Evaluating the rookie quarterbacks with three weeks to go

#5 Lamar Jackson

Early on Jackson was used as a gadget player, coming in to run zone-reads, designed quarterback keeps, throw a couple of passes or just be a decoy for opposing defences

I truly believe Lamar Jackson is the closest thing we have had seen to Michael Vick since his days with the Falcons and Eagles.

When the Ravens decided to move back up into the first round of April’s draft to select the former Heisman trophy winner with the 32nd pick, the organization made a structural and philosophical decision, but they also knew they still had Joe Flacco on their books for this season and only then they could make the call on what they will do going forward.

Early on Jackson was used as a gadget player, coming in to run zone-reads, designed quarterback keeps, throw a couple of passes or just be a decoy for opposing defenses. When it was announced that Flacco would miss the first game after their by week, the rookie stepped into the starting lineup.

Entering at a 4-5 record, Baltimore only now lost their first game with the rookie as the starter – and that came by three points to the top-seeded Chiefs following a 3-0 start to Lamar’s career.

With Flacco back to fully participating and the Ravens deciding to go with Jackson against Tampa Bay this weekend, a new era has officially started in Charm City.

The biggest difference with Jackson in the starting lineup has been the improvement of the rushing attack. I crunched the numbers and the team’s difference between their attempts, yards and averages are astonishing.

Through the first nine weeks with Flacco under center, the Ravens on average ran the ball 27 times a game for 103.8 yards, giving them an average of 3.85 yards per carry.

These last four games with the rookie taking over however, they are running the ball 46 times for 228.5 yards and 4.97 yards per carry.

That comparison is just absolutely ridiculous, giving Baltimore the league’s best marks in totals and attempts, while being right up there with the elite in average yards as well despite that run-pass ratio.

Obviously a lot of that has to do with the rookie quarterback amassing 475 total yards on the ground himself on 5.0 yards a clip and surpassing 70 yards in every game as a starter, but this goes beyond his numbers alternating their overall production.

The threat of Jackson pulling the ball on zone-reads or simply booting the other way off handoffs is so frightening for defenses that it hurts their backside help on running plays on many occasions.

Not only do they obviously have to keep the last man at the line of scrimmage leverage outside the quarterback to force him to hand the ball off, a lot of times that backside linebacker can not flow with the play whatsoever and this allows even easier cutback opportunities for the Ravens’ backs compared to if that guy just overran the play.

Fellow rookie running back Gus Edwards only entered the scene once Jackson took over and while I don’t want to take any credit away from him, his 95.5 rushing yards a game and five yards per attempt and Kenneth Dixon’s six yards per rush these last two weeks have a lot to do with who is running the play-fakes.

As far as straight-line speed goes I don’t think anybody is up to par with Jackson and he just seems to freeze defenders when he takes off. Obviously he will need to protect his body better going forward, but he will learn that.

People who think Jackson just wants to scramble haven’t watched the tape, because 418 of his 475 yards have come on designed runs. He is looking to throw the ball and sometimes you feel like he almost should take off with his athletic ability.

The overall passing numbers are pedestrian at 25 attempts for 150 yards per game and four touchdowns compared to three interceptions.

Outside of a big run-and-catch play to fellow rookie tight-end Mark Andrews, Jackson hasn’t really provided the element of the deep passing attack, but he has done enough through the air to keep his offense on schedule.

The rookie out of Louisville might not have the fastball some of these other guys on the list have, but he has a whippy arm and he is comfortable throwing it on the run.

Jackson has come up with big, timely completions from the pocket as well as off schedule at the end of halves and on third downs. What is very unique about him is how we can move defenders one way with how he moves and then comes back the other way to one of his pass-catchers.

Jackson still has to work a lot on his ability to pick defenses apart from the pocket, as he prefers to manipulate defenders with his movement to create clear looks for himself and as of right now he has the second-lowest adjusted completion percentage among all starting quarterbacks, but he just plays winning football.

Through four games, the rookie QB is 21 of 44 converting with his arm and legs on third and fourth downs (47.7%) and when the yardage to gain is at five or under, he is 13 of 20. Obviously he went against a few below-average defenses in the Bengals, Raiders, Falcons and Chiefs, but he also came through in the clutch for his team and battled it out with MVP front-runner Patrick Mahomes at a hostile place in Arrowhead.

With him in the lineup, Baltimore can be the team that they are built to be – which means controlling the clock with their ground game, as they average 35:52 minutes in terms of time of possession, and get after it with a rested defense.