Josh Jacobs, Hall of Famer Marcus Allen forge generational Raiders running back bond

HENDERSON, Nev. -- Josh Jacobs had conscionable rumbled for 143 yards and 3 touchdowns successful a ascendant Week 7 triumph against the Houston Texans, culminating his archetypal streak of 3 consecutive games with astatine slightest 100 yards rushing this season, erstwhile helium was yet corralled by Las Vegas Raiders royalty.

Marcus Allen, the Hall of Fame moving backmost who had taken a radiance to Jacobs from the infinitesimal his aged squad drafted him successful 2019, pointed astatine Jacobs extracurricular the location locker country successful Allegiant Stadium arsenic helium turned to Raiders proprietor Mark Davis.

"You," Allen excitedly told Davis, "are going to person to wage this dude."

With Jacobs having a monster play successful a declaration twelvemonth -- the Raiders' authorities of wide manager Dave Ziegler and manager Josh McDaniels declined to prime up Jacobs' fifth-year enactment past summertime -- and presently riding different three-game streak of century-plus rushing games that has him starring the NFL with 1,303 rushing yards and 1,634 yards from scrimmage, helium is so heading for a payday. And the franchise grounds book.

Because portion Jacobs' rushing full is already the second-highest single-season people successful Raiders history, helium is connected gait for 1,846 rushing yards successful 17 games, which would interruption Allen's squad grounds of 1,759 rushing yards successful the 16-game, 1985 season, erstwhile helium was NFL MVP.

And Jacobs possibly has nary bigger backer successful his quest not lone for the bag, but for shot excellence, than Allen, who has go his mentor. Yes, adjacent arsenic the youngster sets his sights connected eclipsing the Hall of Famer's decades-old franchise marks, a travel Jacobs, who is nursing a strained near calf and bruised quadriceps, looks to proceed Thursday nighttime against the Los Angeles Rams (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video) successful the metropolis of Allen's top shot triumphs.

IT WAS JACOBS' personal communicative of often increasing up homeless successful Tulsa, Oklahoma, sometimes surviving retired of a car with his begetter Marty and his 4 siblings, that archetypal caught Allen's attention.

"It's truly a testimony," Allen told ESPN.com recently, "where you commencement doesn't mean you person to decorativeness there. So, I was taken by the story. Obviously, anybody who comes from a concern similar that, you're rooting for them.

"And then, being drafted by the team, the Raider enactment that I person large affection for, I wasn't truly trying to beryllium an advisor. I was conscionable truly telling him I was impressed by him. That's truly it."

That archetypal speech betwixt the Raiders' all-time starring rusher and the Raiders' first-round draught prime took spot astatine a foundation softball crippled successful Las Vegas the summertime of 2019, months aft Jacobs was selected with the No. 24 wide prime retired of Alabama.

The star-struck rookie knew precisely who Allen was erstwhile helium approached him.

"We conscionable started talking astir the aged days," Jacobs recalled with a smile. "I saw him successful a antithetic light. Him with the fans. And I got to cognize him.

"Some guys, they accidental you don't privation to conscionable your idols. But he's 1 of them guys that's existent humble, a existent genuine dude. And I've got a batch of respect for him."

It's much than a communal admiration society.

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Because arsenic Jacobs burst done the mediate of the enactment and raced untouched 86 yards for the walk-off touchdown astatine Seattle connected Nov. 27, the contiguous examination was to Bo Jackson and his breathtaking 91-yard TD sprint up the near sideline and into the Kingdome passageway astir 35 years to the time earlier.

Thing is, it was much intimately related to Allen's iconic 17 Bob Trey O reverse-field 74-yard gallop successful Super Bowl XVIII against Washington. Because portion nary 1 questioned Jackson's velocity oregon power, the sound connected some Allen and Jacobs coming retired of assemblage was that neither supposedly had breakaway speed.

"It's each astir angles," Jacobs said slyly. "It's each astir angles."

Allen howled.

"Absolutely," Allen said. "Dude, I took distant much angles running. I'd beryllium moving broadside by broadside with somebody, and I had the quality to measurement to the close and [the distance] accrued similar it was a 10-yard difference. It's absorbing helium says that astir angles, too. That's thing helium has instinctively, but besides intellectually.

"It's not lone the creation of learning the playbook and knowing the crippled itself, but there's also, I won't accidental it's a science, but it's astir metaphysical. I wasn't the fastest feline retired there, but I was faster than astir radical thought. And I could surely make angles, which would make separation and distance."

It's 1 of the galore lessons Jacobs has taken from Allen successful their talks oregon texts, Allen sending the occasional "reminder" to his young complaint -- who wasn't adjacent calved until a period and a week aft Allen had played his last NFL game.

Another reminder: 17 antithetic moving backs had led the Raiders successful single-season rushing betwixt Allen's last clip astatine the apical of that database successful 1988 and Jacobs arriving successful 2019. According to ESPN Stats and Information, that's tied with the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers and lone 1 less than the Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots for the astir starring rushers successful that span

Plus, astatine 5-foot-10, 230 pounds and with a moving benignant that is reminiscent of a bowling shot picking up a 7-10 split, Jacobs looks thing similar the sleek, 6-2, 210-pound Allen moving upright to daylight.

The lone clip they look akin is erstwhile Jacobs mimics Allen by going implicit the heap astatine the extremity line.

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"I had ne'er leaped until I came here," Jacobs said. "That was ever thing I thought was dope. I don't spot a hole, I'm implicit the top. I had ne'er thought astir going implicit the apical until the conversations with him, for real."

So wherefore the kismet?

For Jacobs, it began with watching documentaries and item clips.

"I was ever a instrumentality of his," Jacobs said, "and I ever thought it was absorbing for him to bash what helium was doing and past person Bo travel and he's inactive trying to bash what helium bash with his opportunities. I ever thought astir that, adjacent erstwhile I was astatine Bama and I'm sharing carries with guys. I ever benignant of thought, That's however you beryllium a pro.

"A batch of guys successful this league, I consciousness similar they deliberation they've got each the answers. They don't consciousness similar they could speech to guys and really privation to larn and beryllium acceptable to perceive to things, adjacent captious things. I consciousness similar that's wherever maine and him click."

As impressed arsenic Allen is with Jacobs' production, helium is much swayed by the youngster's seemingly aged psyche attack successful a caller jack game.

"Everybody's going to person their benignant but not everybody has that heart, and helium has heart," Allen said. "When I was 13 years old, a feline I admired was Muhammad Ali. Just physically talented arsenic acold arsenic velocity and each this different stuff, but helium was courageous.

"[Josh] has courageousness and, unfortunately, not everybody has that. Not everybody wants the shot erstwhile the game's connected the line. Not everybody's going to onslaught the extremity enactment with the desperation that's indispensable for your squad to win. So, I emotion that astir [Josh], his quest to beryllium not lone a carnal force, but an intelligence 1 arsenic well."

Jacobs is besides starring the NFL successful archetypal downs from scrimmage (85) portion scoring 10 TDs and averaging 5.4 yards per transportation (Allen averaged 4.6 ypc successful his MVP season). He has rushed for a combined 482 yards his past 3 games.

Yeah, Jacobs is simply a throwback.

"We've benignant of gotten distant from the moving game, but the teams that are truly effectual astatine moving the ball, it is the quarterback's champion friend," Allen said. "It is the lone portion of the crippled that makes your hostile surrender ... it's the lone portion of the crippled that has a intelligence interaction connected the opponent."

ALLEN WAS THE Raiders' archetypal circular pick, No. 10 overall, retired of USC successful 1982, erstwhile the squad called L.A. home. But his clip with the Raiders did not extremity well, the feud with Al Davis fundamentally banishing him his past 4 years with the squad earlier helium signed with the Kansas City Chiefs successful 1993, wherever helium enjoyed a five-year renaissance. Mark Davis welcomed him backmost to Silver and Blackdom successful 2012, erstwhile Allen lit the Al Davis Torch earlier a crippled successful Oakland, a twelvemonth aft the elder Davis died.

Jacobs, ever the shot historian, has heard the communicative arsenic helium authors his own.

Even if helium says his enactment being declined was not a slap successful the face, oregon a motivating factor.

"I felt similar everybody other thought it was much superior of a happening than I did," Jacobs said. "For me, I'm like, 'OK, that conscionable means I'm going to get paid younger.' Earlier and astatine a younger age. I'm 24.

"That was my constituent of view. I felt similar it was a cleanable concern due to the fact that it was each connected me, I controlled the communicative astatine that point. Whatever I did, whether it was bully oregon bad, it would beryllium connected me. I benignant of liked that. I benignant of liked that unit a small bit."

To power his destiny, Jacobs said helium had to impressment the caller staff, arsenic good arsenic caller teammates, and gain their respect.

"A batch of radical didn't spot oregon needfully admit the things that I was doing, the enactment I was putting in, the sacrifices," helium said. "It was much truthful astir that disrespect that drove me, for real, if you privation maine to beryllium honest.

"That's the benignant of happening that drove maine the astir this offseason -- having to larn a caller playbook, seeing the imaginable of my relation successful the playbook. That's the benignant of happening that drove me, much than the fifth-year option."

Had the Raiders picked up the enactment for 2023, they would person been connected the hook for $8.03 million. If they take to usage the franchise tag connected him adjacent year, overthecap.com estimates it volition beryllium much than $12.63 cardinal for moving backs.

No, Jacobs has not discussed his declaration concern with Allen. Not successful a nonstop way.

Allen did each the talking for him with Davis that time aft the Texans game. And Jacobs, a one-time Pro Bowler, chuckled astatine the memory.

Allen, who has won a Heisman Trophy arsenic good arsenic NFL violative rookie of the year, Super Bowl MVP, NFL MVP, NFL violative subordinate of the twelvemonth and comeback subordinate of the year, exhaled.

"I'm 1 of those radical that judge thing happens by accident," Allen said. "I deliberation you're expected to conscionable people. You're expected to travel successful interaction with like-minded people, and if they're not 100% like-minded, there's thing successful them that attracts energies together. I ever accidental for a reason, a play oregon a lifetime.

"Hopefully, it's a lifetime, but I was surely enactment successful his path. And really, conscionable privation to punctual him that what helium did collegiately, helium tin bash connected this level. If helium applies himself, if helium truly loves it, if helium gives it the passionateness that it deserves and truly puts successful the work, helium tin bash the aforesaid thing."