Lamar Jackson

[Oldfaithful]

I said Skura was average in this system, but also said we should get better at the position, If you’re not playing within this system, he downright sucks. If you go back you will see that I said Lamar aided him.

He's not. Skura was the fucking reason we ran a gimmick offense in the first place. Even then the tape suggests that Skura was consistently dogwalked when Lamar was in. So no, he's not. There's no feasible argument supporting this at all. Most aren't black and white issues, but this is. Skura is fucking useless, and him along with Hurst, Wormley, and Buck Allen epitomize everything wrong with this team.

If the FO had any sense, we'd cut him loose. We are better off not having him on the roster

 

[Dom McRaven]

We are typically a successful franchise, who doesn’t often find ourselves in a position to obtain a new franchise qb

The team was bleeding fan support and we needed a spark

We took a gamble on a big spark for the fan base who may turn out to be a franchise qb and we did it at 32nd overall. The move made entirely too much sense, a bit of a gamble but an obvious one. I was shocked at the idea that we were finally moving on from joe and with a completely different style of qb, but not shocked that the move was made

I.e. the waning home crowd "advantage." It was slowly becoming more pathetic when we hosted a popular/good team. It's crazy how quickly we can become not only relevant, but a legit contender if Lamar fixes a couple of the issues that @Lost_In_Translation and others point out. Of course, the FO needs to stop bullshittin' the fans and actually build an offense which starts with a competent AF o-line.

 

[Tank]

We are typically a successful franchise, who doesn’t often find ourselves in a position to obtain a new franchise qb

The team was bleeding fan support and we needed a spark

We took a gamble on a big spark for the fan base who may turn out to be a franchise qb and we did it at 32nd overall. The move made entirely too much sense, a bit of a gamble but an obvious one. I was shocked at the idea that we were finally moving on from joe and with a completely different style of qb, but not shocked that the move was made

Not shocked by the move at all just the timing, and totally agree that it was as much of a PR move as anything else. We were and remain in need of O line reinforcements and I was pretty confident that was where they would concentate picks and resources last off season. Had they done that successfully I think the season plays out much differently. We’ll see how it pans out, but for me we kinda threw away a possible two or three year window to have a real shot in the tournament. And I also wish I were as confident as you that we have found a new franchise QB.

 

[JoeyFlex5]

Not shocked by the move at all just the timing, and totally agree that it was as much of a PR move as anything else. We were and remain in need of O line reinforcements and I was pretty confident that was where they would concentate picks and resources last off season. Had they done that successfully I think the season plays out much differently. We’ll see how it pans out, but for me we kinda threw away a possible two or three year window to have a real shot in the tournament. And I also wish I were as confident as you that we have found a new franchise QB.

I’m not “that” confident, I’m hopeful and cautiously optimistic and excited.

 

[Ellicottraven]

There comes a point where the natural talent has to be there for the work ethic to bring it to the surface, and if lamar doesn’t have the natural arm talent and his arm is just what it is, then I don’t see him passing for 3500. When I wonder if he’ll plateau, it’s because work ethic can only take you so far if the arm talent is just missing.

I’m not saying he’ll plateau, I’m saying I worry that he will, meaning I’m basically gonna be a pussy about lamar and make no definitive statements and only say that I’m a huge fan and I support him lol

As for me I'm a shameless fan, apologist and puffer for Lamar Jackson. I can't put my finger on it, but my suspicion after reading a ton about Lamar Jackson in college, anecdotes from players that played with him, etc., I am actually convinced that not only will he improve substantially in his passing but will showcase a complete game that'll be near impossible to stop and game plan for. I totally understand where you are coming from because truthfully I'm not far removed from where you are except that blade of grass separates us in that I don't doubt he has the arm talent to succeed and you do support him conditionally but are not convinced entirely. Other than that it seems to me we are both big fans of Lamar Jackson!

ps: And oh by the way, I'm putting my money where my mouth is (or fingers are in this case) and bought myself a black Lamar Jackson Nike Game day Jersey!

 

[RavensMania]

He's not. Skura was the fucking reason we ran a gimmick offense in the first place. Even then the tape suggests that Skura was consistently dogwalked when Lamar was in. So no, he's not. There's no feasible argument supporting this at all. Most aren't black and white issues, but this is. Skura is fucking useless, and him along with Hurst, Wormley, and Buck Allen epitomize everything wrong with this team.

If the FO had any sense, we'd cut him loose. We are better off not having him on the roster

Skura is not the reason we ran a gimmick offense. The reason we ran a gimmick offense was Lamar Jackson and that’s really the end of the discussion. LJ didn’t have game reps with the first team and quite frankly Skura wasn’t the worst player of the original starters, that was Lewis. Certainly didn’t help having him line up next to Skura. Too bad interior lineman makes it even worse.

 

[JoeyFlex5]

As for me I'm a shameless fan, apologist and puffer for Lamar Jackson. I can't put my finger on it, but my suspicion after reading a ton about Lamar Jackson in college, anecdotes from players that played with him, etc., I am actually convinced that not only will he improve substantially in his passing but will showcase a complete game that'll be near impossible to stop and game plan for. I totally understand where you are coming from because truthfully I'm not far removed from where you are except that blade of grass separates us in that I don't doubt he has the arm talent to succeed and you do support him conditionally but are not convinced entirely. Other than that it seems to me we are both big fans of Lamar Jackson!

ps: And oh by the way, I'm putting my money where my mouth is (or fingers are in this case) and bought myself a black Lamar Jackson Nike Game day Jersey!

I support him UNconditionally, unless it’s year 4 and he looks like garbage, but during the development process, whether he’s struggling or kicking ass, I’m supporting him lol.

And I bought a purple one the day we beat the Bengals. Wanted black but they were sold out

 

[Oldfaithful]

Skura is not the reason we ran a gimmick offense. The reason we ran a gimmick offense was Lamar Jackson and that’s really the end of the discussion.

Actually no it's not. The gimmick offense wasn't the playcalling, but how we schemed this oline. It wouldn't have worked under Flacco in the slightest even though Flacco isn't a bad athlete. Our run game beforehand was pathetic. Who's main fault was that? Skura. The C position is by far the most important in this scheme and he was PATHETIC. To say he was servicable is just laughable and incorrect. Lewis may have been the worse player, but the LG position in this scheme can be masked.

The Brett Kollman video said it best because he broke down the actual game film. The offense would have been sustainable, in spite of the simplistic playcalling, had our oline consistently beaten other teams off of the ball. Instead, we took advantage of defenses being undisciplined on the offensive line. A good defense like the Chargers was not going to fall for that. Lamar made the equation work, but the oline is why we had to find "x" in the first place. Had we had a sustainable offensive line from the get go, we wouldn't have had any sort of problems in the Chargers game to begin with. The oline's scheme was the gimmick, and it needed to be the mask the indeficiencies of whoever the LG was, but mostly Skura. That's not debateable at all.

Skura killed the season. That's not debatable. Had we had a competent center from the get go, we would not have needed a gimmick to reliably run the ball with Lamar. Had we had a competent center from day one, Joe Flacco likely never loses his job because we have a run game we can lean on. Had we had a competent center from the get go, we likely get a bye week, and there is a better chance we represent the AFC in the super bowl.

If this team gave a damn about Lamar the first thing they'd do besides firing Marty(which we basically did) is get rid of Skura

 

[RavensMania]

Actually no it's not. The gimmick offense wasn't the playcalling, but how we schemed this oline. It wouldn't have worked under Flacco in the slightest even though Flacco isn't a bad athlete. Our run game beforehand was pathetic. Who's main fault was that? Skura. The C position is by far the most important in this scheme and he was PATHETIC. To say he was servicable is just laughable and incorrect. Lewis may have been the worse player, but the LG position in this scheme can be masked.

The Brett Kollman video said it best because he broke down the actual game film. The offense would have been sustainable, in spite of the simplistic playcalling, had our oline consistently beaten other teams off of the ball. Instead, we took advantage of defenses being undisciplined on the offensive line. A good defense like the Chargers was not going to fall for that. Lamar made the equation work, but the oline is why we had to find "x" in the first place. Had we had a sustainable offensive line from the get go, we wouldn't have had any sort of problems in the Chargers game to begin with. The oline's scheme was the gimmick, and it needed to be the mask the indeficiencies of whoever the LG was, but mostly Skura. That's not debateable at all.

Skura killed the season. That's not debatable. Had we had a competent center from the get go, we would not have needed a gimmick to reliably run the ball with Lamar. Had we had a competent center from day one, Joe Flacco likely never loses his job because we have a run game we can lean on. Had we had a competent center from the get go, we likely get a bye week, and there is a better chance we represent the AFC in the super bowl.

If this team gave a damn about Lamar the first thing they'd do besides firing Marty(which we basically did) is get rid of Skura

We are going to have to disagree here. Sure I agree the OL was bad and it’s obvious this play calling wouldn’t work under Flacco. You don’t need to tell anyone that. That being said we weren’t running as much zone read and rpo as you might think or the media thinks. If you break down the film you can see that we were running a lot more traps and power concepts, which is the bread and butter of Greg Roman.

During the season I also read there were about four pages of plays put into the playbook for Lamar.

 

[cdp]

We are going to have to disagree here. Sure I agree the OL was bad and it’s obvious this play calling wouldn’t work under Flacco. You don’t need to tell anyone that. That being said we weren’t running as much zone read and rpo as you might think or the media thinks. If you break down the film you can see that we were running a lot more traps and power concepts, which is the bread and butter of Greg Roman.

During the season I also read there were about four pages of plays put into the playbook for Lamar.

This depends on what you define as gimmicky. Our run game got more effective because the defenses didn't play schematically well. They didn't maintain their gaps and got impatient. Hurst and Skura are not NFL material our scheme was able to mask these weaknesses. It worked great because of Lamars exceptional athleticism and Gus doing exactly what he was asked to do.

 

[RavensMania]

This depends on what you define as gimmicky. Our run game got more effective because the defenses didn't play schematically well. They didn't maintain their gaps and got impatient. Hurst and Skura are not NFL material our scheme was able to mask these weaknesses. It worked great because of Lamars exceptional athleticism and Gus doing exactly what he was asked to do.

The scheme definitely masked our weaknesses and was able to use LJs strengths. The scheme couldn’t have been done without LJ. Kyle Shanahan did this with RG3, but it was more zone read than power concepts and traps. I believe gimmicky is really the wrong term to use. Hurst and Skura are better at guard, but shouldn’t be starting.

 

[ravenslord]

In Billick's corner, he did win a Super Bowl, but could be held accountable for Boller as a bust.

I could have coached that Ravens team with that D and won a Super Bowl. DOn't forget he brought in loser Grbac who was washed up and afraid to take a hit . That cost us big time and possibly another Super Bowl appearance.

 

[RavensMania]

I could have coached that Ravens team with that D and won a Super Bowl. DOn't forget he brought in loser Grbac who was washed up and afraid to take a hit . That cost us big time and possibly another Super Bowl appearance.

Yeah the Grbac move was pretty stupid.

 

[ravenslord]

Yeah the Grbac move was pretty stupid.

One of the worst decisions in Ravens history. Up there with picking Boller.

Both on Billick's watch.

So I take Billick's constant hammering of Lamar with a HUGE grain of salt.

 

[RL52TheGreatest]

One of the worst decisions in Ravens history. Up there with picking Boller.

Both on Billick's watch.

So I take Billick's constant hammering of Lamar with a HUGE grain of salt.

Yeah, Billick's opinions on QBs are null and void after that shit. If we didn't end up getting McNair for a few seasons then he would have gotten fired sooner.

 

[Adreme]

Wouldn't both QB calls be an ozzie decision? Why do we credit Ozzie for the good decisions and the coaches for the bad?

 

[Tank]

Actually no it's not. The gimmick offense wasn't the playcalling, but how we schemed this oline. It wouldn't have worked under Flacco in the slightest even though Flacco isn't a bad athlete. Our run game beforehand was pathetic. Who's main fault was that? Skura. The C position is by far the most important in this scheme and he was PATHETIC. To say he was servicable is just laughable and incorrect. Lewis may have been the worse player, but the LG position in this scheme can be masked.

The Brett Kollman video said it best because he broke down the actual game film. The offense would have been sustainable, in spite of the simplistic playcalling, had our oline consistently beaten other teams off of the ball. Instead, we took advantage of defenses being undisciplined on the offensive line. A good defense like the Chargers was not going to fall for that. Lamar made the equation work, but the oline is why we had to find "x" in the first place. Had we had a sustainable offensive line from the get go, we wouldn't have had any sort of problems in the Chargers game to begin with. The oline's scheme was the gimmick, and it needed to be the mask the indeficiencies of whoever the LG was, but mostly Skura. That's not debateable at all.

Skura killed the season. That's not debatable. Had we had a competent center from the get go, we would not have needed a gimmick to reliably run the ball with Lamar. Had we had a competent center from day one, Joe Flacco likely never loses his job because we have a run game we can lean on. Had we had a competent center from the get go, we likely get a bye week, and there is a better chance we represent the AFC in the super bowl.

If this team gave a damn about Lamar the first thing they'd do besides firing Marty(which we basically did) is get rid of Skura

Yeah the O line is the biggest uncertainty at this point and Skura’s play a concern. I hope they have a solid plan.

There actually were a few(unnamed, you know who you are. lol) that said Jensen was easily replaced and it wouldn't be hard to find a serviceable center.

Fishing for a center.....again.

Quotes from the summer/early fall.

 

[David Rockefeller]

Wouldn't both QB calls be an ozzie decision? Why do we credit Ozzie for the good decisions and the coaches for the bad?

Billick is being criticized now because he dared to criticize Jackson.

 

[Deebo813]

Wouldn't both QB calls be an ozzie decision? Why do we credit Ozzie for the good decisions and the coaches for the bad?

Usually how it goes..

 

[JoeyFlex5]

Wouldn't both QB calls be an ozzie decision? Why do we credit Ozzie for the good decisions and the coaches for the bad?

Head coach pounding the table means something, especially when that coach, at the time, was considered a qb guru. Remember, the whole thing was “billick is an offensive genius he just needs his qb” dilfer wasn’t his guy, so he got Elvis grbac, who threw picks galore and then retired, so we weren’t all ready to blame billick, then billick swore he could turn boller into a monster, and after we saw those results everyone realized billick was a fraud. He still had the reputation of a qb guru and grbac was considered a fluke out of billicks control.

I 100% put the boller thing on billick. Ozzie made the pick, but that’s because Ozzie was taking his coaches word based on his reputation