it," Koetter said, via ESPN.com. "We're not running it successfully enough to get him enough carries. If he's carrying in multiple times, he's going to need to come out and then that's going to lead to [Jacquizz Rodgers] and Jason [Snelling] getting more carries, too. But unfortunately, because we're not doing anything successfully right now and we're getting behind on the scoreboard, [the running game] sometimes gets away from us."
Koetter is certainly right about the fact that Jackson's success leads to better numbers from the remaining running backs. Rodgers thrived last year working in tandem with Turner. Atlanta was hoping the same would be true this year, but so far the run game looks as bad as the passing game.
Over Jackson's successful career, he certainly puts up better numbers with the more carries he gets. When he got a season-high 13 carries against Carolina, he ran better than he had all year. Over 10 seasons, he averaged 18 attempts per game, something the Falcons have not committed to.
"I think if you look at any premier running back over the years, they all get better the more they get the ball," Koetter said. "When I was in Jacksonville with Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew, shoot, if they had their way, they wanted the ball every time. Anybody that's got the stats that Steven Jackson does, they want the ball a lot."
Atlanta has yet to find a balance that works on offense. Ryan is struggling. Jackson is struggling. The offensive line is not helping the cause. The team will face the fifth-best rushing defense in the league against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and things could go from bad to worse with Atlanta.
