NFL legend Kurt Warner singles out Lamar Jackson in a way that most quarterbacks can’t relate to

Dual-threat quarterbacks have become "sexy" in the eyes of NFL coaches and draft scouts everywhere, but that shouldn't take away from the traditional in-the-pocket quarterback that the game of football was built on. 

NFL legend Kurt Warner recently emphasized the importance of having a consistent arm over crazy athleticism in an interview with quarterback guru Crissy Froyd. 

"I still believe the teams that are in the best position to win every week and the quarterbacks who are best in the league are the guys who play inside the pocket first,” Warner said. “The guys who play on-schedule. The guys that can make the layups.”

To Warner, other stuff, like gaining a few extra yards on the ground, is considered "off-schedule."

Warner believes the NFL has gotten way too caught up in the running quarterbacks and is straying too far away from the signal callers who can hit those routine passes. 

“When you see it and you’re in rhythm and you can hit it and you can take the things that are right in front of you," Warner said. "That, to me, is what has been lost, is how important being on-schedule, making the layups, playing the game and allowing the game and the guys around you to work for you.”

Warner did, however, throw around Baltimore Ravens' Lamar Jackson as an example of a quarterback who can do both, and do it very well, though he still prioritizes his arm over his insane athleticism. 

"I don’t care who you are, you can be Lamar Jackson, who is as good off-schedule as anybody in the league, you’re still going to be less efficient off-schedule than you are on-schedule,” Warner said. 

In 2023, Jackson finished the season throwing for a career-high 3,678 yards and 25 touchdowns for a 67.2 completion percentage and a 24-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He also finished first amongst all quarterbacks with 821 rushing yards, adding five more touchdowns along the way.

His dual-threat efforts helped lead Baltimore to a 13-4 record and he earned himself a second MVP. 

But it was Jackson's talent from inside the pocket that made the Ravens tough to compete against, and his legs that were just the cherry on top when it came to moving the chains and winning games.