Tag: Steven Jackson

Former Notre Dame running back is Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee

Congrats, Kyren!

Former Notre Dame running back [autotag]Kyren Williams[/autotag] has done well in his three seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. He made the Pro Bowl last year and is closing in on his second straight 1,000-yard season.

But Williams also has given a lot back to the community since he joined the NFL, and the Rams decided it was time for him to be recognized for that. Specifically, he has been selected as their 2024 nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year.

The Rams chose to reveal this news to Williams in a very personal way. They invited team legend Steven Jackson to do the honors during a team meeting. The screen at the front of the room showed a photo of a younger Williams posing with Jackson while the team was based in St. Louis, where Williams grew up. Jackson felt it appropriate to gift his fellow running back with a pair of cleats.

Here’s how it all went down:

Congratulations to Williams, and here’s hoping he can add to his trophy case.

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Watch: Steven Jackson surprises Kyren Williams with Walter Payton Award nomination

It was a full-circle moment for Steven Jackson and Kyren Williams in this wholesome video

Kyren Williams grew up in St. Louis, so he was unsurprisingly a Rams fan as a kid. He even got the chance to meet Steven Jackson when he was younger, taking a photo with the Rams legend at the Edwards Jones Dome that he’ll never forget.

That’s what made this full-circle moment so special for both running backs.

Jackson surprised Williams during a team meeting recently to share the news that he is the Rams’ nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. Williams, a player who’s always giving back to the community, is following in Jackson’s footsteps in that regard.

So when Jackson shared the news of Williams’ nomination, it made for an awesome moment between the two running backs. Jackson gave Williams a pair of gold cleats, too, which was a special touch for the Rams star.

“These shoes went over my head when I was a kid when you threw them up in the stands and some dude grabbed them from me. My mom’s going to cry when she sees these,” Williams said.

Check out the full video below, which will probably bring a tear to your eye.

Here’s a closer look at the gold cleats Jackson gifted Williams.

Torry Holt and Steven Jackson among nominees for 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class

Torry Holt and Steven Jackson will try to get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as members of the 2025 class next year

Torry Holt has been eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame since 2014, five years after he retired from the NFL. Yet, he’s still waiting to hear his name called in Canton.

The Rams legend hopes this will be the year he gets into the Hall of Fame after being a finalist in each of the last five years. On Wednesday, the initial list of nominees for the Class of 2025 was released and Holt is one of a few former Rams eligible for the Hall of Fame.

In addition to Holt, Steven Jackson, Marc Bulger and London Fletcher are all on the nominee list for the next class. Former Rams cornerback Aqib Talib is a first-time nominee, as well.

From this group of 167 nominees, the selection committee will narrow it down to 25 semifinalists this fall and then eventually 15 finalists. The full 2025 class will be revealed at the NFL Honors show in February.

Holt has come the closest to being voted in of all the former Rams listed above. He’s been a finalist in each of the last five years and will likely make it to that stage again this time, given his impressive resume.

Steven Jackson doesn’t think about his Hall of Fame candidacy: ‘I really just block it out’

Steven Jackson says he isn’t getting on the rollercoaster of worrying about whether he’ll get into the Hall of Fame

Steven Jackson is unquestionably one of the best running backs in Rams history. He holds the franchise record with 10,138 career rushing yards and is third in rushing touchdowns, putting together a remarkable career in St. Louis.

As good as he was, he’s still waiting to get the call letting him know he’s been voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Jackson has been eligible for the Hall of Fame since 2021 but he’s come up short each year and it remains to be seen if he’ll ever get in.

While every Rams fan would love to see him enshrined in Canton, he’s not holding his breath. In fact, he doesn’t think about it much at all.

“What it means for me, until I get the phone call, I don’t really think much about it,” Jackson told D’Marco Farr in a recent interview. “I use that perspective because I’ve seen enough of our colleagues have this emotional rollercoaster. I don’t want to ride it. I’m not a rollercoaster guy period. I’m not a Six Flags guy, so I’m not going to ride the emotional rollercoaster of that, either. If it happens, I’ll be very grateful. Going to be a hell of a party. But until then, I really just block it out.”

It’s not that getting into the Hall of Fame wouldn’t mean much to Jackson, because it would. He said it would mean even more if he were to get in while both of his parents are alive because of the sacrifices they made throughout his career.

“If it happens while they’re here, it’d be very good because to me, we’ve all put in a lot of sacrifices, the hours, the drives to practice,” he said. “It’d be for them. That speech would be for them. And for them to see the world acknowledge their child. But if it happens after them, I don’t know how I would feel.”

Jackson has a case to make the Hall of Fame, being one of the best running backs of his generation. He had eight straight 1,000-yard seasons from 2005 to 2012, and that was while playing on some terrible Rams teams.

However, as we’ve seen with Torry Holt, sometimes the voters prefer other candidates for Canton.

Titans hire Frank Bush, Steven Jackson to defensive staff

The Titans have reportedly added two coaches to their defensive staff who were both players and coaches with the franchise before.

The Tennessee Titans have reportedly made a pair of additions to the defensive staff of head coach Brian Callahan and defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson.

According to ESPN’s Turron Davenport, the Titans are hiring former Atlanta Falcons defensive backs coach Steven Jackson and linebackers coach Frank Bush to the same roles.

Both coaches have actually had multiple stints with the franchise already, both as a player and coach.

Bush was a fifth-round pick of the Oilers in 1985 and spent two years as a linebacker with the team. He was then a linebackers coach with the Oilers (1985-86) and had the same role with the Titans (2011-12).

Jackson was a third-round pick of the Oilers in 1991 and played defensive back, both in Houston and Tennessee, until 1999. He also served as defensive backs coach for the Titans (2016-17).

Both coaches also have connections with Callahan and/or Wilson. Jackson and Bush were on the New York Jets’ staff with Wilson, and Jackson was on staff with Cincinnati when Callahan was there.

With these additions, the Titans have now made a trio of hires on each side of the ball. Wilson (DC), Bush (LB) and Jackson (DB) on defense and Nick Holz (OC), Bill Callahan (OL) and Tyke Tolbert (WRs) on offense.

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39 days till Patriots season opener: Every player to wear No. 39 for New England

Here’s a list of every Patriots player to wear the No. 39 jersey number

The New England Patriots have officially reached the 39-day mark in our countdown series to their 2023 regular season opener. Today, we’re listing every Patriots player that has ever worn the No. 39 jersey.

Fan-favorite running back Danny Woodhead is a name that many Patriots fans remember. The former undrafted free agent came to New England from the New York Jets and served as a reliable third-down option for quarterback Tom Brady and the Patriots offense.

He was just one of those special players that fit into the offense perfectly and consistently found ways to make plays.

However, one of the true forgotten Patriots on this list is former Los Angeles Rams All-Pro running back Steven Jackson. He made a pit stop in New England at the tail-end of his career and appeared in two games for the Patriots. It was an unlikely pairing that barely lasted a month.

Of course, Woodhead and Jackson weren’t the only ones to wear the number. Let’s take a look at every player throughout Patriots’ franchise history that has ever worn a No. 39 jersey (via Pro Football Reference).

Devin McCourty notes this former Patriot as one of the worst to tackle

Devin McCourty has not-so-fond memories of attempting to tackle this former Patriots player.

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Devin McCourty had a former New England Patriots running back in mind when discussing which player was one of the toughest to tackle in his NFL career.

That player was former three-time Pro Bowler Steven Jackson.

Jackson was a bulldozer over the course of his career, recording 2,764 carries for 11,438 yards and 59 touchdowns in 12 NFL seasons. He measured in at 6-foot-2, 240 pounds and was difficult to tackle when going downhill.

McCourty found that out the hard way and reminisced about his difficulties in a tweet on Friday morning. The safety faced the running back in a preseason game in 2010 and got a first-hand look at Jackson’s abilities.

For what it’s worth, the Rams beat the Patriots in that game by a 36-35 margin.

It’s interesting to look back now and see which players McCourty remembers facing the most. If anything, it’s a testament to his impressive longevity.

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Torry Holt, Henry Ellard among Hall of Fame semifinalists for Class of 2023

Torry Holt has once again been voted a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, with Henry Ellard being one for the 1st time 👏

Rams legend Torry Holt is one step closer to potentially becoming the next member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Henry Ellard is right there with him, too. On Tuesday, it was announced that Holt and Ellard are among 28 semifinalists for the Hall of Fame Class of 2023.

It’s Holt’s ninth time being a semifinalist, so he’s come close to making it to Canton before. The next step is for Holt to be voted a finalist, which he’s done in each of the last three years. That list of finalists will be revealed in December, with the final class being announced in February.

Holt played 10 seasons with the Rams, catching 869 passes for 12,660 yards and 74 touchdowns. He ranks second in franchise history in receptions and receiving yards. He won one Super Bowl with the team before eventually finishing his career with the Jaguars.

During his Rams career, he was voted a Pro Bowler seven times and was a first-team All-Pro once. He led the league in receiving twice: 2000 when he had 1,635 yards and 2003 when he finished with 1,696 yards and a league-high 117 catches.

Ellard is a semifinalist for the first time after playing 16 seasons in the NFL, 11 with the Rams. He caught 814 passes totaling 13,777 yards in his career, scoring 65 touchdowns.

He only made the Pro Bowl three times, but more impressively, he was an All-Pro twice. Ellard ranks 15th all-time in career receiving yards and 34th in receptions.

Holt’s former teammate, Steven Jackson, was unfortunately not among the 28 semifinalists for the Hall of Fame. This was his third year of eligibility and he has yet to make it to the semifinalist stage.

Steven Jackson, Torry Holt among nominees for Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023

Steven Jackson and Torry Holt are once again nominees for the Hall of Fame Class of 2023

For the third year in a row, Steven Jackson and Torry Holt are among the nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A total of 129 modern-era nominees were announced on Tuesday, with Jackson and Holt representing the Rams. None of the first-time nominees played with the Rams, but that group includes Joe Thomas, Dwight Freeney and Darrelle Revis, all of whom should make it in at some point, if not on the first ballot.

Jackson is in his third year of eligibility but has been unable to make it past the first stage of voting. Holt, on the other hand, has been a semifinalist eight years in a row and a finalist in each of the last three years.

Jackson rushed for 10,138 yards in nine years with the Rams, proving to be the model of consistency by rushing for at least 1,000 yards in eight straight years. He finished his career with the Falcons and Patriots, from 2013-2015, totaling 11,438 yards during his time in the NFL, including those three seasons.

Holt led the NFL in receiving twice and also had at least 1,000 yards in eight straight years. He was an All-Pro in 2003 and was a seven-time Pro Bowler, spending 10 seasons with the Rams and totaling 12,660 yards with 74 touchdowns.

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Kyren Williams grew up idolizing Steven Jackson and this adorable photo proves it

Kyren Williams grew up in St. Louis and has always been a fan of Steven Jackson. This old photo of the two running backs proves it 📸

The Los Angeles Rams probably made Kyren Williams’ dream come true on Saturday afternoon. Not only did the former Notre Dame running back get drafted, but he was selected by his hometown team in St. Louis.

More specifically, Williams was a huge fan of Steven Jackson when he was younger. After getting drafted by the Rams, Williams told reporters on a conference call that he “grew up at the Edward Jones Dome” watching the team, and he liked Jackson’s game so much, that he dressed up as him for Halloween.

The Rams then shared an adorable photo of a much younger Kyren Williams with Jackson. Williams’ tweet calls Jackson one of the best to ever play, and the youngster never missed a chance to watch the running back take the field in St. Louis.

It doesn’t get much better than this.