By Nick Wagoner
Senior Writer
As one of the few remaining true workhorse running backs in the league, 
Taking great pride in his role as one of a select group of running backs capable of carrying a full load every Sunday, Jackson has always made it clear that he wants to be on the field as much as possible.
So when the question was posed Monday as to what is required of his backups, a jovial Jackson couldn’t help but make a joke.
“Not much,” Jackson said, laughing.
Jokes aside, Jackson did acknowledge there are plenty of things necessary to step in when he heads to the sideline.
“They have to continue to make plays,” Jackson said. “You want to make sure that guys are reliable and that they know what they are doing in the play book. That when a play is called that Coach and the offensive coordinator (Pat Shurmur) knows that in a blitz pick up, they know who to pick up and in the running game that they’re going to play aggressively and they’re going to run with a passion.”
In Thursday night’s preseason finale against Baltimore, Jackson says he would prefer not to play and coach Steve Spagnuolo says it’s a toss up as to whether he will.
While Jackson is locked and loaded for the regular season opener on Sept. 12, the Rams still must sort out the battle for the spots behind him with a group comprised of
That trio will get plenty of work and the chance to make a strong closing argument against the Ravens.
“I think there’s quite a battle there to be quite honest with you,” Spagnuolo said. “They’re both neck and neck right now. We just talked about it a little while ago. We got another game to go and we’ll see who surfaces.”
In the three preseason games and training camp to date, none of the three has done anything to separate from the rest. The numbers bear that out as none is averaging more than 2.9 yards per attempt.
Ogbonnaya got the first opportunity to work with the top team and has rushed for 39 yards on 20 carries. But Ogbonnaya has been solid on third down and catching the ball out of the backfield, grabbing six catches for 35 yards.
Darby was next and had some nice moments against New England. He has 60 yards on 21 carries and a pair of catches for 18 yards.
Toston leads the team with 80 yards on 29 carries and scored the team’s lone rushing touchdown late in last week’s win against New England.
He’s the only one of the three who has yet to get a chance to run behind the team’s top offensive line and though it appears that he won’t get that chance against the Ravens, he will get plenty of opportunities to build on his performance in New England.
“I haven’t thought about that,” Spagnuolo said. “But he is certainly going to get plenty of reps and plenty of touches.”
Of the three, it’s Darby that comes with the most experience. He won a similar competition last year and entered the season as the primary backup to Jackson.
Since he signed with the Rams, Darby had quickly earned a reputation for his work on third downs, particularly picking up the blitz. But a knee injury slowed him last year and he struggled in that role.
In this preseason, Darby says the knee is back healthy but he dealt with a hamstring issue during training camp. In the first two preseason games, he came on after Ogbonnaya but he made the start against New England and put together his best performance of the preseason in rushing for 35 yards on 13 carries to go with two catches for 18 yards.
“Last game I felt like I got a lot more opportunities and carries than I have been getting and with any running back, the more carries you get, the more momentum and rhythm you get in a game,” Darby said. “I felt like I started to get in a rhythm and my game started coming to me so I felt a lot better out there.”
While Darby knows the importance of the final preseason contest, he says he’s a lot more relaxed than maybe he was at this time a year ago. He attributes that comfort to knowing the system in his second year in it as well as his willingness to work on special teams.
“This game right here is always about competition,” Darby said. “At the end of the day, I love competition. I have been doing it mostly all my life in this game. It’s what makes me better as a player and makes me better as a person also. When I take the field, I always go out to have fun. There’s no pressure on me whatsoever.”
Ogbonnaya, in only his second year in the league, echoes those sentiments.
Drafted in the seventh round last year, Ogbonnaya came in with little expectations, especially given his limited experience playing running back in a pro style offense.
For Ogbonnaya, his first year as a Ram was as much about learning how to play running back as it was learning the team’s playbook.
“It’s different when you are running out of the shotgun all the time,” Ogbonnaya said. “It’s more of a lateral movement and vertical cut. Here it’s downhill, straight ahead, something I like a little better that complements my running style a lot better. I try to remain consistent, remain disciplined and do my best every day I come out here.”
After starting last year on the practice squad, Ogbonnaya eventually made his way to the active roster and even took a turn as the feature back against Arizona with Jackson on the sideline.
“For me, I just want to be a guy to help the team in some sort of capacity,” Ogbonnaya said. “Last year at this time, I was still very green and still kind of learning but after you get some experience the last couple of games and go through OTAs and everything, it’s second nature being able to block and catch the football are things I pride myself on. I think the running game is something you have to keep grinding out and everything will get better. I just want to help the team first and foremost and hopefully I get that opportunity to do that.”
Toston, meanwhile, entered camp with the least experience of the group after signing as an undrafted free agent in April.
A concussion suffered early in camp set Toston back a bit but he was able to recover and get back on the field in short order.
While Toston is quick to concede that his head was spinning when he first arrived in St. Louis, he says things have slowed down considerably in the past month or so.
The difference from the preseason opener to last week alone has helped.
“I think this last game I got into a better rhythm,” Toston said. “The second game was really rainy and I had to focus on holding on to the ball more than anything. And the first game, it was my first NFL game and had a lot of jitters. So I think the last game I calmed down a lot and hope for the same this next game.”
Thursday night’s game against the Ravens is the last chance to take the reins of a couple of available jobs. Although nothing is carved in stone, Spagnuolo acknowledged Tuesday that there are still some jobs up for grabs.
For players in a heated competition like Darby, Ogbonnaya and Toston, every game counts.
“I just play every game like it’s my Super Bowl because it really is,” Toston said. “I’m not promised the next game so I am going to go out there and give it my all and that’s it.”
