Can Lamar Jackson – the 2019 NFL MVP – keep up his run-heavy style of play?

4 years ago

Since entering the NFL, Lamar Jackson has defied all traditional quarterback norms.

However, some are wondering if he should stick to tradition for the sake of longevity.

Jackson’s 2019 campaign, only his first full year as a starter, was one for the record books. He set the NFL record for most rushing yards in a season by a QB (1,206) and his 36 TD passes led the league.

Jackson’s performance earned him MVP honors at season’s end.

However, all of those incredible rushing yards came with quite a few hits.

Jackson was contacted 205 times last season, setting an NFL record by eclipsing the 184 contacts that former Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton sustained in 2015, his MVP season.

Jackson’s 176 rushing attempts in 2019 were 23rd most in the NFL and the most by a quarterback in a single season in NFL history.

In short, he rushes a lot.

With that, former NFL quarterback Tim Hasselbeck said this week that he’s concerned Jackson’s run-heavy style of football is not feasible long-term.

“It’s been my No. 1 concern with Lamar in terms of the sustainability of what the Ravens are doing – that’s the key. The question coming in the last season was can you do this for an entire season. Well, they proved that you can do it for an entire season. But can they do it for three years? That ends up being the issue … For me it is a massive concern in terms of the sustainability of what they are doing.”

Hasselbeck pointed to Newton and Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson – both of whom also employ an aggressive, run-heavy quarterbacking technique – as examples.

“You take it a step further, and you look at somebody like Deshaun Watson, who two years ago in 2018 got hit 175 times – that’s 30 times less [than Lamar], and he was getting driven to away games because he couldn’t fly because he had a collapsed lung. Okay? That’s what we are talking about.”

Watson capped off the 2018 regular season with a career-high 4,165 passing yards and 26 TDs, 551 rushing yards and 5 rushing TDs. But that year, he also faced the most dropbacks under pressure in the league (281) and was sacked a league-leading 62 times, tied for the fifth-most in a single season in NFL history.

Despite the damage he endured in 2018, the 6’2″, 220-pound Watson continued his aggressive QB style in 2019, helping the Texans to a 10–6 record and an AFC South title in the process, even though he was sacked 44 times in the regular season and a league-leading 11 times in the postseason

Watson also led the Texans to a 22-19 win over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card Round, a game in which he was sacked 7 times.

The sack damage, so far, hasn’t stopped Watson from progressing through his young career as a dual-threat QB, but those concerned with Jackson’s style-of-play also use Newton as an example of a how a run-first quarterback isn’t made to survive in the NFL.

Newton, like Jackson and Watson, made a huge splash when he entered the league. He shattered NFL rookie records for passing yards (4,051) and rushing yards (706) by a quarterback. He also ran for 14 TDs as a rookie, an NFL record for a quarterback.

At 6’5″, 245 pounds, Newton was known for his power running style, which some think ultimately led to the injuries that have negatively affected his career into 2020.

Newton absorbed 184 hits in his historic MVP campaign in 2015, where he led the Panthers to a 15–1 record and a trip to Super Bowl 50.

He took another 180 hits in the 2017 season. Then, in 2018, the injuries started to pile up.

He missed the final two games of the 2018 season after undergoing shoulder surgery, and he then missed 14 games in 2019 with a fractured foot.

And now that he’s a free agent, Newton is struggling to find a fit, partially because teams are not able have Newton in-house for a physical evaluation.

Few teams are in need of a starting quarterback, and Newton — who has been plagued by foot and shoulder injuries the past two seasons — is currently unable to be examined by a doctor, due to the coronavirus.

However, one aspect of the game that Jackson has enjoyed so far – that Newton and Watson have not enjoyed – is the protection of an elite offensive line.

Right guard Marshal Yanda was an 8-time Pro Bowler and 2-time First-Team All-Pro selection during his 13-year career before retiring at the end of last season. Alongside Yanda, left guard Bradley Bozeman, center Matt Skura and right tackle Orlando Brown Jr. dominated defenses in 2019, allowing the Ravens to have the league’s highest-scoring offense (33.2 points per game) and top rushing offense (3,296 yards).

Not to mention, the system is specifically designed to fit Jackson’s unorthodox style.

And so far, that system has worked.

Jackson had the fourth-lowest percentage of times sacked among all quarterbacks who started at least 15 games, and the 12th-lowest among the 58 quarterbacks who started at least once last season.

Yanda is gone, but Bozeman, Skura and Brown are all back and set to protect Jackson in 2020.

NFL teams will look to adjust to Jackson and the Ravens’ offensive approach this upcoming season.

But until then, Lamar – keep doing you.

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