Former University of Louisville Heisman Trophy-winner and two-time National Football League MVP…
Nevermind; there’s not enough time to list all the accolades.
You know who Lamar is. Kind of like having your number retired, he’s one of those once-in-a-lifetime players that you can call him by one name.
And Number 8 is closing in on a once-in-a-lifetime, top-of-the-mountain, amazing career statistic. As of Sunday, the 27-year-old future Hall of Famer is only 488 yards short of breaking the career rushing yards by a quarterback record held by Michael Vick with 6109 yards on the ground. Jackson sits at 5621 yards after the 55 yards he gained in Sunday’s 41-38 overtime win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Just one 1st-and-10 scramble for 11 yards will move him exclusively in to second place above Cam Newton’s 5631 yards, which should happen this week when Washington comes to town.
Other great scrambling shotcallers that he’s already passed in just over six seasons include Russell Wilson (5307), Randall Cunningham (4928), Steve Young (4239), Fran Tarkenton (3674) and Donovan McNabb (3459).
Jackson is averaging 72.6 yards per game on the ground this season and 61.7 YPG for his career. This would project him topping Vick versus their NFC North rival Steelers in Pittsburgh just over a month from now for the former average, and ironically, if you go by his career average, he could possibly break the record against Vick’s Eagles on December 1 at home in Baltimore.
One could easily see a made-for-TV moment playing out with Vick on the sidelines and them stopping play to recognize Jackson after a 32-yard touchdown run juking three players and slipping four tackles into the endzone to go over the mountaintop mark with the two incredible athletes hugging it out on the sideline. Lamar hoists up the ball after they give it to him, thanks God and humbly accepts the accolades. Giving credit to his teammates along the way and his former UofL Quarterback Coach Nick Petrino gets most of the credit for his tutelage.
Okay, not so much on the last part.
Lamarvelous has been a class-act ever since he stepped on campus almost a decade ago, flashed his potential against Auburn in his college debut, leaped over defenders on his way to becoming the youngest Heisman Trophy winner ever at 19 years and 338 days old (arguably should have repeated, but that’s another story) and broke record after record on his way to being a first-round draft pick. He represents The Red and Black well and will for the foreseeable future.
“They gonna get a Super Bowl out of me. You can believe that,” said the superstar on draft night.
One mountain almost down. One more to overcome.
