Making the case for Lamar Jackson

[502Buffs]

Feel free to criticize anything I'm about to type here, but I implore you to read the entire post first because I simply don't understand why more Bills fans refuse to jump on the Lamar Jackson train.

 

He threw for more one more touchdown than Rosen and Darnold in a much tougher conference on a less talented team. (this is coming from a Louisville fan so please, call me biased, I'll be the first to admit it) He ran for 50 touchdowns in his career. He threw for 27 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in his last year while rushing for 18 touchdowns. This is following a year in which he won the Heisman trophy and every coach is keying in on stopping him more than any other single player. He had the same amount of interceptions as Rosen last year, yet Rosen is consistently crowned by "experts" as the most polished, accurate, NFL ready QB in the draft, while Jackson is considered the most innacurate QB in the draft...WHAT??

 

Experts praise Allen for his arm strength and how much zip he can put on the ball, he's also praised for his big frame. Meanwhile Jackson is only 2 inches shorter than Allen...oh and here's a video of Lamar throwing a football 95 yards in high school: 

 

If that video is too low quality for you I understand. Here's a video of Jackson nearly breaking dude's fingers in 2014:

 

 

The receivers' reactions say it all.

 

Lamar Jackson had the highest receiver drop rate in the country last year. Why is this? Because he has an absolute ROCKET of an arm. One of the main criticisms of Jackson is his poor completion percentage. Here are the completion stats for each of the top QB prospects last year per sports-reference.com.

Darnold: 64.9%

Mayfield: 70.5%

Rosen: 62.6%

Allen: 56.2%

Jackson: 57% With the highest receiver drop rate in the country

 

He's consistently had a laxkluster offensive line during his tenure while going up against some of the best defensive lines in the country in the ACC. His running back was a quarterback converted to receiver (with the emergence of Jackson) converted again to running back in Jackson's final year. With this being said Jackson's statistics are absolutely unprecedented. Michael Vick has gone on record several times saying Jackson is better than he was at that age, which for whatever reason seems to mean nothing to anybody.

 

2001 Michael Vick: 6'0 210lbs

2018 Lamar Jackson: 6'3 200lbs

 

Experts also question his football IQ...take away your bias if who he is as a man, if you don't think Bobby Petrino runs one of the more complicated offensive systems in football then I have to question whether you actually watch both college and professional football or if you just allow yourself to be spoon-fed whatever NFL Network and ESPN tells you. During Jackson's freshman year when he came in and dominated Bobby Petrino went on record as saying Jackson didn't even know the majority of the plays yet when he got his first start. The next year he had one of the best statistical season in history and won the Heisman trophy over Deshaun Watson who probably would have won it almost any other year with his 2016-17 stats and is currently looking like the best QB from last years draft.

 

Football IQ can be taught, talent cannot.

 

I'm not going to sully this post by trying to make the case for Jackson being the victim of some systemic racial QB bias, but the case these so-called experts make for the rest of the quarterbacks in this draft being a better prospect than Jackson just do not make any sense to me. The only quarterback I think who may be a better prospect than Jackson is Mayfield. There are holes all over this roster despite our lucking into the playoffs last year on a miracle throw/upset. Trading up into the top 5 to take a Rosen or Allen would be a huge mistake IMO when we can draft Jackson at either 12 or 22 and use our other 5 picks in the top 3 rounds to take franchise players who will KEEP us in the playoffs.

 

Thanks for reading. Feel free to make a counter argument, but I'm going to finish this post with his highlights from last year and I just want you to imagine a backfield with Lamar Jackson and Shady McCoy and tell me that wouldn't be a fun time to be a Bills fan.

 

[CNY315]

He's my guy if Mayfield is gone at 12

[Boatdrinks]

Anecdotal evidence : they think he look likes Tyrod Taylor ( read into that what you will) and he runs, so must not be that good. I do not agree with this opinion, btw but that's what I hear when I bring Jackson up to other Bills fans. 

Edited March 26, 2018 by Boatdrinks

[K D]

If we didn't just live through 3 yrs of Tyrod there might have been more support for Lamar. Not interested in taking a chance on that type of player again

[John from Riverside]

1 minute ago, Boatdrinks said:

Anecdotal evidence : they think he look likes Tyrod Taylor ( read into that what you will) and he runs, so must not be that good. I do not share this opinion, btw but that's what I hear when I bring it up to other Bills fans. 

He is a run first QB (even though he doesnt) because he has the ability too (he is way too good of a athlete to sit in the pocket and throw even though he does)

 

Im not even going down this racial rabbit hole

1 minute ago, kdiggz said:

If we didn't just live through 3 yrs of Tyrod there might have been more support for Lamar. Not interested in taking a chance on that type of player again

If only Lamar actually played like Tyrod (he doesnt)

[Buffalo Bills Detective]

John Murphy: 3rd down and long.  Lamar Jackson in the shotgun (because that's all he knew in Petrino's offense).  Here's the snap.  Pressure coming right away up the middle and Jackson will take off.  He's at the 30, the 35, the 40 trying to get out of bounds and OH!  Jackson took a vicious hit to the knee from the safety and he is down!

[John from Riverside]

2 minutes ago, Buffalo Bills Detective said:

John Murphy: 3rd down and long.  Lamar Jackson in the shotgun (because that's all he knew in Petrino's offense).  Here's the snap.  Pressure coming right away up the middle and Jackson will take off.  He's at the 30, the 35, the 40 trying to get out of bounds and OH!  Jackson took a vicious hit to the knee from the safety and he is down!

So if its Josh Rosen doing it his knee will hold up?

 

(oh wait....because Rosen wont leave the pocket and QBs NEVER get hurt in the pocket even though that has been proven statistically incorrect)

Edited March 26, 2018 by John from Riverside

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

1 minute ago, John from Riverside said:

So if its Josh Rosen doing it his knee will hold up?

 

I think the point is if Rosen's in that situation, he WON'T do that.

 

Which is what I and many others want. Throw it away.

 

[John from Riverside]

Just now, joesixpack said:

 

I think the point is if Rosen's in that situation, he WON'T do that.

 

Which is what I and many others want. Throw it away.

 

yep....ole Josh is going to be a pocket passer and never take a hit (even though he does and has the concussions to prove it)

[Solomon Grundy]

https://billswire.usatoday.com/2018/03/26/buffalo-bills-bleacher-report-buffalo-bills/

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

Just now, John from Riverside said:

yep....ole Josh is going to be a pocket passer and never take a hit (even though he does and has the concussions to prove it)

 

And, unsurprisingly, you miss the point. The NFL protects pocket passers. They don't protect mobile QB.

 

[502Buffs]

Just now, Buffalo Bills Detective said:

John Murphy: 3rd down and long.  Lamar Jackson in the shotgun (because that's all he knew in Petrino's offense).  Here's the snap.  Pressure coming right away up the middle and Jackson will take off.  He's at the 30, the 35, the 40 trying to get out of bounds and OH!  Jackson took a vicious hit to the knee from the safety and he is down!

I've never seen a safety (or any player for that matter) get a clean hit on him or his knee. I have, however seen him break many safety's knees with his vicious jukes. Would you rather see a non-running quarterback get destroyed in the pocket? Because that's much more likely in your hypothetical.

[John from Riverside]

Just now, joesixpack said:

 

And, unsurprisingly, you miss the point. The NFL protects pocket passers. They don't protect mobile QB.

 

Then why are pocket passers getting hurt just as much as scrambling QBs (it has been proven sir)

[Blokestradamus]

4 minutes ago, Buffalo Bills Detective said:

John Murphy: 3rd down and long.  Lamar Jackson in the shotgun (because that's all he knew in Petrino's offense).  Here's the snap.  Pressure coming right away up the middle and Jackson will take off.  He's at the 30, the 35, the 40 trying to get out of bounds and OH!  Jackson took a vicious hit to the knee from the safety and he is down!

 

Lamar won't run as much in the NFL and he didn't miss a single game as a starter. Not sure why so many are worried about injuries with him when Ben Roethlisberger is a 300-pound pocket passer that's basically the Bionic Man.

[John from Riverside]

Just now, Blokestradamus said:

 

Lamar won't run as much in the NFL and he didn't miss a single game as a starter. Not sure why so many are worried about injuries with him when Ben Roethlisberger is a 300-pound pocket passer that's basically the Bionic Man.

Because its lazy paroted thinking that fits their narrative.

 

Yes you need a QB that will throw from the pocket when he is forced to

 

and yes Lamar Jackson is that QB

[Boatdrinks]

2 minutes ago, John from Riverside said:

Then why are pocket passers getting hurt just as much as scrambling QBs (it has been proven sir)

Agreed. I'll take the drive extending first down when no one was open and just coach Jackson to slide and or better still get OB when he's got the chance. It's a valuable weapon , just have to know when to say when and get OB

Edited March 26, 2018 by Boatdrinks

[Solomon Grundy]

1 minute ago, Blokestradamus said:

 

Lamar won't run as much in the NFL and he didn't miss a single game as a starter. Not sure why so many are worried about injuries with him when Ben Roethlisberger is a 300-pound pocket passer that's basically the Bionic Man.

Consider the source

[jr1]

Aaron Rodgers has 2670 rushing yards but we're told mobility is bad

[Seanbillsfan2206]

8 minutes ago, Buffalo Bills Detective said:

John Murphy: 3rd down and long.  Lamar Jackson in the shotgun (because that's all he knew in Petrino's offense).  Here's the snap.  Pressure coming right away up the middle and Jackson will take off.  He's at the 30, the 35, the 40 trying to get out of bounds and OH!  Jackson took a vicious hit to the knee from the safety and he is down!

I think you used this one before....

[Buffalo Bills Detective]

6 minutes ago, 502Buffs said:

I've never seen a safety (or any player for that matter) get a clean hit on him or his knee. I have, however seen him break many safety's knees with his vicious jukes. Would you rather see a non-running quarterback get destroyed in the pocket? Because that's much more likely in your hypothetical.

Because the majority of the safeties and defensive backs he went against in his career absolutely sucked.  When he gets to the NFL, they'll be 10 times better and they'll be bigger, stronger and faster as well.

Edited March 26, 2018 by Buffalo Bills Detective