John Harbaugh can’t escape Lamar Jackson’s shadow, even when the Baltimore Ravens’ franchise quarterback is posting “ridiculous” statistics for new coaches.
Jackson’s shredding of the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1 left his old boss catching a stray of sorts. The Ravens scorched Indy’s defense with an under-center offense creatively called by new coordinator Declan Doyle and executed to near perfection by Jackson during the 41-23 win at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday, September 13.
Jackson “averaged a ridiculous 14.3 yards per attempt with a 116.7 passer rating from under center,” according to The Ringer’s Diante Lee. Those numbers prompted Lee to ask, “Given how effective he was on Sunday, why did one of the league’s best passers have to play through eight seasons and three offensive coordinators who didn’t seem to trust him to operate from under center?”
That’s a question for Harbaugh, who was Jackson’s head coach for all of those eight seasons in Baltimore. Harbaugh may not care to answer when he’s enjoying a debut win in charge of the New York Giants, a 28-20 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, defined by typically straight-ahead and “dirty” offense.
Jackson is getting to play something more expansive after Harbaugh’s replacement Jesse Minter hired Doyle. The early evidence suggests there are more “explosive” moments to come from Jackson this season.
That means there’ll be more questions asked about how Harbaugh used the two-time NFL MVP.
Questions Will Persist About How John Harbaugh Used Lamar Jackson
Although Jackson won league-wide awards on Harbaugh’s watch, there was a lingering perception a dynamic athlete wasn’t reaching his full potential. Harbaugh often pushed back against this narrative, but Jackson sounded like he welcomed the change of coaches this offseason.
Minter taking the reins allowed the Ravens to take Jackson out of his comfort zone. He’d spent too much time playing in ‘pistol’ and shotgun formations for Harbaugh OCs Greg Roman and Todd Monken.
Those concepts took advantage of Jacksons dual-threat rushing skills, but they didn’t always maximize his talent as a traditional, drop-back passer. Harbaugh was also guilty of letting a play-caller like Monken get predictable and one-dimensional in big games.
Doyle promised something different and immediately put the pressure on Jackson to elevate his game. Jackson faced greater demands to be present and master the adjustments of a more pro-style offense.
Fortunately, the gifted, signal-caller aced his first test against the Colts.
Ravens Unleashed More Sophisticated Offense in Week 1
Doyle’s influence was obvious in Indianapolis. Particularly when “The Ravens had 10 dropbacks from under center in Week 1, which tied for the ninth most in the league through Sunday’s games and was the most Jackson has ever had in a single game,” per Lee.
Those snaps from under center added another layer of disguise to Jackson’s run-pass decisions. He ran seven times for 40 yards and a touchdown, but Jackson mostly let two-time league rushing champion Derrick Henry make good on predictions he’d dominate in Doyle’s zone-running schemes.
So it proved, as Henry hit a milestone on a day when the Ravens made history on offense, per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley. He noted “how the Ravens produced the first game in their 31-year history with this trifecta: 🏈 300-yard passer (Lamar Jackson) 🏈 150-yard receiver (Zay Flowers) 🏈 100-yard rusher (Derrick Henry) Source: ESPN Research.”
🏈 300-yard passer (Lamar Jackson) 🏈 150-yard receiver (Zay Flowers) 🏈 100-yard rusher (Derrick Henry)
Source: ESPN Research
This piece of history is the best endorsement for what Doyle’s offense can mean for Jackson. It’s also another good reason to continue asking why former Ravens’ coaches didn’t adopt these schemes earlier.
John Harbaugh Catches Stray Over ‘Ridiculous’ Week 1 Stat from Ravens’ Lamar Jackson