Former MVP Quarterbacks Offer Insights on Jackson’s Season
ESPN’s Jamison Hensley asked former MVP quarterbacks Matt Ryan, Rich Gannon, and Kurt Warner for their insights on Jackson’s challenging season. Here are some excerpts:
How injuries and limited practice time affected Jackson’s play:
Ryan: “Even coming back [from injury], I think what often gets discounted is you’re available to play, but it’s just hard to be sharp when you’re not practicing and you’re missing time during the week. And even when you are [practicing], you’re laboring to get through it. So, I think that makes it a little bit more difficult.”
Gannon: “Look, it’s not just that he’s missing practice time. It’s the guys around him that are missing those opportunities with him. It’s the red zone throws you’re not getting. It’s the two-minute shots. It’s the third-down packages that you’re not getting as many reps with.”
How the Ravens’ issues with pass protection hindered Jackson:
Gannon: “Nobody’s immune, and it’s not just the sacks. It’s the hits, the hurries, the knockdowns. Eventually it can speed you up. I don’t care how tough a guy you are, it can have an effect on your ability to sit in there and trust the protection.”
On Jackson not running as much:
Warner: “The nature of some guys is just kind of like, ‘I’m just reacting to what I see and I’m just playing. I think whatever I have to do, I’m just doing it. I’m not overthinking anything.’ And maybe that is an aspect of where it’s at now after the injury is maybe he is overthinking it a little bit, maybe he is like, ‘I don’t want to take off and run. I don’t want to get hurt or I don’t want to put myself in harm’s way.'”
Ryan: “As you age, as you get older, you realize your availability and being able to go week in and week out is almost just as important as your ability to take off and go. So, I think finding that balance for the remainder of his career, that’s going to be what they have to figure out. But I just don’t think stripping him of that, because I think that I’ve often said, I thought when he is at his best, he’s probably the most difficult player in the league to game plan for for defensive coordinators.”
Why Jackson remains elite:
Gannon: “I think there’s only a handful of quarterbacks in the NFL that have the ability to take over a game at this level or put a team on their shoulders and carry them to the finish line. I think of Josh Allen, I think of Patrick Mahomes, I think of Lamar Jackson. There’s only a handful, and he’s one of them.”