Baltimore Ravens: Doubting Lamar Jackson isn’t working out for people
Lamar Jackson is about to start a playoff game as a rookie quarterback. He keeps proving the critics wrong:
Lamar Jackson is one of the best things to happen to the Baltimore Ravens in a long time. It’s hard to deny that Jackson has been a hit with the purple and black. He’s 6-1 as a starting quarterback. The Ravens just won the AFC North. So many pundits, commentators and fans lined up to tell the Ravens that they had to go back to Joe Flacco. How did that work out?
Every week the Ravens see more doubts and complaints about the Ravens offense with Jackson. That’s the price of having the most unique game plan in the National Football League. The biggest issue people have is sustainability. It’s the argument for people who just can’t be happy, but it’s a legitimate concern.
Lamar Jackson takes more hits than any quarterback in the NFL and no team in the NFL has tried to win this way. There is no case study on the merits of Baltimore’s strategy. The reason it’s hard to get wrapped up in the sustainability argument is that the Ravens attack will grow as Jackson grows.
He hasn’t even had a full season as a starting quarterback. John Harbaugh, Marty Mornhinweg and Greg Roman are doing what they have to do to win. They aren’t thinking about anything but the game right in front of them. This won’t be the offense that Jackson runs his entire career. This is the offense of the present moment.
Related Story. Lamar Jackson catalyst for Ravens playoff run. light
Another gripe from people who just refuse to enjoy the 6-1 ride that Baltimore is on, is that Jackson isn’t a polished passer. This is something that is absolutely true. Jackson isn’t consistent as a passer and everything in the passing game is a work in progress.
That doesn’t mean Jackson can’t throw. Jackson had over 200 yards passing against the Chargers and their top 10 defense in week 16. He’s made big plays with his arm, he’s just not a 300 yards per game passer. Jackson has arm talent and the fact that he is so overlooked as a passer works in the advantage of Baltimore. He keeps making plays that prove the doubters wrong and it should be noted that the way he works the pocket is incredible. His feel for the game is off the charts.
The one critique of Jackson that is perfectly fair is his inability to protect the football. Jackson has had a constant problem with ball security. Fumbles have cost the Ravens and every week it’s something different. There have been fumbled hand offs, snaps and even fumbles as a ball carrier. This is the one thing that Jackson has to clean up, that can be addressed right away. Still, Jackson is playing quarterback at a high level and the Ravens are winning because of it.
Next. 10 observations from the regular season finale. dark
Jackson has come a long way since the NFL Draft process. There were teams that saw him as a wide receiver. Joe Flacco was supposed to be the starting quarterback for the 2018 season. Jackson didn’t wait until 2019 to get into the action as the starting quarterback though, and it worked out perfectly for the Ravens. Do you know who it didn’t work out for? Jackson’s doubters.