Lamar Jackson: Do the Ravens Need to Move On?

[DJ Fieri]

"Running QB's" have transitioned to being pocket passers as they got older....this is nothing new. Just a few examples....

Randall Cunningham, his best season was in Minnesota (1998) when his running days were long gone.

Steve Young (career high TD's his 2nd to last season)

 

[Money]

Idk but with their OL and offensive skill players it would take a lot to screw it up.

Gibbs could have run for 300 against Washington.

Philly learned from Detroit's mistakes. Bmore did not.

 

[Money]

I'm not disagreeing with you - but a counter point:

Is a large portion of his ability to pass the ball tied in with the fear defenses have with his ability to run the ball? I mean, he almost ran for 1,000 yards (behind a 1900 yard rusher in Henry, which is insane). If LJ were more like the rest of the QB's, 2-300 yards a year, give or take - would he be able to rely just on his arm to win games AND...maybe as important - what happens when his legs go? Legs are one of the first things to go on athletes as knees/hips and athleticism usually peak in the mid-20's, and drop off exponentially around year 30 going forward.

I think it's at least fair to wonder how LJ will be able to react to that. Where maybe you see guys like Burrow, Herbert, Mahomes, etc...able to just rely on the occasional run, but head smarts, and arm ability that ages much better than legs - where will LJ be at 30, 31, 32 compared to some of the other QB's?

It will certainly be interesting to watch - but hell of a year for LJ - MVP year. Oddly - he'll end up with more MVP's this year than playoff wins...

It's Lamar's ability to extend plays (moving around in the pocket) more than fear of him taking off and running that has helped him in the passing game. Watching him work the pocket is a thing of beauty. Never panics and slips DEs effortlessly. That won't go away anytime soon.

His need for a true #1 WR will increase as he ages though. Someone that can consistently make teams pay with the extra time he is afforded by Lamar (i.e. Chase).

 

[Cincyfan78]

It's Lamar's ability to extend plays (moving around in the pocket) more than fear of him taking off and running that has helped him in the passing game. Watching him work the pocket is a thing of beauty. Never panics and slips DEs effortlessly. That won't go away anytime soon.

His need for a true #1 WR will increase as he ages though. Someone that can consistently make teams pay with the extra time he is afforded by Lamar (i.e. Chase).

That is a good, and fair point - but that has always been the case - and yet this is the first year he really looked like a upper tier QB - and it took him going for nearly 1K with another 1900 from Henry.

Again - Hell of a season, I am not trying to take anything away from him at all. Just curious as to if as his true running ability declines, if that will ultimately lead to a decline in his passing. But, that is cart before the horse, a bit - because we need to see another year where he can throw like he did this year - since it was the 1st time he really sat back there and was able to just throw the ball like he did.

 

[Debbie Does]

Anybody else playing in seriously cold winter weather with snow against a division champion outdoors in Buffalo should be happy to finish as close as they did.

Baltimore also plays home games outside. I live a couple of hours from Baltimore. Buffalo is eriously colder and more hostile. Football is an all-weather sport. Dome teams are always going to be at a disadvantage when playing away games outdoors up north. The Patriots in their glory years were helped many times by the winter weather in the playoffs.

 

[Cincyfan78]

Anybody else playing in seriously cold winter weather with snow against a division champion outdoors in Buffalo should be happy to finish as close as they did.

Baltimore also plays home games outside. I live a couple of hours from Baltimore. Buffalo is eriously colder and more hostile. Football is an all-weather sport. Dome teams are always going to be at a disadvantage when playing away games outdoors up north. The Patriots in their glory years were helped many times by the winter weather in the playoffs.

Bengals handled that weather pretty solidly 2 years ago...

Of course - you have to make the Playoffs for that to matter...lol

 

[belcherboy]

Nah...Lamar just turned 28. Without a serious injury, he likely has a solid 5-6 seasons left in him. The Ravens will be in contention for the near future because of him...if he can stay healthy.