Pro Bowl selection is latest link between Raiders RB Josh Jacobs and mentor Marcus Allen
Josh Jacobs has become a franchise record-setting running back with the Raiders.
Is annual league-wide recognition next, in the form of multiple Pro Bowl appearances?
In just his second season, Jacobs became the fourth Raiders running back to be named to the NFL Pro Bowl joining Latavius Murray, Bo Jackson and .... his mentor, Marcus Allen.
Raiders tight end Darren Waller also was named to the AFC all-star team, a virtual honor this year with the game canceled due to the coronavirus. The NFL announced in October that the game will be played through Madden NFL 21.
Jacobs already had achieved plenty since joining the Raiders through the 2019 NFL draft, in which he was the 24th overall selection.
And like most players, Jacobs insists individual statistics and accolades don’t mean much. But matching and at times exceeding Allen’s milestones just might.
Jacobs has a way to go to equal the Hall of Famer’s Pro Bowl appearances, with Allen earning the honor five times with the Raiders including four straight beginning in 1984.
But the first for Allen came in his rookie season of 1982 when he was just 22, the same age Jacobs is now.
A snapshot of Jacobs’ other feats, including others with ties to Allen:
▪ Jacobs ranked first in franchise history through his first 16 games with 1,402 rushing yards.
▪ In Week 9 this year against the Los Angeles Chargers, Jacobs passed Allen for the franchise record for most rushing yards by a player in his first two seasons. He currently has 2,057 yards.
▪ He is the fourth player in Raiders history with at least 10 rushing touchdowns in a season, joining Allen, Pete Banaszak and Murray.
▪ Jacobs is third in single-season rushing attempts in team history with 245; he had 242 as a rookie.
▪ As a rookie, he was the first to rush for 1,000 yards for the franchise (Allen ran for 697 in his first season, though with 11 TDs).
▪ Jacobs needed just eight games to break Allen’s club rookie rushing record and surpassed Allen for most 100-yard rushing performances by a rookie in Raiders franchise history (five).
▪ His fifth multi-rushing touchdown game of his career tied him with Allen and Clem Daniels for the most by a Raider through a player’s first 18 games.
▪ This season, Jacobs is sixth in the NFL in rushing yards with 907. He is third in rushing attempts and tied for sixth with 10 rushing touchdowns.
Learning from the best
Jacobs talked earlier this season about how he’s always asking Allen for pointers.
“I’m just happy to have a great mentor like him — a Hall of Fame back just mentoring me and taking me under his wing, giving me coaching points. It’s huge to me,” Jacobs said in October.
“He’s one of the best goal-line, short-yardage runners that I’ve seen that I watched tape on. I tried to ask him how I mimic certain things about that and he just gives me pointers and” stresses the importance of “just being a leader.”
“He tells me all the time, like, ‘Man, if something is not right, don’t be afraid to speak and if practice is not going right, start the practice over. He’s just trying to teach me how to be a pro and how to take the next step.”
An all-around running back
As a rookie, Jacobs rushed for 1,150 yards on his 242 carries with seven touchdowns. He had 20 receptions for 166 yards.
In the offseason, as Jacobs looked for ways to improve, becoming a greater factor in the passing game — just like a certain former Raiders star — was a priority.
Jacobs has 33 catches for 238 yards this year. Allen had 587 in his career, including a high of 68 in his second season.
They are the kind of numbers produced by Pro Bowl-caliber players.
“I think when you get selected to the Pro Bowl, it’s not by accident,” Raiders coach Jon Gruden said. “It’s out of respect from the guys that know what they’re talking about in this league. He’s improved as a receiver. He’s a tough dude, man. He’s gotten better in all areas.”
This story was originally published December 23, 2020 at 5:49 PM.
