The Houston Texans have never seen anything like Lamar Jackson. A quarterback with sprinters speed, quick feet, improved accuracy and decisive decision-making, the Baltimore Raven is a problem.
Jackson, 22, is an MVP candidate in his second year in the NFL. He has the Ravens at 7-2, in the process recording 2,036 passing yards, 702 rushing yards, 21 total touchdowns and five interceptions.
If there was anybody comparable to Jackson, it would be Michael Vick, according to defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel. However, even then, that comparison doesn’t do him justice. Baltimore runs a bigger playbook with Jackson than Vick (in Atlanta).
“Probably the closest would be Michael Vick because of his speed, but Lamar is a different guy because of what they’re doing with him,” said Crennel on Thursday. “So, that makes it much more complicated because they’re running options, they’re running zone reads, they’re toss cracking. There’s a lot of things they’re doing that are problems for the defense.”
Like Vick, Jackson has the speed and tools to beat defenses on the ground or over the air. Unlike Vick (pre-Philadelphia), he is a film room warrior with a playbook designed to fit his specified needs. Reading a defense, and then exploiting it, is what he does best.
Crennel and Co. must get creative in their play-calling to contain Jackson. From nickel defense to quarterback spies on-top of quarterback spies, there is no such thing as playing him like another quarterback. He’s not any other quarterback.
