Super Bowl-winning coach has laughably bad Lamar Jackson take
Former Rams coach Mike Martz, offensive coordinator for the franchise during its 1999 Super Bowl-winning season, weighed in on the Lamar Jackson contract dispute for The 33rd Team with a shockingly shallow take.
"As a passer, Jackson is just OK," Martz wrote, apparently with a straight face. "He's accurate. He's got a strong arm, but he's not a guy who will get you a quick read," he continued.
It doesn't take much to see that Jackson is, in fact, far better than "OK" at passing, whether after extending plays or on a quick read. On these two plays, for example, Jackson quickly identifies his intended target and delivered on-target throws in tight windows for touchdowns.
The first came when he connected with running back Mark Ingram inside the 5-yard line.
In the 2022 opener against the Jets, he found Devin Duvernay in the end zone on a go-route for a 25-yard score.
Martz warned that any team interested in signing Jackson must "be careful."
"You have to study what you're going to do with him," he said, adding, "Jackson isn't like Aaron Rodgers or some of the other great ones in the past where you could put them on any team and they'd still be great players."
Absolutely nothing in Jackson's career suggests he won't play well wherever he plays. He won a Heisman Trophy in college at Louisville and then an MVP award in the NFL. He's 45-16 as a starter for the Ravens. Martz's argument isn't based in fact as much as it is on preconceived biases. Or perhaps it's projection.
As the head coach of the Rams (2000-05), Martz's offenses never ranked lower than 13th in yards. In five seasons as an offensive coordinator with the Lions, 49ers and Bears, his offenses never ranked higher than 19th in yards. (h/t Sports Reference)
The funniest part of Martz's piece is when he asserts that Jackson is propped up by "a great offensive line, great personnel and a great plan." Per Football Outsiders, the Ravens offensive line ranked 22nd in adjusted sack rate (8.1 percent) in 2022. Jackson has turned many would-be sacks into huge plays over the years.
Much has been made this offseason of Baltimore general manager Eric DeCosta's inability to surround Jackson with elite playmakers. Last off-season, he traded Jackson’s favorite target, Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, to the Cardinals.
There's enough evidence for Martz to know better than to downplay Jackson's abilities as a quarterback. At this point, it takes willful ignorance to think he is only "OK.”
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