Dilemma on the Maryland side. After the record signing of Lamar Jackson, should we protect the quarterback at all costs, at the risk of depriving ourselves of his qualities in the race? For John Harbaugh, interviewed this Thursday at a press conference, nothing should change.
Notably, after multiple additions on the target side (Odell Beckham Jr, Nelson Agholor, and first-round rookie draftee Zay Flowers), as well as the hiring of a new offensive coordinator (Todd Monken), Harbaugh is considering the offense able to do great things.
“Offense has a chance to be exciting and fun to watch. It can be a winners attack, that’s always what we’re looking for. Our expectations are high. Like Lamar said, it’s like being back in 2018 (note: his rookie season): all you think about is being the best you can be. This year is no exception, but I understand that expectations are a little higher. »
With a record contract and new, more experienced targets, keeping Lamar Jackson out of the race seems like a bad idea for Harbaugh, since it’s precisely his unique attributes that have gotten him this far.
“We don’t have those kinds of ideas in mind at all, in the sense that Lamar is a unique player. He plays his own game, sometimes it’s called the “Lamar Ball”.
And I tell him all the time, “Play like you know how to play. You have a unique style because you are unique. There is no one like him, and there will never be anyone like him. So let him be the Lamar Jackson that God allowed him to be.
Lamar is unique in the way he sees the game. As if he were taking snapshots of the current state of the game. He doesn’t necessarily see it from the very analytical angle of reading progression, he sees the game in a more global way. So you trust that as a coach, and you encourage him to play his game.
He will throw when necessary, and he will run when necessary. That’s what we’re gonna do, and it’s gonna be amazing. »
Lamar Jackson doesn’t have to look far to find his number one fan.
