Bo Jackson Says He Would Dominate Today’s NFL: ‘I’d Probably be Averaging 350-400 Yards a Game’
Bo Jackson was one of those special players who could rip off a 90-yard touchdown run at any point during a game. His speed, size, and pure athleticism was a lethal combination for the Oakland Raiders in the 1980s.
Jackson averaged 73.2 rushing yards per game throughout his short NFL career, but he believes he would be historically dominant if he played today. The 57-year old says he would average ‘350-400 yards a game’ in the current NFL.
Bo Jackson was an unstoppable force in the NFL
Bo Jackson was unlike anything we’ve ever seen on a football field. The 6-foot-1, 227-pound RB could run faster than the speediest defense backs. He had more power than the strongest linebackers. He was a freak of nature and arguably the greatest athlete to ever grace this earth.
Jackson was a threat to score every time he touched the football. In 38 career games in the NFL, he totaled 3,134 yards of offense and scored 18 touchdowns. He scored a touchdown of 88 or more yards in three of his four seasons with the Raiders.
Over his career, Jackson averaged 73.2 rushing yards per game and 5.4 yards per carry. He somehow thinks those numbers would increase by five times if he played today.
Jackson said he would average ‘350-400 yards a game today’
Jackson appeared on the most recent episode of Barstool Sports’ 21st & Prime podcast hosted by NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders and Jamie Dukes. He reminisced about his playing days against Sanders and gave his thoughts about the NFL in 2020.
To put in simply, Jackson doesn’t think anyone could stop him today.
When was the last time you watched a baseball game and saw a baseball game to where everybody is doing the basics? When was the last time you saw a hit-and-run? Everybody is swinging for the fence now. You either hit it out of the park or strikeout. Nobody practices base stealing, nobody practices hit-and-runs, hitting the cutoff man and so forth and so on and in football, I’ll say the same thing. Nobody wraps up and tackles no more…If I played during this era I’d probably be averaging 350-400 yards a game.
Bo Jackson
Wow. Bold take by Bo.
What’s the NFL record for rushing yards per game in a single season?
Jackson surely doesn’t lack confidence in his own abilities, but he might be a tad overzealous in his prediction. In the history of the NFL, no player has ever averaged 150 yards per game over the course of a full season, let alone 350.
O.J. Simpson holds the record for rushing yards per game in a single season with 143.1 in 1973. The only player who’s gotten close to Simpson’s mark was Adrian Peterson in 2012. Peterson rushed for 131.1 yards per game that season.
You have to respect Jackson’s confidence, and although he would probably dominate the NFL as a healthy 25-year old today, 350 yards per game is just asinine. Never change, Bo. Never change.
All stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus
