Getty A former Ravens teammate has defended Lamar Jackson in his Twitter row with Bernard Pollard.
Bernard Pollard’s comments about Lamar Jackson haven’t gone unnoticed, even by former members of the Baltimore Ravens. In fact, one of the players who used to catch passes from Jackson has come to the quarterback’s defense.
Pollard, who won Super Bowl XLVII with the Ravens following the 2012 season, became embroiled in an ugly twitter spat with Jackson recently. It began with the ex-NFL safety endorsing ESPN’s controversial decision not to include Jackson on a list of the game’s top 10 quarterbacks.
Pollard’s critique raised Jackson’s ire, particularly when the former suggested top wide receivers don’t want to play with the dual-threat signal-caller. Significantly, one wideout who has played with Jackson disagrees.
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Jackson Gets Backing from Ex-Ravens Receiver
Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown doesn’t think Jackson is a system quarterback. Nor does he believe the Ravens call a run-first offense because of any limitations in Jackson’s game.
Brown made it clear nobody who has played with Jackson buys into this “ridiculous” narrative:
The “narrative” Brown referred to is a familiar one, both to Jackson and Ravens fans. It essentially boils down to him running too often and not being a competent passer from the pocket.
Those same concerns were prevalent when ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler polled various “league executives, coaches, scouts and players” to help compile a top-10 ranking at each position, beginning with the most important in football.
Jackson only rated an honorable mention, with Fowler quoting an unnamed NFL offensive coach: “Hard to stay healthy when you run that much; he’s actually gotten a lot better as a passer. But if you play that way [with a run-heavy attack] and it’s a close game and you’re down, it’s really hard to win, because you’re asked to do what you only minor in, not major in, and that’s passing the ball when they know you are gonna pass it.”
Brown, who was traded to the Arizona Cardinals on draft day, was never likely to endorse the idea Jackson can’t be a successful passer. The receiver caught a career-high 91 passes last season, most of them thrown by Jackson.
Others aside from Brown disagreed with the critics, including ESPN analyst and former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark. He said Jackson’s numbers and 2019 NFL MVP award should’ve earned him a spot on the list, an opinion that prompted this response from Pollard:
@Realrclark25 @Lj_era8 It’s a lot that can be said. He’s def a Top 10 talent, but as for a Top 10 QB I don’t see it. I believe he should get paid by the #Ravens and should get TOP dollar!
Pollard, who played two seasons for the Ravens, but is best known for a hit he delivered as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs that ended Tom Brady’s 2008 campaign in Week 1, then doubled down on his critique of Jackson’s game.
Pollard’s next comments focused on why a lack of top-tier receiving targets to aim for is not an excuse for Jackson’s supposed issues. Instead, Pollard believes Jacksons’ limitations are the reason for elite pass-catchers choosing not to call Baltimore home:
The idea All-Pro tight end Mark Andrews being Jackson’s go-to weapon is somehow a problem is a curious one. Many top quarterbacks lean on dynamic tight ends, including Chiefs’ passer Patrick Mahomes, who made the list at No. 2, and throws most of his passes to Travis Kelce.
Either way, Pollard’s assertion “top” WRs won’t play with Jackson was the latter’s cue to fire back with a few jabs of his own. Many stiff tweets were sent during a heated back and forth, but two of Pollard’s responses were telling.
They continued his theme Jackson can’t handle the essential jobs elite quarterbacks need to perform to be successful at the pro level:
@Lj_era8 @Ravensfanboy420 @ClarkKhayam @ForeverRanger91 @Bwreckless @Realrclark25 Turn on the film. I’ll teach you how to read a defense…
@Lj_era8 And that’s cool. Just take that pacifier out your mouth and learn to make a check so you don’t fumble the ball running into the blitz… “check check” oh wait you can’t do that…
The notion Jackson is just a runner, not a passer, and therefore somehow not a true quarterback is a criticism he’s had to deal with ever since being drafted in 2018. It’s a tough label to shake off, but Jackson shouldn’t have to shed this narrative to affirm his credentials as an elite quarterback.
Jackson Criticism Becoming Tired
Jackson isn’t short of answers to his detractors. He was a first-round pick four years ago and has led the Ravens to the playoffs three times.
He shouldn’t be blamed for the Ravens operating a run-first offense. The system works because of Jackson’s own threat on the ground, a threat the Ravens would be foolish to restrict.
Jackson is a legitimate weapon as a runner, evidenced by his career tallies of 615 rushes, 3,673 yards and 21 touchdowns. That’s a significant chunk of offense the Ravens are smart to design gameplans around.
Yes, all the running leaves Jackson open to more hits and gives him a quick out whenever he encounters disguised coverage. Yet, it’s not as if Jackson hasn’t made strides as a passer.
Those strides include Jackson delivering though the air during the clutch month of December, when he has the “third-best passing rating” since entering the league, according to ESPN’s Mina Kimes:
Lamar Jackson isn’t immune to criticism, but much of what’s said feels like it was written before he entered the NFL and never edited. It’s tiresome!
What Jackson needs is more talent around him, a need he shares with every elite quarterback. Now’s the time to equip him with a top wide receiver, something that should still be at the top of general manager Eric DeCosta’s to-do list. Add an Odell Beckham Jr., Emmanuel Sanders or T.Y. Hilton to the mix, then judge Jackson.
Now is also the time to get key Ravens, especially running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, along with left tackle Ronnie Stanley, fully healthy. Put a proper supporting cast around a dynamic playmaker entering a contract year, and the results should be spectacular.
They should also end the debates about Jackson’s credentials as a QB who belongs firmly in the elite bracket.