Ravens Have “Inspired” Lamar Jackson to Make a Significant Adjustment
Even though Lamar Jackson won the NFL MVP award last season for the second time in his brief career, the Baltimore Ravens are constantly pushing him to improve. This offseason, they have been working on a significant upgrade for their franchise quarterback.
Jamison Hensley of ESPN observed it during mandatory minicamp and OTAs. Jackson will be able to call plays, protections, and even his cadence before the ball is snapped more frequently thanks to the Ravens’ “increasing his freedom at the line of scrimmage” strategy.
“With the Ravens defense regularly blitzing during minicamp, the coaching staff encouraged Jackson to keep an aggressive mindset, even if it results in a mistake,” Hensley saw how this adjustment manifested itself at training.
Jackson advocated for more latitude to alter the script prior to the play after the Ravens’ AFC Championship Game loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Jackson’s request was well received by the coaches, who are committed to providing him all the tools he needs to succeed.
Lamar Jackson’s Getting More Control After Chiefs Defeat
Losing to the Chiefs at M&T Bank Stadium prompted an in-house reassessment of the way the Ravens operate on offense. Hensley revealed how head coach “John Harbaugh sat down with quarterback Lamar Jackson and got his thoughts on how to take the offense to the next level. Jackson’s suggestion: Expanding the audibles at the line of scrimmage.”
The Ravens took Jackson’s words to heart and are delivering the change he wants. Perhaps insight from quarterbacks coach Tee Martin made it easier for Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Todd Monken to give Jackson more license to alter plays on the fly.
Martin said, “Lamar is outstanding at it, whether we’re going non-verbal on the road or whether we’re going verbal at home. We have a lot of different ones that gives us an advantage so that people don’t know when we’re snapping the ball and slowing them down a little bit.”
Increasing Jackson’s mental workload is another reminder of the faith the franchise has in its most important player. The increase is nothing Jackson can’t handle, with wide receiver Nelson Agholor telling Brian Wacker of The Baltimore Sun, “people don’t realise how cerebral Lamar Jackson is. The conversations he has with you, one-on-one, or about what he sees and what you may see.”
Jackson has a fantastic opportunity to assume complete control of an offense that is still developing because of his familiarity with the playbook and his awareness of all the moving pieces around him. Allowing Jackson to experiment with the recipe will not just increase the unpredictability of the Ravens.
It will also help Jackson and his supporting cast play faster by quickening the offensive tempo. That is how a unit naturally becomes faster at strategic points.
Faster Ravens Offense Should Be Better
Greater speed comes from playmakers like second-year wideout Zay Flowers and third-year tight end Isaiah Likely. The latter’s “work in OTAs and minicamp gave Monken even more reason to polish those multiple tight end sets,” according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic.
Putting a pass-catcher as gifted as Likely on the field more often will only increase the temptation for Jackson to audible.
Devontez Walker, a quick rookie, will also help. With his kind of vertical speed, the fourth-round pick from this year’s draft is sure to give Jackson the confidence to shoot more long shots.
The reason the Ravens chose Monken over Greg Roman to be Jackson’s play-caller during the offseason was to make Jackson a more dynamic passer and a more deliberate, sophisticated quarterback. All that’s left to do is complete the following few auditions.
