Getty Lamar Jackson steps back to pass in a 2020 game.
The Baltimore Ravens are preparing for a huge game against the New England Patriots and a huge focus this week will be on the quarterbacks.
Once upon a time, Cam Newton re-wrote the book on what a quarterback looked and played like. He was big, physical and commanding. He ran the ball nearly as well as he threw it and extended every play. As a result, he gained a generation of fans including the impressionable eyes of Lamar Jackson.
Now, Jackson is in the league and breaking molds himself. For the first time, Jackson will square off against Newton, one of his football heroes growing up. That’s something that Jackson was keen to note this week as he gets set for a key battle against the Patriots. Jackson went so far as to call him the OG, which is a major sign of respect.
“He’s the OG. Superman.”
Lamar on Cam:
Jackson said:
“Game recognize game. He’s the OG. Superman. For sure.”
It’s not a surprise to see Jackson heaping the love on Newton before this game. He set the standard for what an elite quarterback could do and along the way, was a role model for plenty of kids coming up hoping to one day follow in his footsteps.
That’s just one of the reasons Jackson is so excited for this game to play out.
Larmar Jackson ‘Looked Up’ to Cam Newton
As expected, Jackson has long been a fan of Newton. But how long has this love affair occurred? All the way since Newton was in college at Auburn, setting records and claiming the Heisman Trophy. As he said, he followed him all the way to the NFL where he will square off against Newton now.
“I watched Cam since Auburn. A lot of us looked up to him.” @Lj_era8
Jackson said:
“I watched Cam since Auburn. Everyone in the country did. Everyone knew about Cam’s Superman doing his thing. A lot of us looked up to him. He was a mobile quarterback. He did his thing. He won the Hesiman, won the college championship, won MVP, went to the Super Bowl, stuff like that. I followed him a lot wanting to get to where he was at. Now I’m here and I now gotta play against him. Just can’t wait to do that.”
The battle is a long time coming for Jackson and Newton, and it will be fascinating to see a couple of similar and comparable talents duke it out on the field. Safe to say there’s a lot of Newton’s old flair in Jackson’s game. This is a passing of the torch moment as well, as now plenty of kids will likely be drawn to Jackson growing up just as he was to Newton. It’s always cool to watch historical moments such as this play out.
Ravens vs. Patriots Primer
It’s a big game all around for the Ravens and Patriots this week, and not simply because of the quarterback angle. The Ravens are 6-2 while the Patriots are 3-5. Both teams need the win in the AFC standings, but it’s possible the Patriots need it a bit more considering the direction their season has gone. They score a narrow win on Monday Night Football, but now need to back it up with a huge win against a team that’s far ahead of them in the AFC wild card standings.
This showdown is significant for both teams, and it will be fun to watch a couple of the most exciting quarterbacks to ever play the game battle it out to see who get the win.
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