Dec 30, 2012, Seattle, WA, USA; St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson (39) is tackled by Seattle Seahawks defensive end Red Bryant (79) during the third quarter at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

To most in St. Louis, the departure of Steven Jackson was a bittersweet moment; watching a long-standing face of the franchise leave, all while ushering in a new era in the Rams’ organization. For years, mainstream sports media had piled on Jackson, consistently labeling the star with tags like “over the hill,” “lost a step,” or other generalization about running backs headed towards the 30-year blockage in their career. For most that actually watched Jackson play over the past few season, that couldn’t be further from the truth. In 2011, Jackson first rush of the season was a 47 yard touchdown burst up the gut against the “Dream Team” Philadelphia Eagles. In 2012, after fully recovering from the hamstring injury, Jackson averaged 18 carries for 79.8 yards per game, including a 101 yard rushing performance against the San Francisco 49ers. The motor is running just fine…

However, since the move to Atlanta, the media seems to have miraculously switched gears on the perception of Jackson. Some have praised the Falcons’ acquisition as the final piece of the offensive puzzle, some even calling their 2013 offensive roster the Greatest Show on Turf 2.0; blasphemy! However, it wasn’t until a recent article by Bleacher Report on the “NFL Stars with the Most to Prove in 2013” that the sensations of disbelief and near outrage began to set in…

The piece started with the line, “Steven Jackson has plenty of tread left on these tires”; an utterly astounding reversal on the common phraseology that had been used to describe Jackson in St. Louis over the last couple of years. However, despite the discrepancy in point-of-view merely as a result of a team change, that line was not what irked me most as a fan of the St. Louis Rams. It was the ending line, stating, “In Atlanta, however, there’s no reason he can’t maximize his potential with 200-225 carries a year and set career highs…”

Clearly there is no disagreement that Jackson can handle  200-225 carries in Atlanta, considering he has never had fewer than 230 carries since his rookie season when he was under the tutelage of Marshall Faulk. However, to think that Jackson will put up any “career” highs is ludicrous, and shows signs of a resounding ignorance of Jackson’s career in St. Louis.

In 2006, the St. Louis Rams were flying high, having recently found what they thought to be their heir to the Kurt Warner throne, Marc Bulger. That season, both Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt would surpass the 1,000 receiving mark. Steven Jackson would  put up career highs in every major statistical category that year, all while compiling the 6th greatest performance in the history of the NFL, with 2,334 yards from scrimmage; trailing only a handful of current and future Hall-of-Famers (Faulk, Sanders, Barber, Tomlinson), and that one freak year from Chris Johnson.

Jackson was essentially the only running back on the roster that season, and handled a mindblowing 346 carries (on top of another 90 receptions) to reach that mark.

Fast forward to 2013, and Jackson will be entering a team with a signal caller that is an annual 600+ attempt quarterback, which will inevitably mean less snaps for Jackson. He will also have to share, at least some, snaps with Jacquizz Rodgers, who handled a bulk of the carries when Michael Turner occasionally got jammed in first gear. Furthermore, the Falcons haven’t had a running back top 13 rushing touchdowns since Michael Turner hit 17 in the prime of his career in 2008. However, that was Matt Ryan’s debut to the NFL, and he attempted only 434 passes… that will never happen again, as long as Roddy White, Julio Jones, and Tony Gonzalez are healthy.

The suggestion that Steven Jackson still has gas left in his proverbial tank is obviously nothing to be upset about, even if you are a disgruntled St. Louis Rams fan. However, the fact that it took a change of team for Jackson to earn the respect he deserves as one of the hardest working veterans in the game it disheartening, to say the least. The mere thought that his sheer dominance of the league in the earlier years of his career could be forgotten so easily, lost in the mediocrity of a franchise wallowing in the bottom of the NFL, is truly, truly saddening.

Hopefully, this “new light” on the ex-St. Louis Ram will finally open the casual NFL viewer’s eyes to the star in that was, and still is, Steven Jackson. It is a tragedy, at least in the realm of sports, that it has taken until now for some to see the value of, what should be, a future Hall-of-Fame running back; and worse, that some are still oblivious to the career that Jackson has had in the NFL.

March 14, 2013; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker talks to the media during a press conference held at the teams training facility. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The release of the 2013 regular season schedule has taken over the sports world this morning. Most will over-analyze team’s strength-of-schedule, map out a “path to the playoffs,” or attempt to predict wins and losses for the regular season, despite the fact that teams have yet to make their first selection in the 2013 NFL Draft.

However, instead of focusing on wins and losses, lets look at the best “storylines” and “must watch” games of the 2013 season…

Week 2: Denver Broncos @ New York Giants

It can’t get much more high profile for the Broncos in the first two weeks of the season. They go from a matchup against the defending champions to the latest incarnation of the Manning Bowl. Peyton is 2-0 against his younger brother so far. Eli might need a win here to avoid going 0-2 after a tough opener in Dallas. -via NFL.com

There nothing else that need to be said about this matchup. Two “elite” quarterbacks, with powerful, dynamic offenses squaring off at the beginning of the season. Oh yea.. and the starting quarterbacks are brothers!

Week 4: New England Patriots @ Atlanta Falcons

If I was a betting man, and I am, my early money would be on this game being a preview of  Super Bowl XLVIII. Assuming New England can get Gronk back, their offense should be nothing short of unstoppable in a weak AFC, where only the Broncos appear to be a legitimate threat for the conference title. Atlanta appears to have one of the best rosters in the NFL, making several key re-signings, convincing Tony Gonzalez to come back for another year, and picking up Steven Jackson to replace Michael Turner, who appeared to be running on “E” during the final stretch of the 2012 season and into the playoffs.

Week 7: Denver Broncos @ Indianapolis Colts

No team has a more delicious schedule than the Broncos. Denver plays in perhaps the worst division in the league, so they can fatten up on wins there. But so many of the team’s out-of-division matchups include capital lettered subplots. This one is obvious: Peyton’s Return. Manning vs. Luck. Can’t wait. -via NFL.com

After last season, most expected that the NFL would attempt to milk Peyton Manning for all he is worth this season… and they are doing just that. After starting off the season against the Ravens, who knocked them out of the playoffs in 2012, and heading for a brotherly matchup in the “Big Apple” in Week 4, Manning will finally return home for the first time to face the Indianapolis crowd and go head-to-head with his replacement.

Week 9:  Tennessee Titans @ St. Louis Rams

The Jeff Fisher Bowl! The rematch of one of the weirdest Super Bowls with the best endings! St. Louis is getting overlooked in the NFC West, but their defense absolutely can compete with Seattle and San Francisco for a playoff spot. As Titans fans know, Fisher’s team almost always contend. -via NFL.com

This game is intriguing for a number of reasons: rematch of “the Tackle,” the return of Fisher to his long-time city and organization, and the presence of the “discarded” Jared Cook within the St. Louis Rams offense. While the Fisher subplot will garner the most attention, how Jared Cook is playing within the offense should be a major point of interest. If there is any game were Rams’ fans could see Cook “go off,” Week 9 might be it…

Week 11: Minnesota Vikings @ Seattle Seahawks

Assuming that Percy Harvin has not gone off the deep-end with “migraines” or some other injury concern, this should be a good matchup between “Harvin and the ‘Hawks” and his former team, the Minnesota Vikings. On top of that subplot, the two actual teams should be an interesting matchup. The Seattle Seahawks have trouble with teams that play a similar “style” of game; ground and pound on the offensive side of the ball, stout against the run on defense. Last season, the Seahawks handed the Vikings a 30-20 loss. However, Peterson trampled Seattle’s defense for 182 yards on the ground, including a 74 yard touchdown. Lynch vs. Peterson… Harvin vs. Vikings… Should be a good game!

Week 17: Washington Redskins @ New York Giants

According to NFL.com, the “biggest” game of the final week of the regular season is the Green Bay Packers versus the Chicago Bears. However, after a bit of fish-tailing by the New York Giants in 2012, the national media appears to be ignoring them (like usual), outside of the Manning-on-Manning matchup. If there is any division in the league that has shown to be a “question mark” season after season it is the NFC East, not the NFC North. It is hard to image that the Philadelphia Eagles are going to make a complete turn around, so naturally that points to the Giants and the Redskins being the last marque game in the NFC. Last season, the ‘Skins stole the division in the last couple of weeks, this game could very well be the determining factor again.

Dec 2, 2012; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans tight end Jared Cook (89) catches a pass against Houston Texans safety Danieal Manning (38) during the first half at LP Field. Mandatory credit: Don McPeak-US Presswire

If you had a craving for some NFL news, yesterday was surely a full helping of non-stop free agent action. While there are still several big name players yet to strike a deal, the big chuck of the “Tier A” guys had their names called out yesterday during the madness. The chaos will likely continue throughout today as well, with players flying into their perspective future cities for physicals and interviews with coaching staffs and front office personnel. While we have yet to get the details of any of those deal, there is plenty to talk about from yesterday alone. So, who were the “winners” and “losers” on opening day?

Cleveland Browns: Winner

Landing a player like Paul Kruger at a reasonable 5-year/$40M tag would be more than enough to send Cleveland into the win column, but they made much more of a splash than that on opening day. They swooped up Desmond Bryant and, according to Adam Schefter, signed Quentin Groves early this morning. The linebacking core was the top issue that needed to be addressed in The Land, and they have done more than enough to fill that quota. Their free agency opening day might get even sweeter if the reports are true from Jason LaCanfora.

Browns could still make more deals today. Have some interest in Redskins TE Fred Davis

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) March 13, 2013

Feb 3, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Baltimore Ravens fans celebrate after a victory against the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Baltimore Ravens: Loser

Talk about turning over a roster, the Baltimore Ravens are, at least currently, a shell of the team we saw win the Super Bowl a little over a month ago. With Ray Lewis (retiring), Paul Kruger (to division rival, Browns), and Dannell Ellerbe (to Dolphins) all moving on to greener pastures, the position that has been a strength for the last decade is now riddled with holes. To add insult to injury, there are talks that the San Francisco 49ers are courting Ed Reed, after swiping Anquan Boldin for a 6th rounder and $10 gift card to Walmart. Free agency is still very young and the Draft is only a month away, but as of right now, the Ravens look to have gone from first to worst in the AFC North (unless Joe Flacco can play linebacker)…

… Oh yea, and…

Ravens release Bernard Pollardbit.ly/ZIcMRI#NFL #Ravens

— The Redzone (@TheRedzoneorg) March 13, 2013

Bradley Fletcher: Winner

Fletcher will be sorely missed in St. Louis, but had be moved into a smaller and smaller role in the defense with the emergence of Trumaine Johnson. The trouble with a new coaching staff is that they tend to like “their guys” to be on the roster, and Fletcher was merely the draftee of an era in St. Louis that is long, long past. However, with the release of Nnamdi Asomugha, Fletcher will likely be handed the reins to the starting slot in Philadelphia, and with good reason. Fletcher, when healthy, is a stud at cornerback and hopefully has a long, bright future in the league. There are very few win-win situations in NFL free agency, but this is definitely one of those rare cases. Cheers!

Tennessee Titans: Winner

For St. Louis Rams’ fans, the Titans should get the “winner” designation for simply not giving the franchise tag to Jared Cook. However, Fisher’s old stomping ground did very well for themselves yesterday, landing the top interior lineman and the top blocking/utility tight end in the class. While, Andy Levitre would have looked very nice with Blue and Gold horns, his 5-year, $39M contract is likely more than the St. Louis Rams would have been willing to pay to “sure up” the interior of the offensive line. However, Delanie Walker is a huge steal from the San Francisco 49ers, and will fit much nicer in the Titans’ new offensive scheme than Jared Cook had over the past couple of seasons. Assuming the Titans can snag some help at wide receiver in the next couple of months, they will have quietly had one of the better offseasons in the league.

Dec 16, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Mike Wallace (17) runs after a catch against Dallas Cowboys cornerback Mike Jenkins (21) at Cowboys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Miami Dolphins: Loser

The Miami Dolphins have clearly taken a page from the “2011 Philadelphia Eagles: Offseason Game Plan,” throwing HUGE money and anyone and anything at a position of need. While the fans in Miami are likely celebrating the bold offseason moves, the ‘Fins are taking an approach that has had limited success in recent years. The oft-troubled Mike Wallace landed a $60M contract, coming off season with where he posted 3-year lows in yards, yards per catch average, and receptions for first downs, despite being targeted a career-high 119 times in Pittsburgh. The Dolphins did make a good pickups in Dannell Ellerbe (5-year/$35M) and Philip Wheeler (5-year/$26m), but did so at the compromise of essentially releasing their entire linebacking core from ’12. They also will likely be losing their starting left tackle, Jake Long, and starting running back, Reggie Bush, as well as having already lost their top scorer from 2012 in their tight end, Anthony Fasano, to the Kansas City Chiefs. They also lost the battle for Jared Cook, and are now courting Dustin Keller from New York, as reported this morning by Adam Schefter. Half of the battle in free agency is maintaining essential pieces that are already on your roster, and Miami, if nothing else, is surely losing in that area…

Atlanta Falcons: Winner

On the opposite end of that spectrum, the Atlanta Falcons definitely chose the “home grown” approach, re-signing Brent Grimes and Sam Baker, and getting lucky with the return of Tony Gonzalez to the roster. While, they have yet to make a huge splash in free agency, the Falcons are sitting pretty under the cap, and have all of the “essential” position on the roster from last season locked up. If the Falcons can land Steven Jackson and a perennial defensive lineman, Atlanta will have to be in contention for the “Best Offseason” award, barring the results of the NFL Draft. Again, re-signing your own free agents is never a flashy move, but it is one that the year-to-year, dominate teams have mastered. Consistency in the NFL is everything, and the Falcons definitely started off free agency on the right note.

Yet to be decided…

Minnesota Vikings: Losing Percy Harvin will be big, but snagging a 1st rounder in 2013 and a 3rd in 2014 is pretty good compensation to send off a player that has been a thorn in the organization’s side since he was drafted. The Vikings were able to maintain Jerome Felton and Phil Loadholt, which should be welcome news to Adrian Peterson, and got Erin Henderson signed on for another two years. However, they were forced to release Antoine Winfield, and have yet to make any moves to help Christian Ponder and their non-existent passing game. Minnesota might be looking at the 2013 NFL Draft for the answer, but for now, it is hard to say they aren’t leaning towards the “loss” column.

St. Louis Rams: Jermelle Cudjo and William Hayes will be two of the more underrated re-signings in the league, both being an integral part of the defensive line rotation that led the NFL in sacks last season. St. Louis made much bigger news by winning the battle for Jared Cook, who will (hopefully) reach his potential paired next to Lance Kendricks in the Rams’ offense. The Rams will also have both Jake Long and Louis Delmas in town today to discuss a deal, although nothing has been announced at this point. Even with the signing of , essentially, three new starters to the team, it is still yet to be known how the team will handle the likely loss of Steven Jackson and Danny Amendola. Despite hopes that the answers are already on the roster, there is no tangible evidence that Richardson, Pead, or Quick will progress quickly enough to compensate for that drop-off in production in the 2013 season. Again, the offseason is young, and with three picks in the Top 46 in the 2013 NFL Draft, the St. Louis Rams could come out with a substantially younger and more talented roster. However, at this point, the jury is still out, with unarguable holes at outside linebacker, safety, and wide receiver.

New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers: Did they oversleep the 4:00 pm alarm yesterday? Both of these teams’ offseason success will hinge on the signing and/or re-signing of a handful of cornerstone players.