Time to let LJ be LJ again

[usmccharles]

A big problem I've noticed with his running is he is late to commit to tucking and running. He holds thr ball buying time trying to find someone then when he decides to run, the defense has closed some of the angles and it becomes a 2 yard gain.

In no way am I saying just tuck and run Vick style, but his hesitation is costing thst first hole to get to the second level.

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[wickedsolo]

Wicked, I don’t think teams have “figured him out”. He just doesn’t look like the same player. He has year 1 mechanics and throwing motion. It’s really bizarre. He wasn’t playing like this with poor fundamentals last year. I really believed it was due to an injury but then he blazed through to the end zone. Ravens tweeted it was his fastest run of his career. So I’m not sure what’s up, but I can’t believe he just got lazy with the fundamentals.

Maybe he is dealing with injury?

I am sure the OL inconsistencies have made him pull his eyes down quite a bit.

[Justlovemybirds]

Lamar had his second highest PFF grade of the season (88), I think folks are overreacting on this particular game

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[AQKingRaven]

Looks like hes playing through some pain. It clearly cant be anything too serious but hes manmoding through some discomfort. That alone could explain alot. Poor coaching of course is a given.

[4Fights]

It just looked so corrected last year. He was such a great passer mechanically last year. Maybe he really still needed a full camp to really stay on track.

I think that's part of it but last year team's didn't think he could throw at all. They learned that he can throw about 70% of the routes and decent defenses/coaches can compensate for that. If we can get him to proficiency at 85% of the routes that will be enough.

[jamb17]

Most spoiled fan base there is!! Lamar is 23 years old let the kid figure it out!!

[Ravenswintitle]

Lamar had his second highest PFF grade of the season (88), I think folks are overreacting on this particular game

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I thought he had a pretty solid game, some folks just won't be happy regardless. Team wins they complain, we're the patriots...

[The Excellector]

We all knew this would happen. The Ravens weren't prepared for it. Maybe they thought that they could get another year out of it and they just might. It just won't feel good if they don't get one in the playoffs. They'll have to fire Roman in the off-season and draft another high WR. They'll also have to build the interior of the line, but that was bound to happen.

This is still a very good team and they'll be in the playoffs as long as Lamar is on the field, but the clock is ticking on this particular offense.

[pslholder96]

[QUOTE=Shrubbs;1964546]Wicked, I don’t think teams have “figured him out”. He just doesn’t look like the same player. He has year 1 mechanics and throwing motion. It’s really bizarre. He wasn’t playing like this with poor fundamentals last year. I really believed it was due to an injury but then he blazed through to the end zone. Ravens tweeted it was his fastest run of his career. So I’m not sure what’s up, but I can’t believe he just got lazy with the fundamentals.[/QUOTE

Yes he's not the same player as last year and a lot of that has to be do with teams being able to figure us out on offense. Running lanes aren't there becaues teams are defending us better and we haven't been able to counter that. Teams are daring us to beat them with one on one matchups.
I still think he has a linger injury some of kind. Straight line speed won't tell you if he's hurt but not being able to outrun defenders towards the boundaries is telling. Maybe it's because teams are exercising better discipline on the edges.

[BRfan96]

I'm a little late to the party on this one, but here are my thoughts:

-I do think that Lamar isn't getting help from his supporting cast. The run game isn't the same, part of that is due to the loss of Yanda, and I think also part of that is due to the lack of Hayden Hurst. I think we haven't run any of that 3 tight end read option stuff. I think that threw everyone for a loop last year because the pass game was still deadly with those guys on the field but the run was dominant with LJ and the OL doing their thing as well. So that's been a detriment

-Its hard to say if LJ is injured. It would explain a change in his mechanics, but at the same time he looked fine on Sunday when he wanted to take off and run. I honestly don't think he's injured, I think the offense and the playbook have changed and so too has the protection. I think all of that has combined into a change in LJ's mental processing more than anything.

- I do also believe the identity of this team is starting to form. 2019's team identity was to go out and dominate, go for it on 4th down, pound the rock, beat people up, hold the ball for a long time, make smart plays, make occasional big plays, defense scores and creates turnovers, everyone has fun, injuries also weren't too big a deal. 2020's identity I think is accomplishing the wins but in a different way: coast through the season, get the wins, do what's necessary to win, BUT there's still a hangover from last year. People are still shocked and the organization is still trying to "recapture" last years magic (and so are we as fans). That's a mistake though. Each season is its own thing and every team is different.

- I do think that someone needs to get in Lamar's ear and tell him: go out there and have fun. Go out there, run around, make plays, inspire people, inspire the team, help keep the offense out there on the field, be you (so yeah I agree with the OP)

- We as fans need to get used to the idea that every year is different. We may not be as pretty as last year. I'll still take a SB win if it happens. Someone made the point that LJ is only 23. That's a huge deal! Aaron Rodgers didn't make his first start until he was 25! remember that people. Give LJ a better cast and some time to develop and maybe a better offensive coaching staff and he, this franchise, and the future will be all good.

[veritas]

Losing Yanda hurt but the biggest problem is Roman. So many of the looks which confused defenses and caused hesitation on their part last season are now nowhere to be seen. When LJ is sitting there with a spread set and empty backfield you've taken the run right off the table. We rarely did that last year until the Tenn playoff game and, again, that was Roman pooping his pants and getting away from everything that worked all year.

This year we may need even more creativity than last year but instead it seems that everything has been dumbed down to where the offense looks disturbingly similar to the last few Flacco years at times. LJ is great but he isn't Rodgers or Mahomes or even Tannehill. The run and the threat of the run from various formations must remain an integral part of the offense or we are going to have big problems against teams like Pitt and Tenn coming up.

[jamb17]

Losing Yanda hurt but the biggest problem is Roman. So many of the looks which confused defenses and caused hesitation on their part last season are now nowhere to be seen. When LJ is sitting there with a spread set and empty backfield you've taken the run right off the table. We rarely did that last year until the Tenn playoff game and, again, that was Roman pooping his pants and getting away from everything that worked all year.

This year we may need even more creativity than last year but instead it seems that everything has been dumbed down to where the offense looks disturbingly similar to the last few Flacco years at times. LJ is great but he isn't Rodgers or Mahomes or even Tannehill. The run and the threat of the run from various formations must remain an integral part of the offense or we are going to have big problems against teams like Pitt and Tenn coming up.

Dude did you really just say tannehill the dude that got kicked off the worst team in the league is better than lamar ?? Omg 🤣🤣🤣 you dude crack me up!!