This is a warm-up for a longer Lamar Jackson analysis that follows when the season ends. Today I offer a few comments on two inter-related Lamar considerations. First, his on-the-field strategic utilization. Second, his progress, and any additional upside potential, within the confines of Greg Roman’s “Lamar” offense. So let’s look at more on Lamar Jackson.
More on Lamar: The 2022 Handicaps
Let’s start with a brief review of how Lamar has been utilized this year. I caveat this discussion by noting that we really haven’t known Lamar’s physical status all season, current injury aside. To me, Lamar has not looked physically right since early in the year. He doesn’t look as quick, as evidenced by his reduced escapability on broken plays, and on occasions when he has been unable to turn the corner. The degree to which his condition has adversely impacted his on-field use is impossible to gauge.
We then have to acknowledge the obvious. Rashod Bateman was taken away from the attack early on. Although Bateman’s performance was inconsistent, he was a serious threat with the ball in his hands at all levels of the field. A player that defenses had to account for. No other receiver from the current group fills that void. No doubt, Lamar is tasked with playing with the worst receiver group of any of the top quarterbacks.
Second, though a bit less important, the running back room has been a constant turnstile. Performance consistency has gone missing. Although Justice Hill offers the best combination of explosiveness and power, he is rarely utilized other than on passing downs. Even then, he’s primarily tasked with blitz pickup. Gus Edwards and Kenyan Drake have had their moments, but only occasional dominance.
Third, when Ronnie Stanley is unavailable, the offensive line has been ineffective in the run game, lacking power and consistency, particularly on the inside. Stanley’s return is indispensable for the Ravens offense to compete.
Reliance on Big Formations is a Big Mistake
With all of that out of the way, what do we see? The Ravens have heavily deployed their big formations. Two tight ends on the field with the fullback and only one wide receiver. Typically, the formation has been bunched tight – neither tight end has been spread wide. Defenses react to these formations by stacking defenders. The Ravens just don’t threaten the field laterally pre-snap. Their ability to run misdirection is severely compromised.
It’s Hampering Lamar
This offensive structure is hampering Lamar. And this is no knock on Pat Ricard, who has executed his assignments beautifully on most occasions. But the structure has failed to open enough running lanes. The line as a group, particularly without Stanley, does not get enough push. Furthermore, these formations don’t create enough available passing targets who can threaten the defense coming out of the big formations. Defenses just don’t worry with either DeMarcus Robinson or Devin Duvernay as the only wide-out on the field. Moreover, with Lamar not getting to the line of scrimmage quickly enough, he is unable to scan the defense and exploit any pre-snap openings.
But it’s not as if the Ravens are incapable of diversifying away from these big formations. They can, and they have done it successfully, even without Bateman.
The Huntley Offense – Why Not Lamar, Too?
Look no farther than the Broncos game. As soon as Tyler Huntley took the field, the Ravens went to the “Huntley” offense, which features far more three receiver sets and a west coast style passing attack. And Huntley ran fairly effectively from this structure when called upon. The field was more open, in spite of the obvious reluctance to ask Huntley to attack downfield in the air. On the key play in the game, Huntley was able to find Kenyan Drake down the sideline – a running back of all things down the field! – for a big play. And Greg Roman even opened the vault for the ill-fated and poorly designed flea-flicker, featuring Kenyan Drake 30 yards downfield. [Note to self: if Roman calls a flea flicker again, why not let the running back – or, heaven forbid, the quarterback – throw to the wide receiver, and not the other way around?]
The point here is that the Huntley offense creates much more open space in the defense. Three receiver sets – even if the third receiver is a second tight end in the slot or spread wide – force defenses to cover more of the field laterally and to back off of the line of scrimmage. To me, this is exactly what the “Lamar” offense is missing. And given the absence of Bateman and a strong replacement, utilizing Isaiah Likely spread wide in these formations could pose real challenges for defenses. But alas!
So, I lay the blame on the offensive structure – on the strategic approach – that invites defenders “up’ to defend against Lamar. My concern is amplified given the unwillingness to utilize disguise and misdirection. And it puzzles me further that we just haven’t seen nearly as much play action out of the big formations. Or out of any formation.
I’ll note one more thing. These big formations have a better chance of creating success in the run game with Ronnie Stanley at left tackle. Not that I would run them as much as Roman for the reasons described. I think the concept is over-emphasized by Roman. But with Pat Mekari out there, the odds of success go way down.
More On Lamar – Any Progress?
Now let’s touch on the more sensitive subject – Lamar’s “progress” over the last season and a half. Here, my only focus is on Lamar’s ability as a passer. Several thoughts are in order.
Lamar is blessed with adequate, though not top-end, overall arm strength. But he lacks linear arm strength. By this I mean that his ability to deliver a straight-line throw with authority is no more than average. He is able to release the ball with a flick of the wrist. But because his arm placement mechanics are inconsistent, and because his footwork is equally erratic, his angular momentum and drive into his throws leads to great inconsistency in ball delivery. As a result, passes sail or tail, leading to incompletions.
Contrast Lamar’s mechanics with arguably the most consistent thrower of our lifetime – Tom Brady. The GOAT almost always has the exact same mechanics on every throw he makes. His arm location is identical. His footwork is identical. It’s a beauty to see, even at age 45. Repetition and perfection. Lamar is just never going to get there at this point.
Then we look at Lamar’s physical ability to throw the ball deeper down the field. Utilizing loft, he is able to deliver the ball to a better than average distance. But his ability to naturally triangulate to a rapidly moving receiver 25 or more yards down the field just isn’t there. To me, this is something that he can still improve upon at this point in his career. He will never be Josh Allen on these throws. But with repetition he can learn to better locate the ball with arc.
In the Pocket, or on the Move?
Next is Lamar’s ability to throw on the move. I’ve noted some of the mechanical challenges when Lamar is more stationary. But on the move the situation becomes worse. He oftentimes is unable to get enough hip rotation and torque into throws when moving right. Moving left is usually pure folly. Lamar has not shown a consistent ability to step into a throw while rolling out. He compensates for this weakness on throws within 15 yards or so. But beyond that distance balls tend to fall short. To me, it’s clear that Lamar is not as good on the move as he is when he’s more stationary. And Greg Roman’s structure, game plan, and play calling must account for those facts.
If this is all correct, then Lamar must better master the side-step and the step-up when in the pocket and under pressure. Early in his career when under pressure, Lamar regularly broke the pocket and took off within one-half of a second of feeling pressured. Over the last year or so, he’s seemingly made a conscious effort to move completely away from pressure, while staying behind the line of scrimmage and looking for a target. We’ve seen him do this and “lock on” to receivers (for too long in the effort) before being consumed by rushers from behind him.
But because of Lamar’s challenges when throwing on the move, he is better served simply stepping up in the pocket. After stepping up, or side stepping rushers where that’s necessary, he is positioned to deliver passes from positions where he still has a chance to get his body into the throw. Said another way, the Ravens must focus on getting Lamar to make throws from positions where he can get his best foot positioning. Because without that, there’s a risk Lamar’s ceiling as a passer has been reached.
That leads to the most difficult subject. What is Lamar’s upside as a passer? And what does that mean in the context of Lamar’s, and the Ravens’, future? Particularly as his ability to excel based on pure athletic ability naturally diminishes over time. I’ll get to that after the season is over.
Random Thoughts
Kevin Zeitler hasn’t practiced so far this week. Will Ben Cleveland make his 2022 debut at right guard?
Odafe Oweh played a season-low number of snaps against the Broncos. His sack was not earned. The Ravens need meaningful plays in the pass rush from David Ojabo.
The Steelers are making more progress than we might like to admit. They have some interesting pieces including George Pickens. But Pickens might be their next head case too.
The return of Marcus Williams allows the Ravens defense to be “complete.” The back end will be much stronger. Perhaps Mike Macdonald will become more comfortable playing more man.
It will be interesting to see whether the Steelers attempt to take away the quick tosses underneath from Huntley. Will they force him to go deeper? And will Roman be comfortable having Huntley compete with Minkah Fitzpatrick farther down the field?
Let’s get a lot more of Isaiah Likely in the slot or split wide. He’s a tough matchup for any safety; an impossible matchup for a linebacker. Roman must find a way to get him at least six targets a game. Legitimate dual-threat tight ends are an asset the Ravens just haven’t exploited. And they could do some of the same with Josh Oliver.
