[OT] Bo Jackson: I'd average 350 yards per game today

[Dcat]

Bo Jackson: I’d average 350-400 yards a game today

Michael David Smith  5 hrs ago

 

 

 

 

 

Bo Jackson: I’d average 350-400 yards a game today

 

 

 

 

 

Bo Jackson was a phenomenal talent running the football, averaging 5.4 yards a carry during his brief NFL career while playing for the Raiders part time and playing Major League Baseball full time. But Jackson may be overestimating how well he’d do in today’s game.

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Jackson said on Deion Sanders’ podcast that he is not impressed with the way modern players tackle, and he thinks if he were playing in 2020, he’d be averaging 350 or 400 yards a game.

“Nobody wrap up and tackle no more,” Jackson said, via TheScore.com. “With me being a ball carrier, my coach taught us, number one, he said, ‘I know you can run, but I’m gonna teach you how to carry that football.’ He said, ‘that football is like your newborn baby, don’t ever put it on the ground. And keep it away from the enemy.’ It’s like this – and I watch technique – I don’t see nobody hitting or wrapping up. Everybody’s running into each other and trying to use their shoulder pads to knock the ball carrier down. And I’m like, if I played during this era, man, I’d be averaging 350-400 yards a game . . . because nobody wraps up anymore. They run into each other with their pads.”

Jackson was one of the best athletes ever to play the game, but he averaged 73.2 yards per game in his 38-game NFL career, so it’s probably safe to say he’s slightly exaggerating when he says he’d now average 350-400 yards.

Bo Jackson: I’d average 350-400 yards a game today originally appeared on Pro Football Talk

[pointman]

Bo knows 80's football. Thats it. 

[Jet_Engine1]

Hes talking about Techmo Bowl .... right??

[Untouchable]

Just now, Jet_Engine1 said:

Hes talking about Techmo Bowl .... right??

I probably averaged 800 yards a game with Bo.

[nycdan]

He forgot to mention that he would do that while also batting .300 and racking up 30 HRs and 120 RBIs.

[JoJoTownsell1]

Gase would rather run wheel routes for Gore than play Bo in his prime.

[pointman]

Just now, nycdan said:

He forgot to mention that he would do that while also batting .300 and racking up 30 HRs and 120 RBIs.

He thinks he would run for a minimum of 4800 yards. Your numbers don't translate. Closer to .600, 90 homers, and 300 rbis. 

[pointman]

Just now, JoJoTownsell1 said:

Gase would rather run wheel routes for Gore than play Bo in his prime.

2020 Bo? Gase would lose his mind he'd be so excited thinking about an old Bo vs using an old Gore. 

[Irish Jet]

He wouldn't.

T.O and Moss though. They'd be unplayable. 

[HessStation]

5 minutes ago, pointman said:

Bo knows 80's football. Thats it. 

Bo Jackson could destroy the world if he wanted to.  #powerful #boknowsall

[nycdan]

Just now, HessStation said:

Bo Jackson could destroy the world if he wanted to.  #powerful #boknowsall

Chuck Norris would stop him.

[pointman]

1 minute ago, nycdan said:

Chuck Norris would stop him.

Imagine him kicking field goals. It would be magic. 

[Jet_Engine1]

1 minute ago, nycdan said:

Chuck Norris would stop him.

Only if Braden Mann let him.

[HessStation]

2 minutes ago, nycdan said:

Chuck Norris would stop him.

I saw a movie about this once

[Jetsfan80]

I have little doubt Bo would be tremendous in today's game. 

His problem would be volume.  Which might actually be a godsend given that it would keep him fresh.  Teams don't like using just one back, and of course the passing game is king.  He only caught 40 passes in his 4 NFL seasons and would need to adapt to that shift.  

[pointman]

11 minutes ago, HessStation said:

Bo Jackson could destroy the world if he wanted to.  #powerful #boknowsall

AP would dance circles around him. 

[joewilly12]

JD sign this beast. 

[JetPotato]

32 minutes ago, nycdan said:

He forgot to mention that he would do that while also batting .300 and racking up 30 HRs and 120 RBIs.

He's be hitting 40-50 homers and the batting average would be more like .225

[Barry McCockinner]

 

[Jetster]

The way RBs get the edge on our defense Bo would easily get 300 yards vs this Jet defense. 
He’d go by our slow azz LBs like they were standing still! 
 

[Kolchak]

[joewilly12]

Just now, Jetster said:

The way RBs get the edge on our defense Bo would easily get 300 yards vs this Jet defense. 
He’d go by our slow azz LBs like they were standing still! 
 

Possibly 400 yards. 

[Lith]

He is right.  Not about the 350-400 yards thing, that is nonsense, but players do not tackle anymore.  Everyone wanst to make the highlight reel hit, plenty of guys out there that try to make the big "Sportscenter" hit, but to do not wrap up and just take the ball carrier down.  Tackling is a lost art,

[DoubleDown]

Rule changes have transformed the game.

In Bo's era, the game was more focused on power.  Now, it is more focused on speed.

The fundamentals of "wrap up" tackling are still taught, but players in today's game are put in different situations than they were decades ago.  You don't see "three yards and a cloud of dust" as frequently as you used to.  You also have much less contact allowed with receivers so they have much more separation than they used to.  Quarterbacks are more daring and throw into smaller windows because hits on defenseless receivers have been phased out of the game.  Can a pass rusher truly wrap up a quarterback on a sack without being called for a personal foul on either a helmet to helmet hit or driving into the ground?  It's a gray area.  You hit with your pads at center mass and hope for the best.  Players need to adjust technique because of the rules.

Another factor is much less practice time and padded time for the players.  It takes much longer for players to get in football shape, and that results in sloppy tackling especially early in the season.

[HessStation]

36 minutes ago, pointman said:

AP would dance circles around him. 

Child please, give Bo the same steroids and defeats the Hulk 

[chirorob]

If Bo signed today, he might be the fastest running back on the Jets.

(Still the best athlete I have ever personally watched do anything)

[Creepy Lurker]

36 minutes ago, Kolchak said:

Awesome! I have a 10 inch dick!!!!

[TuscanyTile2]

Not sure about 350-400 yards but I'm sure Bo would've been an even bigger terror in today's game than he was back in the day.  It's a shame he had the injury.  Oh well.

[Sarge4Tide]

He'd barely average 100.  Of course, he's like 60 years old

[shawn306]

80's football > 2020 Football

[Kolchak]

1 hour ago, Creepy Lurker said:

Awesome! I have a 10 inch dick!!!!

Welcome to the Club!

[Bugg]

3 hours ago, Irish Jet said:

He wouldn't.

T.O and Moss though. They'd be unplayable. 

This. Big WRs that fight for the ball, damn. 

Jackson is correct that if you dropped him (or Earl Campbell or Barry Sanders)in 2020 offenses running off tackle outside against a mess of DBs who don't really wrap up, he's right that they would go for 6-8 yards a clip. 

[BurnleyJet]

I’d love to see some old time players in today’s game. Imagine a prime Lawrence Taylor, Reggie White, Bruce Smith.
 
When football was football.

[rangerous]

7 hours ago, pointman said:

Bo knows 80's football. Thats it. 

Yep.  Today’s players are so much faster and bigger than when bo played.  He’d still run over blowhards like bosworth but there are just too many good players.

[pointman]

12 minutes ago, rangerous said:

Yep.  Today’s players are so much faster and bigger than when bo played.  He’d still run over blowhards like bosworth but there are just too many good players.

Shut your dirty mouth! Brian Bosworth is the goat. You clearly never saw "Stone Cold". Classic.