Lamar Needs To Be A Checkdown Passer in This Offense

[QtR Nevermore]

Are you trolling? When Tom Brady sees a blitz coming do you think he's looking for whatever the "designed play" was? No, most cases he's taking the snap and immediately throwing it to where the blitzer came from.

You're asking Lamar to operate like Brady? This whole zero blitz problem is very new to Lamar. Except for an occasional play earlier this season it started in Miami and for the first time in his whole life, the best option isn't for Lamar to keep the ball and make a play. He's had three games to get on top of this and we get all these posters popping up from who knows where to tell us Lamar isn't good enough and we shouldn't sign him.

Lamar will learn how to do it, just like he's overcome every other problem in his career. That will be no problem for all the Lamar hating trolls, who'll just slither back under their bridges and wait for their next chance to criticize, but sensible posters, who are here all the time will look pretty silly when Lamar figures this out and goes back to being one of the best QBs in the league again.

Hasn't he earned a bit of trust?

[QtR Nevermore]

In fact, thinking about it for 30 seconds more, it hasn't even been 3 games. Lamar's legs have been his checkdown up to and through the Miami game, so Lamar has literally had 2 games to get used to throwing to his checkdown (if there even was one - on some plays there wasn't, even yesterday) and yet so many of you are ready to write him off?

It's extremely annoying and ungrateful from a fan base that would be looking at a 2 or 3 win team with an average QB.

[The Wizard of OZ]

You're asking Lamar to operate like Brady? This whole zero blitz problem is very new to Lamar. Except for an occasional play earlier this season it started in Miami and for the first time in his whole life, the best option isn't for Lamar to keep the ball and make a play. He's had three games to get on top of this and we get all these posters popping up from who knows where to tell us Lamar isn't good enough and we shouldn't sign him.

Lamar will learn how to do it, just like he's overcome every other problem in his career. That will be no problem for all the Lamar hating trolls, who'll just slither back under their bridges and wait for their next chance to criticize, but sensible posters, who are here all the time will look pretty silly when Lamar figures this out and goes back to being one of the best QBs in the league again.

Hasn't he earned a bit of trust?

The Bengals showed this look some actually. The Phins turned the volume up. The Vikings also used it. Ask yourself, why are defensive coordinators doing this to the Ravens? What are they seeing on film that makes them think they can get away with doing this vs the Ravens, but not vs say, the Chargers or other teams? I think most fans love #8. He does have tendencies though and that's why teams are doing this. He's got some habits that must be broken or this will continue to be a thorn in this teams side. You can bring in other coordinators but unless he changes his tendencies the conversation will remain the same.


I don't think people hate Lamar. I actually think people want him to get it and are frustrated that he hasn't gotten it and him not having gotten it can and has cost us games. There is no denying he took points off the board yesterday. But at the same time he gave us a chance to win it so..

[cbaywolf]

You're asking Lamar to operate like Brady? This whole zero blitz problem is very new to Lamar. Except for an occasional play earlier this season it started in Miami and for the first time in his whole life, the best option isn't for Lamar to keep the ball and make a play. He's had three games to get on top of this and we get all these posters popping up from who knows where to tell us Lamar isn't good enough and we shouldn't sign him.

Lamar will learn how to do it, just like he's overcome every other problem in his career. That will be no problem for all the Lamar hating trolls, who'll just slither back under their bridges and wait for their next chance to criticize, but sensible posters, who are here all the time will look pretty silly when Lamar figures this out and goes back to being one of the best QBs in the league again.

Hasn't he earned a bit of trust?

Lamar has been in the league for 4 years He's not a rookie. He knows what a blitz is, and *should* know how to beat it (and not just by running). While he may be new to seeing this 70 percent of the time, he should know where his hot reads are on EVERY pass pattern, and be prepared to go there when he's looking at a blitz lineup. If this was 2019 I would cut him some slack, but he's supposed to be an MVP candidate, but he looks like a deer in headlights.

If he could master hitting guys off the line at least some of the time, he would stop seeing it so much.

We're about to get into his second contract, and he doesn't understand how to beat the blitz. It's a major concern, and we're past the point of where he should be "figuring it out" to this extent.

[YorkRavensFan]

There is something called play calling. The designed play was to Andrews. Watt was bearing down on him fast. It's easy to look at it on tv but on the field it's like a tank about to run you over any second. Lamar should have just thrown the ball out of bounds. He is playing hero ball too much.

There is also something called a hot read. When Lamar identifies the blitz coming, he needs to abandon Andrews even if he is the first read on the originally play call and go to the hot read a quickly as possible. There were guys open for quick hits all day yesterday but Lamar is showing that he flat out refuses to do that. Either he can't or he won't. Either way, it's a big problem.

[QtR Nevermore]

Lamar has been in the league for 4 years He's not a rookie. He knows what a blitz is, and *should* know how to beat it (and not just by running). While he may be new to seeing this 70 percent of the time, he should know where his hot reads are on EVERY pass pattern, and be prepared to go there when he's looking at a blitz lineup. If this was 2019 I would cut him some slack, but he's supposed to be an MVP candidate, but he looks like a deer in headlights.

It doesn't matter how many years he's been in the league. He has never been given hot reads until after Miami exposed that particular failing in Roman's offense. Lamar's legs have always been his checkdown and the offense was designed for that to be the case. He has 2 games experience of checking the ball down - probably in his entire life.

I know it's a blindspot. I was going on about the lack of options when faced with the blitz for weeks before the Miami game. Lamar was looking at receivers backs as they ran away from him while the blitz closed in. This failing is as much on Roman as Lamar. He was supposed to have the answers but he only started providing any after he was exposed on prime time.

[The Wizard of OZ]

It doesn't matter how many years he's been in the league. He has never been given hot reads until after Miami exposed that particular failing in Roman's offense. Lamar's legs have always been his checkdown and the offense was designed for that to be the case. He has 2 games experience of checking the ball down - probably in his entire life.

I know it's a blindspot. I was going on about the lack of options when faced with the blitz for weeks before the Miami game. Lamar was looking at receivers backs as they ran away from him while the blitz closed in. This failing is as much on Roman as Lamar. He was supposed to have the answers but he only started providing any after he was exposed on prime time.

Lamar has been playing QB a great deal of his life. Are you suggesting this year is the first time he's heard of and even given hot reads?

[simplesimon]

There is also something called a hot read. When Lamar identifies the blitz coming, he needs to abandon Andrews even if he is the first read on the originally play call and go to the hot read a quickly as possible. There were guys open for quick hits all day yesterday but Lamar is showing that he flat out refuses to do that. Either he can't or he won't. Either way, it's a big problem.

Andrews is the hot read! Wish he had Hayden Hurst. Boyle would have been the other but he is hurt. I like how people complain but what about the hot read success with Ricard against the Vikings? These other receivers aren't the answer.

[simplesimon]

Lamar has been playing QB a great deal of his life. Are you suggesting this year is the first time he's heard of and even given hot reads?

Mahomes has been playing longer but why is their offense not putting up 30 to 40 points a game anymore?

[QtR Nevermore]

Lamar has been playing QB a great deal of his life. Are you suggesting this year is the first time he's heard of and even given hot reads?

Probably. He's played QB for a great deal of his life but he's been Lamar Jackson all his life. Literally the only situation where it's better for Lamar to check down to a hot read than to keep the ball is when he's blitzed with at least 6 NFL rushers to close all his running lanes.

Even if he was zero blitzed in College or High School he would have been athletic enough to make a play. He played 3.5 NFL seasons using his escapability as a checkdown, why would he have needed hot reads until now?

[The Wizard of OZ]

Mahomes has been playing longer but why is their offense not putting up 30 to 40 points a game anymore?

Would be an interesting study. On the surface the one thing I can say is neither team runs the football as well as they used to. The one thing I would says for the Ravens is we have ran it much better in the short area than the Chiefs and it's not even close. The Chiefs can't cash in in the short area IMO due to their inability to run. But that's just looking at it on the surface.

[Jam31]

Mahomes has been playing longer but why is their offense not putting up 30 to 40 points a game anymore?

Yes Mahomes Allen & Jackson have all struggled this year with taking what the defense gives them. Lamar's gotta correct his approach asap.