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t’s year seven of him playing quarterback at a high level in the NFL, but Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson is still getting praised more for what he does as a runner, with Las Vegas Raiders All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams the latest to hail No. 8’s rushing skills.
Adams, who will see Jackson firsthand when the Raiders face the Ravens in Week 2 on Sunday, September 15, believes Jackson has “changed the game. He’s the best, in my opinion, best ball carrier ever — no matter what position you want to talk about. I don’t think anybody’s as big of a threat carrying the football,” per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley.
More than just an admiring viewer, Adams has also used Jackson’s game as a teaching tool. The 31-year-old “watched a lot of film of Jackson four years ago when he worked on improving his tackle-breaking skills,” according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic.
Being acknowledged by a player as talented as six-time Pro Bowler Adams should be gratifying for Jackson. Yet, the focus on Jackson’s impact as a runner only fuels further debate about how far the reigning league MVP still needs to progress as a passer.
It’s an ongoing argument renewed after Jackson defended his willingness to trust his legs, following 16 rushing attempts during the 27-20 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1.
Davante Adams’ Praise a Two-Edged Sword
Every time Jackson is lauded as a gifted ball-carrier, the praise becomes a two-edged sword. One side is a deserved endorsement of arguably the most dynamic, dual-threat quarterback in football.
Jackson’s speed and escapability on the deck mean he’s a big play in the making at any moment. The Chiefs learned that the hard way when Jackson evaded heavy pressure to improbably move the chains on this third down.
It was the kind of play that justifies teammate Nelson Agholor saying Jackson is “kind of like Houdini out there,” per Hensley.
The problem is while plays like this are exciting, they are also ammunition for Jackson’s many critics. Those detractors use successful runs to diminish or dismiss Jackson’s credentials as a so-called proper quarterback entirely.
Frankly, it’s a tiresome narrative, but one that won’t go away until Jackson wins a championship. Or else until his arm delivers in key moments.
Lamar Jackson Still Has Point to Prove
Head coach John Harbaugh is baffled and angry about the criticism Jackson still faces, but the only way to keep the doubters quiet is to win the biggest games by throwing the ball.
Jackson couldn’t do it in Kansas City, when he missed a wide-open Zay Flowers in the end zone during the game’s closing moments. Jackson wanted to targeted Rashod Bateman, but as Louis Riddick put it for ESPN’s “NFL Turning Point” (h/t NFL Films), that would have meant throwing “into double coverage.”
It looks like Jackson got locked in on his first read and didn’t have the patience, field vision and pocket awareness to find Flowers. Those are the core traits the elite passers in the game share.
As Tafur’s colleague Jeff Zrebiec explained, “there was just as much, if not more, discussion about the plays that Jackson did not make than the ones that he did.”
Those discussions naturally focused on the throws Jackson didn’t make against the Chiefs. Former NFL safety Ryan Clark told ESPN’s Get Up, “The only reason they’re in the game, the only reason they have those three plays is because of [Lamar Jackson]. But now you have to make them.”
Discussions like these show Jackson still has a lot to prove to the critics. Including the anonymous veteran coach who told Mike Sando of The Athletic last season Jackson’s “still not naturally accurate, and I think the more sped up he gets, the less accurate he is.”
Week 2’s game at M&T Bank Stadium gives Jackson the opportunity to show Adams what he does best, while also proving to the critics how he can progress making clutch throws.
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