Are the Baltimore Ravens hurting Lamar Jackson long-term with short-term fix?

Former NFL quarterback Michael Vick appeared on UNDISPUTED and had plenty to say about the Baltimore Ravens plans to use Lamar Jackson as a runner in 2019.

If there’s anyone throughout the NFL’s 100-year history who knows what it’s like to be in the shoes of Lamar Jackson, it’s Michael Vick.

The former Falcons and Eagles quarterback set the NFL on fire back in the early to mid-2000s with his ability to make electric plays with his legs, unlike any quarterback before him, while also being able to throw the ball at a high level.

Since his freshman season at Louisville, Jackson has heard the comparisons of his game to Vick. That has only been amplified over the years as Jackson led his program to new heights while winning the Heisman Trophy in 2016, and cementing himself as one of the most electrifying players in college football history.

Now as Lamar Jackson as trying to transition from “run-first” to a player who is able to equally tear defenses apart with his legs and arm, Vick has been able to speak into that and provide fans and the media details on what it’s like.

The Ravens didn’t plan for Jackson to play last season, as he was expected to sit behind incumbent quarterback Joe Flacco, learning the ropes and how to be an NFL quarterback. Unfortunately the Ravens, Flacco went down for injury mid-way through the season and they had no choice to turn to Jackson.

Showing his rawness, Jackson struggled to pass the ball at a high level but was able to continue his playmaking at an extremely high-level on the ground. While Jackson made enough plays through the air to win games, which is all that mattered, it was his running that helped lead the Ravens to an eight-game winning streak clinching the AFC North in the process.

In the AFC playoff opener against the Chargers, Jackson struggled mightily to get anything going as the Bolts stacked the box over and over again, forcing the rookie quarterback to make plays through the air, showing he still wasn’t ready to lead a playoff team without a unique offense centered around him running the ball first and foremost.

Now with Greg Roman at offensive coordinator, the coach responsible for helping Colin Kaepernick become a dangerous quarterback during the 49ers Super Bowl run, the Ravens are creating a Lamar Jackson-tailored offense.

Everyone, including John Harbaugh the Ravens head coach, knows that running the football is his strength at this point in his career. While he’s reportedly improved significantly this offseason passing the ball, the team still believes running is the best bet at this point.

On the set of the NFL Network this week at Ravens training camp, Harbaugh was asked how much the team planned to run the football with Jackson. The head coach said:

"“It’s going to be interesting, I don’t think we know the exact numbers or the math. You know, if you look back and you think about the history a little bit, the game was probably revolutionized with Bill Walsh and Joe Montana and that’s been the model for the last 25, 30 years and we’ve all been chasing that model pretty much trying to find that quarterback and find that rhythm and all the things that go with that offense, and it really hasn’t changed too much. None of us can envision what’s going to come in the future.”"

Appearing on UNDISPUTED with Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe, Michael Vick reacted to those comments, sharing the same sentiment as many fans and teams around the league. Running the football like that is going to hurt Jackson more than help.

"“That kid can’t do what he did last year, not over 16 games. He’s starting week one, play a little bit of the preseason, this is his year and self-preservation is going to be the most important thing and him protecting himself and being accountable throughout the season, I can’t see Lamar running as much as he did last year.”"

Vick went on to say,

"“Even if you’re a running quarterback or a pocket passing quarterback, you come into the game not wanting to get hit. The plan is to not get hit, and talking to James Irving (the Ravens QB coach) the plan was to let Lamar be as instinctive as he can be running the football, not a lot of designed runs.“We run as mobile quarterbacks thinking we can hit the big one, and the reality is you’re not going to get the big one.”"

Shannon Sharpe chimed in, “you gon’ get the big one, the big hit,” to which Michael Vick added, “I’ve taken my fair share.”

Maybe Vick is right. John Harbaugh is a smart coach who knows that all 16 of the Ravens’ opponents are going to do everything in their power to make Jackson throw the ball. His 58 completion percentage ranked 35th overall in the NFL last season, while his red-zone percentage of 43 ranked 36th, and his “outside the numbers” percentage of 48 ranked dead last among all quarterbacks.

At the same time, his running was unreal. Jackson rushed the football 147 times for 695 yards and five touchdowns in 2018-19, rushing on average 17 times per game, doing things that the league hadn’t seen on the field since Vick himself.

When asked if Jackson would surpass Cam Newton’s, the closest thing to Jackson in the NFL (some might say) record of 139 rushing attempts in a single season, Harbaugh said: “bet the over on that one.”

For John Harbaugh, the plan could be to make teams and coaches believe that the gameplan is going to be to run, run, and then run again, especially if you believe in him and think his passing will be much improved.

However, if Harbaugh isn’t lying, and the Ravens do plan to run him at a record rate in this new “revolutionary offense,” then there is a lot at risk for Jackson, starting with injury. In the new age NFL, running quarterbacks come and go. They set the world on fire for a short amount of time and as defenses catch up to them and learn the tendencies, they become irrelevant; a la Jackson’s teammate, RGIII.

Lamar Jackson has added nearly 20 pounds of muscle this offseason, with the intention of being better prepared for big hits. He recently said:

“Those guys are big out there. The league is totally different. Grown men are trying to feed their families. [There are] 300-pounders coming at you running 4.5’s. It’s different out there in the league.”

If Jackson is going to have a successful career, running has to be secondary to passing, it just has to be. Accuracy is an issue, but it something that can be improved with repetition and focus, something the Ravens have spent time with this offseason.

Jackson has all the tools in his toolbag to become a great quarterback, including work ethic and arm strength, but he needs the Ravens to build on that, not focus on running the football.