Ravens need to stop experimenting with Lamar Jackson

Remember all that talk about Lamar Jackson being a quarterback? The Ravens are using him as a gimmick to their offense and it needs to stop:

Here is a serious question: What do the Ravens gain by having two quarterbacks on the field? The defense has to pay attention to Lamar Jackson. That’s the only thing the Ravens get out of Jackson being on the field at the same time as Flacco. The experiment has to end. The Ravens haven’t had that much success from their “Jackson-cat” offense and it’s detrimental to the big picture.

The Ravens don’t have a quarterback competition. Putting Jackson on the field isn’t pushing Joe Flacco, it’s just annoying him. It also prevents the offense from really getting into a good groove. Flacco started the game against the Bengals cold, did the Ravens really think the “Jackson-cat” offense was going to get him going?

It would be one thing if Jackson was further along as a passer, but until he can be counted on for good NFL throws, he’s a runner, a decoy, or a liability. If decision making and seeing the defense was the only area Jackson needed to improve in as a passer, these plays would make more sense. The two-quarterback offense will give Jackson one read on the move if he’s going to throw. The problem is he needs to be rebuilt as a passer to succeed in the NFL.

Jackson is a project and he is a quarterback. It’s something I have said from the get go, he needs to be treated like a backup quarterback. Jackson needs to be working behind the scenes to get better as a passer. He needs to be taking mental reps as Flacco takes the snaps. He doesn’t need to be working on plays that usually don’t even work.

Flacco is being level headed, and he isn’t pointing people to his frustration. There’s no chance that Flacco isn’t annoyed every time Jackson steps onto the field with him. Give Flacco credit for handling this situation the way he is, but don’t pretend that this is fair. The best thing for Flacco is to move on from the “Jackson-Cat” offense.

John Harbaugh is on the hot seat, so he may have trouble thinking big picture. He may not be thinking about the future, because the now is all the matters in terms of keeping his job. In the moment, Harbaugh has to at least admit that this isn’t working. Jackson can take the field in garbage time of a game but he shouldn’t be used as a trick play waiting to happen.