When you think about Baltimore Ravens superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson the first thing that comes to mind is his elite athleticism at the position. The dynamic signal caller has already racked up two MVPs and with the second he became the youngest player (27 at the time) in league with history with two.
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Huge reasons for Jackson’s success are his legs and ability to extend plays. He has over 6,500 career rushing yards (most ever), including an NFL record for a quarterback of 1,206 rushing yards in 2019, Jackson has in many ways solidified his position as the game’s greatest rushing quarterback ever. But, don’t tell that to former “Last Chance U” star and former JUCO head coach Jason Brown, aka “JB.”
JB Isn’t Sold On Action Jackson
While Jackson’s rushing numbers are always top notch his passing numbers are good but never really of the eye-popping variety. For years now JB has criticized Jackson as a passer, and he believes the team should move on from him. Now he’s saying that wide receivers don’t want to play with Jackson because he will stymie their bag and earning potential.
Speaking on his podcast, “The Coach JB and Smitty” show, the extremely opinionated and often controversial Brown said, “Nobody wants to go there. They will never get another bag. They know the guy can’t get them the ball consistently, stop it.”
Brown says it’s because Jackson is more of an elite athlete than quarterback. He’s even argued that Jackson’s mechanics have regressed and that he cannot consistently throw from the pocket.
Brown’s take has some truth to it but, not nearly as bad as he makes it sound.
Fans Chime In
Jackson is one of the more polarizing players in the league because of how he plays the position, and fans quickly gave their opinions on Brown’s shade at the former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback at Louisville.
“This is unfortunately true but it’s not because Lamar can’t throw . It’s because the offense is run first and dudes want targets,“ a fan said.
“The guy is right… Lamar fanboys will read you statsheet about his percentage ,how many tds he threw so on and so on but never speak about how most of them guys are open year in and year out.if he has to throw to guys in coverage he’s not making those throws consistently(keyword),” another fan said.
“Brutal honesty from Coach Brown. Lamar’s a generational runner, but if you’re a WR dreaming of 1,200+ yards and a fat contract, Baltimore’s not the spot right now. Perception is reality in free agency,” another fan quipped.
“Lamar still doesn’t have the arm talent to get the job done, Vick 2.0. Exposed EVERY YEAR,” someone else claimed.
Jackson Is A Very Good Passer That Just Happens To Be A Better Runner
Hearing Brown say that about Jackson sounds more like hate than actual facts. Since he became the Ravens starter late in his rookie season of 2017, Jackson has the most games (4) with a perfect passer rating (158.3).
He’s the all-time leader in passer rating (102.2). Known for elite passing in the pocket, he has led the league in touchdown passes to deep targets and excels with quick, accurate decision-making.
In his career he’s got over 22,600 yards passing, along with 187 touchdowns and just 56 interceptions good enough for better than a 3:1 TD/INT ratio.
And the myth that receivers don’t want to play with him in Baltimore is exactly that, as guys like DeAndre Hopkins and Odell Beckham Jr. have both played with him and have nothing but positive things to say about him as a person and teammate.
