Lamar. Lamar. Lamar.
I’m a huge fan.
No other Ravens player in history has created this much excitement. Not even Ray Lewis or Ed Reed. Let’s just be honest, nothing can create excitement like a generational offensive player. Very few people in the history of the NFL have electrified the league like #8. That’s just a fact.
Just going to see a Ravens game with him on the field is something special. There’s always a good chance you may see something that you’ve never seen before. I certainly don’t recall Kyle Boller or Elvis Grbac breaking anybody’s ankles. Although, Elvis did openly weep on the sidelines before he left the building, which is something we’d never seen before and we hope to never see again.
When you went to see Joe Flacco play… he rarely “electrified” the crowd. But more often than not he won the game— especially in the playoffs.
I will forever be a Joe Flacco fan. The man was a playoff win machine (10), won a Super Bowl, and also a Super Bowl MVP. He also has the most road playoff victories in NFL history—with 7.
He is tied with that number, with guess who? The GOAT. Tom Brady.
Until about a month ago, I was all in on Lamar.
Sign the man to a long-term deal. Pay him his money. But now….if I’m being 100% honest, I’m not sure I feel that way anymore.
I know the obvious arguments are “if we don’t pay him the money—someone else will!“ Which is true. Probably as dumb as the Cleveland Browns that guaranteed Deshaun Watson $230 million. There’s a reason they are the Cleveland Browns. They are an organization of morons with a front office that apparently uses crayons to map out each season.
Look, I have a 10 and 15-year-old son who have more Lamar Jackson jerseys and T-shirts than I have clothing. He’s really the first Raven that became a national icon and a national fan favorite. Ray Lewis was only beloved in Baltimore. Everyone else brought up the whole “murder” thing.
Excuses, excuses.
But, Lamar cost the team a real chance at making a deep run in the playoffs. Had it not been for a fumble on the 1-yard line that ended up being a 14-point swing in the Bengals favor, we could all see that the Ravens had a real chance at winning that game on Sunday. With Lamar on the field, even if he was only at 80 or 90%, I think they would have won. Apparently so do others.
Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins says bad play calling and Lamar Jackson’s absence are the reasons Baltimore’s season ended with a loss in Cincinnati on Sunday night. pic.twitter.com/87R8SmKH9T
— FirstSportz NFL (@FirstSportz_NFL) January 16, 2023
I’m not playing coulda-shoulda-woulda—I’m just stating facts.
The other legitimate question is, “If we don’t keep Lamar, who are we going to get instead?“
Honestly, I don’t know. But what I do know is that Daniel Jones and Brock Purdy are still in the playoffs, neither of which have the physical skills or athleticism of Lamar. But at least they will be on the field.
I hope the Ravens keep Lamar, I don’t want to see him go. But you only get so many chances of winning a Super Bowl, and when your NFL MVP quarterback is not on the field for the playoffs…your chances are zero.
This year and last year the Ravens had a legitimate chance of winning the Super Bowl or at least going deep into the playoffs. His injury last year, and his injury/hold out of this year, wastes two more seasons.
There’s some elite quarterbacks left in the playoffs—or at least quarterbacks playing at a very high level right now, that you could mention in the same breath as Lamar.
Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Trevor Lawrence, Jalen Hurts, Dak Prescott, and of course Joe Burrow.
Do you know how many Super Bowl victories they have between them?
One.
Do you know how many Super Bowl victories they will have at the end of the season?
Two—max.
[Related Article: Ravens Fail When it Counts Most]
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Brock Purdy hoist the Lombardi Trophy. The 49ers are just that good on both sides of the ball. Does Purdy have the physical skills of Lamar? Nowhere close. Unless of course you want to argue that at least Purdy will be PLAYING this weekend.
Do the Ravens need Lamar Jackson to win another Super Bowl to justify the contract he seeks? I just don’t know. His (1-3) playoff record certainly doesn’t help justify the expense, does it?
Giving him a huge guaranteed contract that could hamstring the organization for years to come—like the Broncos did with Russell Wilson, like the Cardinals did with Kyler Murray, like the Browns did with Deshaun Watson, and like the Packers did with Aaron Rodgers— clearly is not the most prudent move. And as if you need reminding, not one of those quarterbacks qualified for the playoffs.
Like I said. I love Lamar. I will always be a fan.
But players come and go, and ultimately I’m a Ravens fan who wants to see them win another Super Bowl. I root for the name on the front of the jersey, not the back. And recently, the thought of trading him for a bunch of proven players and a bevy of high draft picks is sounding more and more enticing.
19 Responses
An honest and objective assessment! For all Lamar’s immense talent as a running QB, he lacks the most important talent needed to be a successful passing QB……accuracy! And, if it could be taught or coached, he’d certainly possess it by now! So, that must be taken into consideration when determining his value from a contractual perspective! I’m not sure he’s worth the money he feels he is and, his inability to prove it by performance tends to support that opinion….
we need an actual qb and an actual passing game
the qb throws the ball
the running backs run
that’s why they’re called running backs
we tried to mutate the game
make it something it isn’t
built the offense completely around one player
he got hurt twice
seasons were over
foolish
blow it up
Hmm, and yet he did not sign a contract by the beginning of the season…
just like having yourself as a lawyer has a fool for a client, same as an agent.
sorry, even Terry Bradshaw got benched in the late 70s for acting like a bonehead before realizing there are 50+ other teammates for the coach to teach and train. Lamar’s Twitter Twit 6 weeks or so ago was NOT cool either…
All we needed was a QB that’s a little better than Huntley and we win that game against Cincy. Our run game is good, our O-line is good, our defense is good, our special team is good, all that’s missing is a capable QB operating it all and not turning the ball over. Sure that guy could be Lamar, but at this poins I’d so much rather just invest all that money in a good WR and a QB, like good old Joseph Flacco, that might not be exciting to look at, but at least wins you a game.
Ehh a decent argument. The bigger issue to me is the Ravens resistance to invest in a modern offense through scheme. You could put any QB on the Ravens offense right now and we would not win a Super Bowl. Mahomes and Allen have huge contracts and a good offensive system and they have seen consistent success. The best way to win a SB in today’s NFL is to have a QB on a rookie contract. We wasted our time with Lamar by having a poor scheme around him.
the “scheme’ was developed specifically to take advantage of lamar`s strongest traits…gro was brought here because he had success building similar schemes around guys like kaepernick…
even our back-up qbs are picked because they fit into the style that`s been schemed to take advantage of a more rpo option style qb….
you can`t put lamar in an aaron rodgers style offense and expect him to thrive(or vice versa)…he`s really not suited to be a pocket qb….he passes better on the run…off broken plays than from routes thrown from structured sets…it was the same in college…
i`m not totally down on lamar…just saying all factors must be weighed(the physical wear and tear on a relatively slight athlete…his enormous regular season success….his inconsistency as a downfield passer…and the fact that he`s the most prolific running qb in nfl history)…..
there are pros and cons…glad i`m not making this decision…
Holy Christ…why do people continue to spew this?! Newsflash – this system was created by GRo when he was with the 49ers. It was not created for him. Please stop spewing this . This system is in place because all Harbaugh wants to do is run the ball. Lamar just takes it to another level.
also, He played in a Pro style offense all through college. It’s this prehistoric offense and cheap FO that holds Lamar back from throwing the ball. Do your googles before you start making claims like this, Rock #Salute
The biggest intellectually challenged individual here is you. The Ravens run the schemes they do because of Lamar’s limitations as a passer. He hasn’t progressed, and is one of the more inaccurate passers when he has to throw to win the game. He has a game or 2 where he makes the throws, but he is a mediocre at best deep passer. If you want to look at stats I am all for it. It is people like you, Jose, that think the NFL is like Madden.
I watched Daniel Jones play this weekend. There’s a ton to like. The kid looks like the next Josh Allen.
Love the Final Comments “huge guaranteed contract that could hamstring the organization for years to come”. Is it more important to have One Player dazzling with run around the field or a TEAM that can march to thru the playoffs? Lamar has 3 very significant fault lines that many fans over look. 1. Accuracy on the Deep Throw. Yes the Raven need 2 Top Quality WR. BUT even having them you have to get the ball near to catch. 2. Lamar does not and maybe cannot play the quick release that a Pocket QB does. WHY? His height prevents him under center. 3. Lamar’s had several seasons of injury due to his style of play run. He may be a Accident Looking for a Place to Happen. Money is the general prohibitor. Yes many pf the NFL organizations are going to Hamstring themselves with QB payroll. Let’s see how long they stay competitive. Because someone jumps off the bridge should the Ravens follow? One Fans Full View.
Jesus people like this are dumb as rocks. The man has literally broken himself to win for you and, even with what the FO has given him, has turned chicken s$&t into chicken salad. I genuinely can’t wait for Lamar to get out of here, then you will see what the real problems are. You guys forget 2013-2017. Insert Lamar, relevancy and when he’s out, irrelevancy. You guys so eager to be irrelevant again? Think the team created Lamar? Literally the youngest Heisman winner in college history, wasn’t going to come into the league and not make noise? Watch what happens when a Kevin O’Connell or other modern head coach does with him once he gets out of this nonsense Navy offense. Pray Harbs can create another one.
So many holes in this line of thinking and this article. Lets start from the top, back to the future Flacco and his playoff Record & 7 Road wins. Howe check his numbers especially 1st several playoff runs INTs were more then TDs and Ray Rice and Defense carried the team. Context matters. Secondly Flacco 58% career win %.Regular season 91-67 as a Ravens Qb
Compared to Lamar 45-16 near 75% Win %.
Also too when you say Purdy or Jones is still playing ball. What’s the common theme of all teams left? All teams with Offensive head coaches or slant offensively built. Shanahan, Andy Reid, Daboll, McCarthy/Kellen Moore. Seriani. Only Mcdermott is defensive HC but again built offensively w/ STUD WRs and Qb.
That’s where the Ravens fail. You dont win playoff games and SBs in 2023 with Defense and Running alone like it’s 2000. You need a explosive pass game element.
You pay Lamar
I disagree. I don’t think Lamar can ever become good enough of a passer to consistently win in the playoffs. Also, his wowing running component will diminish after each passing year. Titans 2019 and Bills 2020 seasons playoffs showed the league how to stop a Lamar-led offense. Score more than 14 points and stop the run.
you’d be wrong then. Lamar can absolutely throw the ball and has shown he can. Check the files and stats. The issue at hand is you want progression from him when the offense itself (a run first one, mind you) has not progressed under GRo (who has a long history of passing blind spots), nor has the FO equipped him with the weaponry to progress. The offense was not built around him. He is the offense (again, check the files). I can’t wait until he leaves you sour ass fans and lights the world on fire. Pray you get another one.
Jose put your stat sheet down and go back and look at game film from this past season. Lamar consistently overthrew his receivers often in patterns that would have been sure touchdowns and which points would have made the difference between losing and winning. We are talking, not barely out of reach overthrown, he overthrew them by 5 to 10 yards. Anybody still arguing that all he needs is the RIGHT kind of receivers needs to watch the film closely and consider two important things. QBs like Mahomes doesn’t need the RIGHT kind of receivers and the RIGHT kind of receivers pray they don’t get drafted to run patterns for lj but rather go to teams with great QBs to become the RIGHT kind of receiver on your stat sheets. Just ask Hollywood Brown.
This is a horrible take, and I wonder how people this bad at obvious things get a job doing them…
Joe Flacco NEVER had a great season, never even an above average one. What he did do once, is manage to string together 4 very good games, at the exact right time in the playoffs. And instead of trading him for value while he was perceived hot, they gave him the most lucrative contract in NFL which crippled our team for years to come – they couldn’t afford the big body #1 receiver needed to make him a viable QB (Anquan Boldins)
Contrary to popular belief, the Ravens front office is NOT amazing at aquiring personel. They’ve screwed this up before. And prob will this time. Lamar has been phenomenal at times in SPITE of the system, not because of it. The kindergarten pass schemes make it EASY for defenses to key on stuff and yet the man has THROWN some of the best games in NFL history (80% completion, 440 yards or something) If you say he can’t throw your an idiot he’s obviously capable – decision making can improve at times but I think that’s a product of him forcing stuff that ain’t there because GrRoman can’t scheme a ketchup packet to get open
If the front office and scheme was amazing… tell me why THREE of our recent first round offensive draft picks asked out of here – Hayden Hurst, Orlando Brown, Marquis Brown
The scheme is broken, has the bones to make a great run game, but even there idiotic play calling turns that into shit soup on 3rd and 2 and 4th and 1s. (If your backfield is Pat Ricard, JK Dobbins, and Gus Edward’s and you consistently can’t get 2 yards when needed why do you have a job? If you start off every year with a high scoring ball moving offense and it peters out towards the end and becomes enemies in playoffs how is it not obvious its YOU all 11 players didn’t fall off) You need an OC that can scheme relevant pass plays too or at least let a kid on Madden pick them
If you are going to call someone an idiot you may want to proofread first. It is you are, or you’re not your. Second, Lamar Jackson has not been consistently accurate in his passing. His stats drop considerable when he has to throw more than 25 times. If you are going to run your mouth you could at least have the information to back it up. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/J/JackLa00.htm
The scouting reports on Jackson from his draft year haven’t changed all that much. He fails to pass his receivers open because of questionable decision making. He also lacks consistency in his throwing accuracy.