In the three seasons where Lamar Jackson has started more than 12 games, he has either won the NFL MVP or finished as the runner-up. And yet, his abilities as a quarterback have been doubted at every step. When he was being recruited out of high school, it was a guarantee from Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino that Jackson would play QB—and only QB—that convinced his mother he should commit to the Cardinals. Other colleges, apparently, were not willing to offer similar assurances.
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He did, however, win every award under the sun—including the Heisman Trophy—as a sophomore for Louisville in 2016. Even still, there was plenty of talk about how he should switch to receiver or another non-QB position. Jackson was ultimately drafted 32nd overall in 2018 as the fifth QB selected. The Baltimore Ravens never tried to make him a receiver, and he has blossomed like few others under center.
However, he did have some fun playing safety and kicker in some of his first football experiences as a pre-teen. Playing in other positions in his youth and being doubted and treated like an athlete rather than a QB for all those years afterward has turned Jackson into a unique leader.
Perhaps that’s why former NFL veteran Chris Long, in a conversation with Jackson’s teammate Kyle Hamilton, described Lamar’s leadership as having a “position player attitude”
“What I love about him… is his leadership, the teammate he seems to be. We were cracking up when he got on the plane and Marlon [Humphrey] had him on live. (Laughs) Moments like that, to hearing him talk before that game, like it’s dead serious, we’re not making friends here. He just seems like he’s got a position player attitude, but he’s a quarterback,” said the former DE.
Hamilton, a two-time All-Pro safety who could very well be Baltimore‘s second-most important player after Jackson, couldn’t agree more with Long’s view of Jackson’s leadership style. He pointed to Jackson’s upbringing as a reason he’s not the typical “rah-rah” leader seen in movies. But Hamilton and his teammates appreciate that their QB keeps it real.
“People lead in a different kind of manner… I just think the way Lamar was brought up and the way he just knows how to play football is just like, ‘Look, this is what it is, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it. I don’t care about them at all,'” Hamilton explained.
“He’s gonna say that to the media. He’s like, ‘I only care about you boys, I only care about winning a Super Bowl.’ He’s like, ‘Look, just be ready to play.’ And that kinda takes all the Disney channel out of it, and it’s like let’s just play football, it doesn’t have to be Remember the Titans,” he added.
Lamar Jackson could have easily—and probably should have—won his third MVP trophy this year. He set career-highs in passing yards (4,172) and TD passes (41) while leading the league in yards per attempt (8.8) and passer rating (119.6). He also rushed for 915 yards and four scores. Most impressively, his four interceptions were the second-fewest among QBs with 200+ attempts.
Jackson and the Ravens have proven they can get the job done during the regular season. For them, it’s all about January and February football now. And, to see a change in fortunes there, they’ll need to add more this offseason, especially with respect to their aerial weapons.
