Michael Vick on Lamar Jackson: 'He's a Better Passer Than Runner'
Michael Vick saw his record for career rushing yards by a quarterback broken by Lamar Jackson during the Ravens' rout of the Houston Texans on Christmas, but the former NFL star is even more impressed by what Jackson is accomplishing as a passer.
"He's playing the game the way he should be playing it — pass first then be running it," Vick told The Baltimore Sun’s Brian Wacker. "I think he's a better passer than runner. Lamar's always been able to run — that's a natural instinct. The passing game is something you have to learn, and it has to be coordinated with timing and receivers and routes and you got to be on the same page and thinking on the same page.
"He's accurate, threading the needle, seeing the field. And understanding what the defense is doing supersedes any throw that you can make."
To Vick's point about Jackson's passing ability, the reigning and two-time NFL MVP is having one of the best seasons ever for a quarterback.
Jackson's quarterback rating is 121.6, second all-time to Aaron Rodgers (122.5 in 2011). He leads the league in touchdown passes (39), touchdown percentage (8.8%), yards per attempt (8.9), adjusted yards per attempt (10.31), QBR (77.7), net yards gained per pass attempt (8.18), and adjusted net yards per pass attempt (9.48).
On the same day that Jackson increased his career rushing yardage total to 6,110 – one more yard than Vick – he threw two touchdowns passes, had no interceptions, and posted a quarterback rating of 143.9. Jackson has had a quarterback rating over 100 in all but three games this season.
None of what Jackson is doing comes as a surprise to Vick, who noted that they will "always be connected, intertwined." Jackson said Wednesday night that Vick was "one of my favorite players."
"It's a credit to all his success and how hard he's worked," Vick said. "Certainly the Baltimore Ravens, who put the right people around him to get the most out of what Lamar Jackson could do, from [offensive coordinators] Greg Roman to Todd Monken now. [Former Jets and Ravens Offensive Coordinator] Marty Mornhinweg as well, drafting him.
"I told Marty, 'You gotta get him!' I seen what he could become years ago."
Ravens Have Cleaned Up Penalty, Special Teams Issues
For a good portion of the season, the Ravens' defense, special teams, and an exorbitant number of penalties were concerning. The defense's turnaround has been well-documented, but the other two areas also have significantly improved.
"The Ravens still arrived in Houston leading the league in penalty yards, even after they were flagged just twice for 10 yards in beating the Steelers on Saturday," The Baltimore Sun’s Childs Walker wrote. "We can officially say they're headed in the right direction after they were penalized just three times for 30 yards against the Texans.
"Meanwhile, Justin Tucker, the most debated athlete in Baltimore a month ago, split the uprights with a 52-yard field goal and four extra points. He was also perfect against Pittsburgh, not raising the blood pressure once on four extra points and two field goals, one of those from 51 yards in a swirling wind."
Ravens' Preparation for Grueling Stretch on Display on 'Hard Knocks'
The Ravens have been dominant in winning three games in an 11-day span, and Head Coach John Harbaugh and his staff deserve credit for getting the team ready for the grueling stretch.
The most recent episode of HBO's "Hard Knocks" gave viewers a look at the Ravens' preparation.
"One thing that seemed clear in the footage with John Harbaugh and the snippets of team meetings was how the sense of urgency in the Ravens' building has ratcheted up," The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec wrote. "They knew what they were up against during this three-game-in-11-day span. You saw that with the attention to detail and focus in some of the footage.
"The clip of Harbaugh sitting in the back row in defensive coordinator Zach Orr's meeting and interjecting was also different. Harbaugh and his staff have gotten plenty of criticism this year, but they had the Ravens ready to go during this rapid stretch of games — and they're now in first place because of it."
Jamie Erdahl's Interview With Jackson and Derrick Henry Was No Piece of Cake
Jackson and running back Derrick Henry are two of the most affable players in the NFL, but "Good Morning Football" host Jamie Erdahl said her conversation with the Ravens stars after the Texans game was "the hardest interview I've ever done in my life."
Erdahl, who was serving as the sideline reporter for the game on Netflix, tried in vain to get Jackson and Henry to take a bite of football-shaped Christmas cake, which made for an awkward (but funny) moment.
"Nick Saban, Bill Belichick, move aside," Erdahl said. "It is Derrick and Lamar, trying to get them to eat sweets after the game. It felt like a disaster, and the only way out of it was for me to eat the cake."
You have to hand it to Jackson and Henry for having the discipline to refuse the cake, especially when a lot of us were probably enjoying our second (or third) helping of Christmas dessert at the time.
