Jul 27, 2024; Owings Mill , MD, USA; Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) lthrows during the afternoon session of training camp at the Under Armour Performance Center, Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
NFL: Baltimore Ravens Training Camp
(Baltimore, MD) – There’s a reason why they call him Action Jackson. Lamar Jackson has put the league on notice since he took over for Joe Flacco in 2018. With blazing speed and incredible accuracy he is the ultimate dual-threat quarterback.
The one thing that diminishes the aura of the future all-time great is his lack of postseason success. Jackson has led Baltimore to a number of division titles, including two 13-win seasons, both of which brought him an MVP award.
Yet even at his best, Lamar appears to be a shell of himself when January rolls around. His postseason record sits at just 2-5, never winning more than one game in a single run. His touchdown to turnover ratio is an even 9-9, staggeringly high for a player that rarely gives it up in the regular season.
All of this had followed Jackson in the media through his entire career, and yet he doesn’t care for it much. When radio host Adam Schein asked Jackson if his critics motivate him, he bluntly responded, “I really don’t care what the criticism is, what the critics say.”
He added, “I’m motivating myself because I know what I want to do at the end of the day. Those guys have their time. I really don’t care what the criticism is, what the critics say because, at the end of the day, I just came off an injury the year before and we made it all the way to the AFC (Championship) in the new system. It’s nothing to be down on myself, my teammates or anything like that because we made it far.”
While it is true that making it as far as the Ravens have every year is an accomplishment in itself (considering teams like the Jets haven’t played playoff football since 2010), the expectation at this point is for Jackson to take his team to a Super Bowl. Though they can be harsh at times, the critics will not be satisfied until he is able to do that.
