As Ravens fans we care primarily about the success of our team.
When you think about it, isn’t that a little selfish?
In this time of broader social efforts, let’s take a moment to empathize with our less-advantaged NFL brethren, the message board and twitter trolls. The passion of these social misfits is particularly imperiled by twitter’s 280-character limit, which restricts their ability to start the flame wars which keep them going. They want nothing more than a little schadenfreude and deserve not only our pity, but an empathetic offering to simplify their daily lives which are otherwise marked primarily by vitamin D deficiency, halitosis, and crippling exposure to bridge mold.
To that end, here are the top reasons why Ravens fans can’t yet claim Lamar Jackson is good:
1. I watched him miss those throws that one time and I trust my eyes
2. Must wait and see after X weeks/years
3. Running QBs always get hurt
4. Has 0 rings. Zero!
5. Must beat all QBs in his draft round (Mayfield, Allen, Darnold, Rosen) to qualify for “veteran” comparisons
6. Has not yet faced a real defense
7. Has never beaten the Patriots
8. Opponents have all been tanking
9. Opposing DBs were trying to get traded
10. Due for more fumbles after 2 games without one
11. Will take up a huge portion of 2023 salary cap
12. Only time will tell…and I’ll tell you how much time when we get there!
13. Can’t compare to QBs because he’s a running back
Next time just tweet “Lamar still sucks because 3, 6, 8 #Ravensflock” or make a similar board post. Isn’t that easier?
If you’re a Ravens fan, please contribute your ideas in the comments section.
A troll’s will to live may be riding on it.
So funny, Ken, great job with this. There are the trolls and just the simple low-effort national pundits (some of them quite prominent) who just didn’t study Lamar with any diligence.
And it makes me appreciate the Matt Waldman’s and the Dominique Foxworth’s (thanks to you on that) who undertook real independent and composed thought on Lamar from the very start despite what the herd was doing. Remember how the two of them were saying how well Lamar sees the field (a true strength of his, no?) before anyone else was saying that. And many other insights.
It’s much easier to watch one bad game and make your judgments than an entire body of work. Like Brian Billick said to Shannon Sharpe after SB XXXV "That’s what happens when you look at one game instead of the previous seventeen". He’s won 8 of 10 starts in the NFL. He still has work to do but the growth and results so far have exceeded my expectations.
it’s completely factual that he has played 7 quarters of football. QB’s have had mosterous 2-3 game stretches, and then completely flop in the rest of their careers. In 5 years from now, most everyone will realize that that was only 2 games out of 100’s Lamar will play, all the while against the dolphins and cardinals putrid defense. While he has been absolutely groundbreaking, it’s not time to compare him to the leagues best just yet. Give him half a season as a full starter with an offense directed especially for him, and see if he can produce well over a long period of time. shit, even ryan tanninghill has had mosterous games, but he’s still the QB he is. I just think all Ravens fan should pump the brakes and not drool over a QB who hasn’t even played 16 NFL games yet.
I’m just enjoying the ride