Jackson took over as the starter for the Baltimore Ravens seven games into last season after an injury to Joe Flacco. The former Super Bowl-winning Flacco was shipped to Denver, and the Ravens put all their trust into the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner.
Jackson has the Ravens at 5-2 going into their bye week, on the strength of a schedule where their seven opponents have amassed a 17-25-1 record. The Ravens have the third-hardest schedule in the NFL coming out of their bye, starting with the defending champion New England Patriots.
If you are discussing stats, then Jackson ranks 16th in passing yards (1,650) , in the bottom half of all quarterbacks who have started at least one game for completion percentage (63.3), 13th in touchdowns (11), but sixth in the entire league in rushing (576 yards). That's not bad for a running back.
Too bad Ravens' owner Steve Bisciotti pays Jackson to be his franchise quarterback.
Please someone call Randall Cunningham, Michael Vick, Johnny Manziel, Kordell Stewart, Akili Smith, Eric Crouch, Tim Tebow, Colin Kaepernick, Donovan McNabb and Teddy Bridgewater about how running quarterbacks have fared in the NFL over the years. Only Kaepernick and McNabb led a team to a Super Bowl appearance, and Stewart played in one as a wide receiver.
The run-and-gun style has never worked over the long haul in the NFL, and will never work as the game evolves. Defenders are too large and fast to where you have linebackers dropping into pass coverage and cornerbacks who blitz like defensive ends at times.
Look over the greatest quarterbacks of the last 20 years...Brees, Brady, Peyton Manning, Roethlisberger, Rodgers and Rivers. All have played well over a decade in the league, and Rodgers, Brees, Brady and Rivers show no signs of carrying a clipboard to tutor their heir apparent at least for a few more years. The key is that they know how to read defenses and stay in the pocket to trust their blocking.
When a running quarterback leaves the pocket he is saying he either does not trust his blocking or does not trust his skill players to run the proper route to where his legs should not be a factor. It is not a racial issue or bias, rather a skillset and mentality deficiency. Why have we seen players like Terrell Pryor, Cardale Jones, Josh Cribbs, Denard Robinson and the most recent Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman move away from the position after being drafted? The answer is there were others with much more talent that did not have the same athletic gifts each man possessed.
The lifespan of an NFL running back is on average only 4-6 years. If Jackson is looking to continue using his legs to move the chains rather than his arm he is likely going to be surrendering Baltimore's chances at claiming dominance over the AFC North for the foreseeable future. If Baker Mayfield in Cleveland had playcalling that did not require him to be more Brett Favre the risk-taker than Favre the guy who threw for 71,838 yards and 508 touchdowns, then Jackson's seat may get a little warmer as the new decade is upon us.
The Ravens have always relied on their defense, winning two Super Bowls since moving from Cleveland in 1995. If Jackson and head coach John Harbaugh are planning on shifting the focus of Baltimore's strength to the offensive side of the ball, then Jackson is going to have to adapt to being more of a typical pocket passer than a third down scatback.
Ask RG3 how fast a career can change as an elusive quarterback. He's backing up Jackson if and when the catastrophe comes down.
-JC24