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Wednesday, August 12, 2020

Late for Work 8/12: Lamar Jackson Makes the Cover of Sports Illustrated - BaltimoreRavens.com

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"The stigma of being 'dual threat'—and I say that with the air quotations—used to mean being a runner but now it really means dual threat, doing both," Jackson's private quarterbacks coach Joshua Harris said. "But I'll be the first to say this: It'll take consistency. If he comes back next year, he does similar or better, then people will start to realize, this is the way the position can be played."

Jackson has helped usher in a new generation of quarterbacks, but doubts have been raised during his journey. They've followed Jackson as a Heisman Trophy winner at Louisville to the closing seconds of an MVP campaign last season.

However, there is no doubt that Jackson has developed into one of the NFL's top quarterbacks at just 23 years old.

"In every draft room, including Baltimore's, grades on Jackson varied because his skills challenged traditional scouting checklists," Vrentas wrote. "But his supporters were adamant: In one Ravens pre-draft meeting, an evaluator declared that if they got Jackson, he would immediately be the franchise's best athlete ever. Where Baltimore charted a new path was then building an offense unlike any the NFL has ever seen, around its best athlete ever."

We've seen Jackson transform the NFL, but perhaps his biggest impact has been at the youth level.

Vrentas wrote that when Jackson graduated from Boynton Beach High School, he and youth coach Van Warren set up a clinic to help economically disadvantaged kids train and work towards football scholarships.

"They call their program 'Super 8,' teaching both football skills and eight core values: God, prayer, faith, family, education, sacrifice, character and discipline," Vrentas wrote. "When Jackson changed from number 7 to 8 when he arrived at Louisville they had to add one more value. Fitting to Jackson's path, the eighth one was faith.

"... [Warren] had thrown himself into this task out of frustration over seeing many of his Black youth players be told they wouldn't make it as quarterbacks at the next level. He vowed to make their passing mechanics so impeccable that no coach could ever use that as a reason to deny them a shot."

Jackson's No. 8 jersey symbolizes more than just fandom for young players, but also a belief that they can follow in his footsteps.

Head Coach John Harbaugh knew it when Jackson's MVP-defining moment came last season.

"Do you know how many little kids in this country are going to be wearing No. 8 playing quarterback for the next 20 years?" Harbaugh told Jackson as they sat together on the sideline in Cincinnati.

"I can't wait to see it when I get older. But right now I gotta get to the Super Bowl," Jackson said.

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Late for Work 8/12: Lamar Jackson Makes the Cover of Sports Illustrated - BaltimoreRavens.com
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