Battle to be the Rams back-up running back

KSDK -- It's no secret that the Rams want the ball in Steven Jackson's hands. He has run for at least 1,000 yards for four consecutive seasons. However, he has yet to make it through a complete 16-game season. So the question becomes: Who will back up the superstar?

Ohio State product Antonio Pittman and Alabama standout Kenneth Darby are the current frontrunners for the position. Pittman is the more experienced of the two but Darby has shown an ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, which may help separate himself from his competition.

Darby knows that in order to earn the number two spot on the depth chart, he will need to be a complete back.

"My college football coach told me before coming in the NFL, 'the more you can do, the better you are.' I feel like the more I can do, the better off I'll be, so I'm trying to do as much as I can and as much as they want me to do," he said.

Pittman understands the need to do everything he can to take full advantage of an opportunity when it comes.

"You got to be ready at all times and with this new offense coming in geared towards the run I think it gives us all the chance to show what we can do," Pittman said.

Other options for the Rams at running back are seventh round pick Chris Ogbonnaya and Samkon Gado, who resigned with the team in January. However, Darby and Pittman have gotten most of the snaps with the second unit, which makes them the early leaders for the back-up role.