Has Steven Jackson Done Enough to Earn Hall of Fame Consideration?

Steven Jackson will turn 32 this summer, which makes him a senior citizen in the world of running backs. So it's no surprise that, according to ESPN.com's Vaughn McClure, the Atlanta Falcons aren't likely to include him as they implement a new offensive playbook in 2015. 

That could mean Jackson, who's had fewer than 750 yards rushing the last two seasons after going over 1,000 in the previous eight, has reached the end of the road.

If indeed that's the case, what might his legacy look like?

Mr. Millennium 

The first important Jackson takeaway is that he was extremely reliable and consistent. Despite playing a position that exposed him to a tremendous amount of wear and tear, he's played in at least 12 games in all 11 of his seasons. 

In fact, he's one of only six backs in NFL history who have gone over the 1,000-yard rushing mark in at least eight consecutive seasons. 

Back	Total	Start	Finish
Emmitt Smith	11	1991	2001
Curtis Martin	10	1995	2004
Barry Sanders	10	1989	1998
Steven Jackson	8	2005	2012
Thurman Thomas	8	1989	1996
LaDainian Tomlinson	8	2001	2008

It's worth noting that four of the other five players on that list are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, with LaDainian Tomlinson a shoo-in when he becomes eligible. 

That alone doesn't make Jackson a Hall of Famer, but when you view his career rushing stats among the most productive backs in NFL history, you begin to wonder if the 2004 first-round pick might have already done enough to earn a spot in Canton. 

Back	Yards	YPA rank	YPG rank	TD rank	Hall of Famer?
1. Emmitt Smith	18355				Yes
2. Walter Payton	16726				Yes
3. Barry Sanders	15269				Yes
4. Curtis Martin	14101				Yes
5. LaDainian Tomlinson	13684				Ineligible
6. Jerome Bettis	13662				Yes
7. Eric Dickerson	13259				Yes
8. Tony Dorsett	12739				Yes
9. Jim Brown	12312				Yes
10. Marshall Faulk	12279				Yes
11. Edgerrin James	12246				Eventually
12. Marcus Allen	12243				Yes
13. Franco Harris	12120				Yes
14. Thurman Thomas	12074				Yes
15. Fred Taylor	11695				No
16. Steven Jackson	11388	14th	14th	16th	?
17. John Riggins	11352				Yes
18. Corey Dillon	11241				No
19. O.J. Simpson	11236				Yes
20. Frank Gore	11073				Ineligible

So in terms of broad career stats, Jackson looks like a legend. The problem, though, is that he doesn't necessarily feel like one to a lot of us who have been watching. 

Does a lack of team success hurt him?

During his nine seasons with the St. Louis Rams, Jackson actually averaged more rushing yards per game than Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk. Faulk was a more prolific receiver, which pushed his per-game yards from scrimmage average slightly above Jackson's, but a key difference is that Faulk scored way more touchdowns. 

Category	Eric Dickerson	Marshall Faulk	Steven Jackson
Rush YDS	7245	6959	10138
YDS/carry	4.8	4.8	4.2
YDS/game	111.5	70.3	77.4
Scrimmage YDS/game	125.5	111.4	102.7
Touchdowns	58	85	64
TD/game	0.9	0.9	0.5

Of course, you have to factor in the fact that Faulk probably scored a lot more because he was winning a lot more. The reality is he benefited greatly from playing on Super Bowl-caliber St. Louis teams, with weapons like Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt providing distractions to opposing defenses. 

On the surface, that might seem like something that would help Jackson and hurt Faulk, but truly legendary players often lead their teams to playoff success, which in hand increases their status as big-time players on competitive teams. 

Faulk appeared in two Super Bowls and contributed to seven playoff victories. He averaged only 3.6 yards per attempt in his 12 career postseason games, but just being alive consistently in January helped his reputation. 

Jackson's never been close to a Super Bowl and has carried the ball only 19 times total in two playoff games, both of which took place more than a decade ago. During his time in St. Louis, the Rams went just 44-91-1. During his time in Atlanta, the Falcons have lost 22 of 32 games. 

Hall of Fame backs usually accomplish some things in January. Emmitt Smith, Larry Csonka, Thurman Thomas, Franco Harris, John Riggins and Marcus Allen all went over the 100-yard mark in Super Bowls. Eric Dickerson once had 248 yards in a playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys. Tony Dorsett and Barry Sanders each had 160-yard playoff performances. 

Among the 18 Hall of Fame backs from the modern era (post-1970 merger), nine have won Super Bowls. When you're already a Hall of Fame toss-up based on what you've done individually, it hurts when you haven't done much of anything in games that matter. The fact that Jackson's teams have won just 66 of a possible 168 games during his time in this league is troublesome. 

Never "the guy"

What might also hurt Jackson's case is that he was never really viewed as the best back in football. That crown always belonged to either Tomlinson or Adrian Peterson, with guys like Tiki Barber, Shaun Alexander, Chris Johnson, Arian Foster, Maurice Jones-Drew and Ray Rice filling up the waiting room at various points. 

Jackson has never led the league in rushing and has finished in the top four only once, which adds to the notion that he's always been great but rarely special. 

He's been to only three Pro Bowls and has never been a first-team All-Pro. Among those 18 modern-era Hall of Fame backs mentioned above, only Riggins was voted to the Pro Bowl fewer than four times, but he was a first-team All-Pro in 1983. If Jackson were to make the Hall of Fame cut, he'd be the first player in history to do so despite earning fewer than four Pro Bowl nods and zero first-team All-Pro appearances. 

Back	All-Pro	Pro Bowl
Steven Jackson	0	3
John Riggins	1	1
Tony Dorsett	1	4
Curtis Martin	1	5
Franco Harris	1	9
Jerome Bettis	2	6
Marcus Allen	2	6
Earl Campbell	3	5

That explains why Corey Dillon and Fred Taylor, both of whom are among the 20 leading rushers of all time, aren't really getting any Hall of Fame attention. Neither was an All-Pro, while Tomlinson and Edgerrin James were. James was a semifinalist this year and Tomlinson is considered to be a lock. 

Running backs used to be cool

Not anymore. With aerial attacks trending like never before, the running back position has never been less valuable in NFL circles. That probably leaves less room for backs who weren't absolutely elite to gain Hall of Fame consideration. 

Jackson has had a hell of a career, and at this very moment he has more rushing yards than any other active back in football. But he'll eventually be passed by Peterson and Frank Gore and maybe even guys like Marshawn Lynch, LeSean McCoy and Arian Foster. 

Back	Yards	Age
Steven Jackson	11388	31
Frank Gore	11073	31
Adrian Peterson	10190	29
Marshawn Lynch	8695	28
Chris Johnson	8628	29
Maurice Jones-Drew	8167	29
Matt Forte	7704	29
Jamaal Charles	6856	28
DeAngelo Williams	6846	31
LeSean McCoy	6792	26
Arian Foster	6309	28

That could create a small backlog at a non-premium position, which might keep Jackson permanently out of Canton. 

Of course, Jackson doesn't have to walk away right now and can still bolster his football resume with some late-career heroics. But you have to wonder how much gas is left in the tank for a 32-year-old who has touched the ball more than 3,000 times over the last 11 years. 

Brad Gagnon has covered the NFL for Bleacher Report since 2012.

Follow @Brad_Gagnon