Ramblin’ Fan Awards: Offensive MVP

Since we have some down time right now in the offseason, I thought it would be a good time to present our offseason awards for the 2011 season. Obviously it wasn’t a good year, but we can still recognize those players who did good things. The first award will be the offensive MVP, which was one of the easiest to choose. There weren’t many bright spots on this side of the ball, but RB Steven Jackson put up another very nice season.

SJ39 recorded his seventh-consecutive 1,000 yard season, finishing with 1,145 yards on 260 carries. He added 42 receptions for 333 yards, which considering he is a power back, is a very impressive number. Jackson found the end zone five times on the ground, and another through the air, and he only lost one fumble. He averaged a solid 4.4 yards per carry, and he did all of this with practically no passing game to help him out.

When you really look at what Jackson did this season, it’s absolutely astonishing. Defenses did not have to respect the Rams’ passing game at all, and Jackson still rushed for over 1,000 yards despite missing time with an injury. I know people talk about trading SJ39 as he ages, and while I would be all for that if the Rams could get good value, but I don’t want people to forget how good he is or how valuable he is to this franchise. If Jackson can stay healthy, 2012 could be an even better season under new coach Jeff Fisher. I don’t know how many years he has left, but right now I don’t know if there are more than a few guys I would rather have.