Jackson was awed by the Pro Bowl atmosphere
February 18th, 2007 | by Kevin Morris |
By Jim Thomas
Rams running back Steven Jackson didn’t know what to expect from his first Pro
Bowl.
“I was kind of nervous seeing how the guys were going to approach the game,” he
said. “I wanted to make sure I wasn’t too much out of shape. But when I got
there, it was a lot more relaxed than what I thought.”
That was a good thing, right?
“A beautiful thing,” said Jackson, reached Wednesday in his hometown, Las Vegas.
The practices leading up to last’s Saturday’s contest, won by the AFC squad
31-28, lasted less than an hour. And they weren’t exactly run at a break-neck
pace.
“You can’t go fast because guys are trying to learn the offense you’re going to
run,” Jackson said. “Plus, guys don’t want to hurt each other. So it’s pretty
much like a walk-through.”
The players stayed at a beachside resort about a half-hour’s drive from
Honolulu, with a practice field adjoining the hotel. That left plenty of time
to lounge poolside or otherwise relax.
“You have your family and friends in town, and everyone wants to see the sights
and sounds of Hawaii,” Jackson said. “So by the time you get out of practice
and you run around all day, you’re pretty pooped out for the night.”
Jackson & Co. went to North Shore to watch the surfers, and they visited Pearl
Harbor. Jackson did a little snorkeling and attended a variety of Pro
Bowl-related events.
“There was a lot to take in; it’s so beautiful,” said Jackson, who had never
been to Hawaii. “You try to do a little bit of everything, and you realize the
day’s not that long.”
For Jackson, the best part of the week was mingling with players from other NFL
teams.
“There’s a lot of interaction with other players that you don’t get to do
throughout the year,” Jackson said. “That makes it a lot of fun. Meeting all
the guys, trading helmets and jerseys. I think that in itself is rewarding.”
He also got in some quality time with teammate Marc Bulger, the only other Rams
player to participate in the game.
On game day, Jackson had some normal pregame butterflies.
“And then once you start playing, it’s just a game once again, and your
natural ability takes over,” he said.
Jackson carried seven times for 26 yards, including a fourth-quarter touchdown
run for the NFC squad. He also caught two passes for 10 yards. Physical contact
is physical contact, even in a tropical setting. But his Pro Bowl workload was
a stroll through paradise compared to Jackson’s average of 27 “touches” per
game during the regular season.
Jackson said it took his body a full month to recover from that workload, 436
touches on 346 carries and 90 receptions. He was just six shy of the franchise
record of 442 touches set by Eric Dickerson in 1983.
Although he clearly enjoys his burgeoning role as the centerpiece of the St.
Louis offense, Jackson isn’t averse to sharing the workload a bit.
“Hopefully, we get someone … to shoulder some of the burden with me,” he
said. “I just don’t want to burn myself out too fast. At the same time, I’m
glad that I was durable, that I was able to carry the workload.”
