The NFL Preseason is typically a snooze fest for the casual fan (and who am I kidding, for football nerds as well). Lamar Jackson will add excitement this preseason for the Baltimore Ravens:
Lamar Jackson is going to make the preseason more fun than usual. Once the regular season starts the quarterback controversy talk will slow down. In the preseason, Jackson has the ability to put real heat on Flacco. If Jackson goes out there and puts on a show, the fans are going to get excited. The media is going to be obnoxious about the quarterback drama. If Flacco compounds it by looking underwhelming or out of sync with his new receivers, Ravens training camp could become a circus.
Jackson’s Show:
The Ravens have no intention of starting the Lamar Jackson era in 2018. Joe Flacco is going to be the quarterback because the Ravens want to groom Jackson. This is the first real shot the Ravens have taken at the quarterback position since drafting Flacco a decade ago. This is important. The preseason is therefore Jackson’s stage.
Every play is going to be scrutinized. Every time he takes off to run, he’ll be critiqued for being too much of a runner. Each great throw he makes will earn an overreaction of praise. Everything Jackson does will be broken down times a thousand. Jackson is the future and the preseason is the window to that future. More likely than not Jackson’s preseason play will either get fans overly concerned or caught in premature jubilation. Get ready for it, because it will be insane.
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It’s hard to imagine a more exciting offseason for the Ravens. They have a bunch of new faces, including a 12 man draft class. Ozzie Newsome and Eric DeCosta believe that the quarterback of the future is now waiting behind Flacco. A team that was one play away from the postseason two years in a row, made a lot of moves.
Excitement in the preseason will be a reality
The preseason will give the fanbase a brief first look at Michael Crabtree in a Ravens uniform. The preseason will be a time of desperate competition at the wide receiver position. Will Breshad Perriman get edged out by a player like Jordan Lasley? What will the Ravens get from Jaleel Scott? These answers will be determined in training camp and the exhibition games.
In addition to the first real quarterback battle Flacco has been put into and the wide receiver competition, there will be battles on the offensive line. Can Orlando Brown Jr. fill the right tackle job immediately? Can Bradley Bozeman beat out Matt Skura? There are actually starting jobs on the line this preseason, which is a refreshing change of pace.
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The results won’t matter but now that the Ravens Flock has a lot to look forward to, the preseason won’t be so bad. Getting a first glimpse at Jackson under center, will certainly be the highlight of the usually boring month of August.