Lamar Jackson is one of the best players of all time. He has always been stronger than the people give him credit for, and he has put on some muscle this winter.
If defenders tried to wake up the turf monster instead of trying to tackle him, they would have a better chance of success. He averaged more than 6 yards per carry in both years. If he hadn't missed five games, he'd have rushed for over 1,000 yards.
The Ravens offense will once again be centered around the running game, it appears, as Greg Roman enters his third season as the Baltimore Ravens' offensive coach. It is a good decision. The running back room of the Ravens was damaged in the year 2021. They were still one of the top teams in the league at the end of the season. Jackson missed the rest of the season because of an injury he sustained the week before against Cleveland.
The defense was not effective in shutting down the run. The Ravens faced the most loaded boxes in the NFL in 2021, yet their EPA per play was fourth best in the league. With J.K. Dobbins back in the lineup, why shouldn't the Ravens try something else?
The passing game is hurt by this rushing attack. The pre-snap looks and motions of the Ravens offense make it less complex to pass the ball. The Ravens had so many injuries that it was inevitable that they would struggle, with Jackson throwing for the most picks of his career, 13 despite only playing in 12 games.
The Ravens have doubled down on being the most sophisticated running game in football, and they have been mowing through regular season opponents for a long time with this most sophisticated running game. They won't get to a championship without a sophisticated passing game. That's not related to Lamar Jackson.
Young is correct that Jackson isn't to blame. The pro-style offense he ran at Louisville was similar to the one he ran at Arkansas. In college, Jackson attempted 409 passes in a single season, but he has yet to attempt 400 passes in a season in the league. With only one of his wide receiver from those two seasons getting drafted into the NFL, he played less games.
Before he was hired by the Ravens, Roman was an offensive coach in the National Football League. He was with the Buffalo Bills from 2015 to 2016 and the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 13 Alex Smith, Colin Kapernick, and Tyrod Taylor were the quarterbacks of those offenses.
Young believes he is not taking full advantage of Jackson's talents, even though Roman seems like the logical fit for a team with Jackson at quarterback Jackson has shown time and again that he is a very good passer from the pocket. He has a rocket arm and is able to see the field.
He would be even more dangerous if he were working in an offense that was more focused on the passing game. A defense being forced to manage an intricate route tree and then having to worry about Jackson being able to score with his legs from any spot on the field is terrifying.
It isn't what the Ravens will have this year. They are expecting to have a replacement for what they lost with Marquise "Hollywood" Brown. As long as the Ravens center their offense around the run they are putting a limit on how good their offense can be.
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