Today’s Take: Lamar Jackson is just “RG III” waiting to happen.
The Argument: Conveniently enough, they are both on the same roster. Hopefully, he is warning Jackson about what happens to running quarterbacks in this league. Let’s be honest, if anybody leaned that lesson in the NFL, it was him. Like it or not, the National Football League is all about protecting quarterbacks, and nearly all those protections evaporate the second the quarterback pulls down the ball and flees the pocket.
History doesn’t lie. Right now, Tom Brady and Drew Brees are still playing top-flight football in their 40s, these are two guys who don’t leave the pocket much. Right now, do you know who else is 40? Michael Vick. Do you care to hazard a guess where he is as you read this? He’s probably in a cryo-therapy tub because he got the absolute shit beaten out of him during his career…which don’t forget had a two-year intermission which allowed to heal up from the first half of his career.
In other words, while the hype-machine in the sports media has kicked in overdrive on Lamar Jackson, the fact remains that even his most ardent supporters admit “there’s room for him to grow.” What that is “code” for is Jackson has tantalizing athletic ability, but as a pure passer, he shows just enough flashes of brilliance to keep drawing interest from a quarterback-hungry league. I’ve seen him make the occasional amazing throw on the run, but for every one of those, I’ve also seen him short-hop a receiver or chuck it into an opposing team meeting.
The bottom line is while Jackson shows a ton of potential, history suggests he won’t live up to it. This guy never impressed me in college. He racked up fat numbers against the Wake Forests of the world, and disappeared against real talent. Whatever progress he makes as a passer will disappear when he’s pressured, then he will revert to what he does best. Once he goes back to relying on his legs to create escapes, that’s when the toll on his body will start piling up, and then will come the eventual blown-out knee. Once that happens, voilà…Lamar Jackson becomes another “RG III.”
Change my mind.
Got a question, comment, or just want to yell at us? Hit us up at dubsism@yahoo.com, @Dubsism on Twitter, or on our Pinterest, Tumblr, Instagram, Snapchat or Facebook pages, and be sure to bookmark Dubsism.com so you don’t miss anything from the most interesting independent sports blog on the web.
Wait… RGIII’s still in the NFL???
LikeLike
Believe it or not…yes he is…
LikeLike
The Dolphins must have read this post before Sunday’s game.
LikeLike
The Dolphins are the NFL equivalent to Wake Forest.
LikeLike
Pingback: Change My Mind: Lamar Jackson Proves My “Tim Tebow Theory” | Dubsism