Jackson takes aim at a breakout season

[STLRAMSFAN]

Id do the same thing.... If the stupid coaches didnt see the sign... Id put it on my helmet!! I cant blame him demanding more ball time! If your a starter what else do you expect to get?!

I seriously hope you don't think this is proper behavior. It’s not a wise thing to do in front of your teammates. It’s not something that is going to help build a relationship with your teammates or your coaches and it can become disruptive. I played on some good teams with great players and what made the teams good was the great players were easy to get along with and they did not care about their stats. No one called out the HC in front of the rest of the team. If you start complaining about someone else getting the ball instead of you then you will eventually start alienating yourself from the team.

This is not a one-person sport there was several times last year when the run was not working when Jackson was carrying the ball behind our OL. We have two ProBowl WRs and when the run is not working due to Jackson or the OL then you have to throw.

Even if Jackson was not being used enough you can not call out your coaching staff in front of the entire team and make it all about you. If you have concerns then you talk them out behind closed doors.

Hopefully other young people like your self do not follow this type of behavior and hopefully you think team first. When you become concerned about how the staff is using you then take it behind closed doors. Not a public display in front of the rest of the team with you saying that you should have got it more instead of the other guys getting it so much. If you can’t work it out quit or ask for a trade. In real life if your boss is not using you the way that you think would allow you to excel the most you don’t hang a sign above your office stating that fact or you would be fired. Football is a business that is what pays Jacksons paychecks and he needs to grow up and recognize that. The more waves he causes with the coaches or teammates the more he will windup hurting his self and the team.

[Goldenfleece]

If you can’t work it out quit or ask for a trade. In real life if your boss is not using you the way that you think you would excel the most you don’t hang a sign above your office stating that fact or you would be fired. Football is a business that is what pays Jacksons paychecks and he needs to grow up and recognize that. The more waves he causes with the FO or teammates the more he will windup hurting his self.

I see your point, but football isn't like a regular business. Usually, you have some choice as to what company you choose to work for and location and what city you will live in. In the NFL, you are assigned a team by draft, and if you quit, you can't go get a job at a similar company because it's the only real professional league in the country. Quitting the team is quitting the industry altogether. A second year player who was a team's first round draft pick isn't likely to be granted a trade either. I don't think you'd necessarily get fired if you hung a sign above your office that said "Give me more work to do" or something to that effect. The office would probably have a good chuckle and oblige you with loads of paperwork. Your boss might even see it as a positive indicator of your motivation. I do think the sign on the locker was an immature way of handling the issue, but his situation isn't quite the same as the average worker.

[STLRAMSFAN]

I see your point, but football isn't like a regular business. Usually, you have some choice as to what company you choose to work for and location and what city you will live in.

You are right it’s not exactly like a regular business I did not start out signing a million dollar contract with a company that selected me. Also in the real world you don't normally get to choose the company you would most like to work for until you have put in a few years in your profession or often you have to settle for a lesser role if you get on with you preferred company until you get a few years in.

In the NFL, you are assigned a team by draft, and if you quit, you can't go get a job at a similar company because it's the only real professional league in the country. Quitting the team is quitting the industry altogether.

I agree but if my job was bothering me so much that I would start calling out my bosses then I would still have two choices go to another company (NFL Trade) doing the same type of job and hope I don't feel the same or quit the profession altogether. Now most people are going to try the trade or going to another company. But if you really want to you can quit the whole profession (NOT RECOMMENDED but none the less an option).

I don't think you'd necessarily get fired if you hung a sign above your office that said "Give me more work to do" or something to that effect. The office would probably have a good chuckle and oblige you with loads of paperwork. Your boss might even see it as a positive indicator of your motivation. I do think the sign on the locker was an immature way of handling the issue, but his situation isn't quite the same as the average worker.

Try hanging a sign above your office door that says your boss don’t know how to manage this business. He gives to much of the work that you think you can do better to others. See how long you are around. That is basically what he was saying is that they were not managing the team properly because if they were they would have gave more of the touches to him instead of his other teammates. While this may be true you don’t announce it in front of your teammates.


In summation I do not agree with his behavior in that situation and will never understand why anyone would defend that type of behavior. I still like Jackson I just do not agree with his behavior in this situation at all. I do not think anyone should ever condone that type of response.

[r8rh8rmike]

That is basically what he was saying is that they were not managing the team properly because if they were they would have gave more of the touches to him instead of his other teammates. While this may be true you don’t announce it in front of your teammates.

I guess it depends on the situation. You have to remember at the time, the Rams were in total disarray. The FO was sending the throat slasher into the coaching booth, Martz was blackballed, the rudderless coaching staff were fueding with each other and Vitt along with Fairchild were bumbling their way through a disastrous season, often making flippant comments when asked about Jackson's frustrations. If there was ever a time for someone to be passionate about what was happening and try to wake everybody up, that was it. Jackson's method may not have been very well thought out, but IMO he showed a competitive fire when the coaching staff obviously did not.

[Fat Pang]

In fairness to Jackson, he made his statement in-house, nonverbally in a note on his locker, while Meshawn made his in a highly publicized book for all the world to see. Big difference IMO. If you really think Jackson's statement compares to Meshawn's, do a search for "Give Me The Damn Ball" and see what comes up.

Sorry mike, couldn't disagree more.

You cannot suggest to me that there is a difference in terms of public impact between a verbal statement given to the media and the posting of the same words as a notice in a locker room that is open to the press and television who will do nothing but report on it when seeing it.

Jackson cannot have failed to notice the reporters milling around the locker room and must have known that they would both see it and report extensively on it. The fact that he did so after a loss suggests to me that he was of the opinion that giving him the ball more could well have made the difference in the outcome of the game and that he was frustrated at not getting the ball more. That to me shows more than a little petulance and disrespect to players in the same locker room who have done a damn sight more in the game than he has done to this point. As the message also said "Give ME the damn ball" rather than "Run the damn ball" can I be forgiven for suggesting that he's a little ego-centric?

As for alienating the team HUb, I hope it doesn't get that far, truly I do.

Maybe it's just me, but it's conduct I don't condone.

[HUbison]

The more waves he causes with the coaches or teammates the more he will windup hurting his self and the team.

STL, I completely agree with the bulk of your message. Football is indeed a team game. No individual ever won a Super Bowl. Here we agree.

But I've yet to see where Jackson has caused any waves at all with teammates or coaches. Maybe there was something between him and Martz, I don't know, but either way, Martz is gone.

Maybe there's a problem in lockerroom, but as of yet, I can't find it anywhere. I'm not sure Jackson has caused ANY waves, much less MORE waves.

[r8rh8rmike]

Jackson cannot have failed to notice the reporters milling around the locker room and must have known that they would both see it and report extensively on it.

That's a very fair point Pang, although I still think the comparison between an impulsive statement posted on a locker in frustration and a statement made in a nationally publicized book that included blatent self promotion and criticism of teammates is a bit unfair.

[Fat Pang]

That's a very fair point Pang, although I still think the comparison between an impulsive statement posted on a locker in frustration and a statement made in a nationally publicized book that included blatent self promotion and criticism of teammates is a bit unfair.

Good point Mike about it being impulsive as opposed to calculated I totally accept that. He may well have said it in frustration but I still think it's a dicey thing to do at this stage in his career. Time will tell I suppose.

[laram0]

ALL THIS TALK ABOUT SJ WON'T MEAN MUCH IF HE DOESN'T LEARN TO AVIOD DIRECT HITS. I LOVE THE FACT THAT HE PLAYS SMASHMOUTH FOOTBALL BUT IF HE WANTS TO PLAY THE ENTIRE SEASON HE BETTER GET SOME INSIGHT FROM MARSHALL.