In a move that will surely go over well with fans and old-school football supporters — Steven Jackson is trying to save the vintage running back.
With most NFL teams using a two- or even three-back system, the days of a back getting 25-plus carries each week are gone.
The recently released veteran is hoping to bring that back.
Jackson posted this video explaining his mission statement — while offering a heartfelt concern for the state of the franchise running back.
“I wanted to be Walter Payton all of the time. Not some of the downs. Not half of the downs. But all of the downs. That’s why I’m speaking out for running backs across the sport. The position we all fell in love with, the every down back, is becoming an endangered species on the gridiron.”
Jackson has asked fans to visit, SaveTheRunningBack.org and write teams asking that they play the team’s best running back all of the time.
SaveTheRunningBack.org even has a pre-written message that you can send to your favorite team:
Dear Team Representative,
I am writing you on behalf of SaveTheRunningBack.org, an organization founded by Pro Bowl running back Steven Jackson, to express my dissatisfaction with the way that running backs are being treated in professional football today.
Running backs aren’t all the same. They’re not interchangeable. I yearn for the days of yesteryear, when players like Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, and Emmitt Smith were allowed to run free. The NFL was built on the carries of men like them.
Please value the running back position in the way that it was meant to be valued. Because when we do, everybody wins. Learn more at http://www.savetherunningback.org.