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Bo Jackson's Football Career: What If?

Joe Posnanski's Kansas City Star piece about Bo Jackson's baseball career is getting a lot of play, including here at FanHouse. Jackson could do things that few if any baseball players have ever done, and his baseball career should be lauded.

But as a football fan, it makes me sad to think about the time Jackson spent in Major League Baseball. Jackson was probably the most talented football player I've ever seen, and by choosing baseball over football, he deprived football fans of seeing -- and being inspired by -- his gift.

If you didn't know anything about Jackson and looked at his career stats, you'd wonder if there was a misprint. Is it really possible that a running back averaged 5.4 yards a carry -- better than Jim Brown -- but played just parts of four seasons and ran the ball only 515 times? Yes, Jackson was really that good. So good that in 1987, the Raiders had a Hall of Fame running back in his prime, Marcus Allen, and they moved him to fullback when Jackson showed up, even though Jackson had been playing baseball for two years.

Jackson's football career just makes me ask "What if?" What if Jackson had devoted himself full time to football? What if he had been durable enough to carry the ball 20 times a game, 16 games a season, for 10 years?

Jackson did some spectacular things with a baseball bat in his hands. But nothing close to what he did with a football in his hands. It's sad that his NFL career lasted just 38 games.

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