Jacobs did not perform particularly well in 2023. Is he one of those RBs who plays very well, but for a very short time? Remains to be seen. He didn't have a lot of carries in college, unlike some who flame out early in the NFL.
Ever since John Brockington, I don't count on backs for more than a few years.
There was a lot going on last year. He was coming off a 2022 season where he had almost 400 touches. That might have taken something out of him. The Raiders put the franchise tag on him and he didn't report until late August when they agreed to a contract. The Raiders offense was horrible last year, especially once Garoppolo went out with an injury.Originally Posted by Patler
I believe the Packers will be better about not overusing him. Don't think you'll see him with any more 400 touch seasons.
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in - Leonard Cohen
All true, but..... It just seems that often when backs go through a year like that, after a number of highly productive years, they just lose something, and never again approach what they once were.
GB is going from a 5yds/carry rb to a 4yds/carry rb. Jones never averaged less then 4.6/carry over a season. Jacobs has twice been under 4.0/carry (3.9 in 2020, 3.5 last year).
What I hope is that Jacobs becomes the workhorse, consistent running back that Dillon always teased at being but never really was, and that GB finds a quick, fast and elusive runner and receiver to replace what Jones was, even if for fewer touches per game than Jones was.
GB is only half done rebuilding their backfield.
I'll be reasonably satisfied if Jacobs is a solid workhorse like David Montgomery. I think he has a chance to be a bit more than that. I agree they need a quicker back as an alternative. Will Shipley of Clemson comes to mind.
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in - Leonard Cohen
Ok but how many rush attempts? Because if it is a big difference I will take Jacobs getting 4 consistently. Jones broke big plays often so I have to question how the average came to be. It damn sure wasn’t from him grinding it out every week.
A lot of people are saying that they don't see much difference between Jones and Jacobs, but this is a significant one right there. I think a lot of fans still don't quite seem to get how special Jones was and sorta still is.
Aaron Jones has an extraordinary YPC average - eye-poppingly impressive. His YPC is 5.0. In the entire history of the NFL, of all running backs with 850+ carries, only 3 averaged more than Jones, and 2 of those 3 are named either Jim Brown or Mercury Morris.
He's one of only 3 players who have gained 5.25 YPC in 4 separate seasons, and the other 2 are 50's legends Brown and Joe Perry. For the sake of reference, Ahman Green and Jim Taylor each managed that only once for Green Bay. Marshall Faulk and Barry Sanders each did it 3 times, OJ Simpson did it twice, and Ladainian Tomlinson did it once.
That's the company that Aaron Jones is in. For several years now, I've just been baffled by how many Packer fans (and the league as a whole) do not seem to grasp what a very, very rare player Aaron Jones is. It's going to be a damned long time before we ever see another running back in Green Bay like we've enjoyed the last few years.
I suspect Jacobs' YPC is going to trend sharply upwards very soon, but as it stands right now, it's hard to deny that we gave up one of the most purely productive running backs in the history of not only the Green Bay Packers but the entire NFL and replaced him with someone who statistically seems very unlikely to ever hit the mark left by Jones. But, odds are, Jones is unlikely to clear that bar himself going forward over the next couple of years.
Jacobs may never be the RB Jones was, and in fact, almost certainly will not be. Statistically, it's very unlikely, because Jones truly was a historically great running back - I mean, truly great. Our chances of scooping up another consecutive player who is one of the most productive RBs of all time is like expecting to have 2 all-time great quarterbacks in a row, let alone 3 - and who in their right mind could ever believe something like that can, happen, right?
Totally agree. I just hope the second piece of the puzzle is a rookie, rather than another FA, but I'd be shocked if he signed another UFA for the position when we have so many Day Two picks in a year with so many Day Two RBs.
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