During a teleconference with reporters last season, St. Louis Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo was asked if during his reconstruction of the team, did he worry that by the time he’s able to get things turned around if running back Steven Jackson will be out of juice?

Spagnuolo responded that was something he would worry about when the time came to cross that bridge (with or without tread on Jackson’s tires) and the simple fact is the workhorse running back was the only offense the team had last season.

Somewhere along the line, those 324 carries Jackson had last season caught up with him as Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the veteran underwent back surgery early last month to repair a herniated disc he suffered near the end of November.

"It was a minor procedure," Spagnuolo told Thomas. "He feels great. It's really not a big deal."

Hey, it’s always minor surgery when the other guy is having it.

The report indicates that Jackson will be held out of the beginning of OTA’s, which kick off May 18, and he could also be sidelined for the start of training camp. That’s not a bad idea. Jackson is a veteran back who will probably get very little – if any – work in preseason.

The club originally believed Jackson had back spasms back in November. He passed on an opportunity to play in the Pro Bowl. It’s too bad the surgery wasn’t done earlier in the offseason. The prognosis is Jackson will make a full return, but you just never know with matters of the back and now it makes sense that the Rams have been poking around veteran running back Brian Westbrook. But to count on Westbrook to carry the load if Jackson is injured would be foolish.

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