Raiders’ Jacobs not satisfied with rookie year, wants more

In spite of setting a rookie franchise rushing record last year, don’t think Raiders running back Josh Jacobs is impressed.

The 1,150 yards the former Alabama star accumulated in just 13 games certainly caught the attention of the rest of the NFL. As did the healthy 4.8 yards per carry he averaged and the toughness he showed by playing through a painful shoulder injury for a large stretch of the season.

All good. All deserved. And certainly, Jacobs is thankful for the acknowledgment.

He just isn’t exactly dazzled. And he certainly isn’t satisfied.

Not when he knows there are yards he left on fields across the NFL, the result of a missed read here or an impatient cut there. So while everyone else is anointing him as one of the NFL’s next big things, he sees himself as a work in progress with plenty of ground to cover before closing the gap between potential and performance.

In fact, when asked to give himself a letter grade for last year, Jacobs could not go higher than a “B”

“It’s a lot of yards that I feel like I left on the table,” Jacobs said, explaining his reasoning. “It’s a lot of plays that I feel I should’ve and could’ve done more that I didn’t necessarily know how to do it the correct way.”

As a result, he fell short of his own goals. “I don’t think I accomplished what I set out to be,” Jacobs said. “I feel like I put a little dent in what I wanted to prove, but I think I have a long way to go.”

As he ponders his second NFL season, he is aware that he is no longer looked at as an unknown quantity. Instead, he’s seen as a bonafide weapon that opposing defenses will devote focus and defenders to stop. The challenge he faces is countering the defensive attention he is bound to see by being a more complete player.

“I’ve kind of established the mind aspect of my game. I feel like I want to improve that, but also blocking. I want to put some of that on film. Obviously, catching, too. My goal is to catch at least 60 balls this year.” Jacobs had 20 receptions last season.

To that end, he focused a lot this offseason on upgrading his skills as a pass receiver. Specifically the nuances and understanding of that part of the game. He’s trying to see things as a wide receiver would.

“I worked on a lot of things that receivers do,” he said. “Not necessarily just running back routes, whether it’s getting off the line or how it’s stacked on top. I’ve been working on all the technical things that receivers do. I’m trying to implement that into my own style and bring what I can to the table.”

A good starting point for getting the most out of his sophomore season is staying healthy from beginning to end. It’s something that alluded him last year thanks to a shoulder injury he suffered in Week 7 against the Green Bay Packers.

Jacobs eventually returned to the game and then gritted his teeth through the next six games despite being clearly limited by the injury. The courage he showed further won over an already impressed locker room.

But by the last month of the season, the injury had taken a toll. In spite of his heavy objection, the Raiders held Jacobs out of three of their last four games, including the last two.

Given the nearly five yards per carry and the 18.6 carries he averaged in the 13 games he played , Jacobs easily lost out on 270 to 300 additional yards by missing those three games.

The Raiders, understanding Jacobs’ importance to their offense, have a plan in place to manage the second-year standout with the goal of getting him through the season.

It’s not necessarily a load management program, but the physicality of the position Jacobs plays mandates a level of monitoring of his work program. As an example, Jacobs was not on the field on Wednesday morning when the Raiders began their first day of actual football-related work.

“That’s the schedule that the trainers have me on ,” Jacobs said. “Some days I go in and some days I do less than others.”

As far as the shoulder, Jacobs said the issue is completely behind him. That, coupled with shedding a few pounds during the offseason, has left him in great shape to start the season.

“I don’t feel the shoulder at all,” he said. “I’ve been doing heavy reps all summer, multiple reps, and I haven’t felt it at all. So for the most part, this is the best my body has felt. I’m lighter than I was last year, so I feel pretty strong.”

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore onTwitter.