Two-time AFC Championship HC attacks Ravens’ gameplan - “Lamar Jackson is not Tom Brady”
Lamar Jackson and Tom Brady are on either side of the spectrum when it comes to how they play the game. Brady would sit back in the pocket and win games with his arm. Meanwhile, Jackson has used his legs as much as any quarterback in the NFL.
However, in a scathing rant on Monday's edition of ESPN's "Get Up," NFL analyst Rex Ryan went after Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken's gameplan for the AFC championship game on Sunday night.
"This is the stupidest game plan I've ever seen," Ryan said. "And you know what, Greg Roman, every single person needs to apologize to you because you got blamed for everything about what was wrong in Baltimore. ... Todd Monken, by the way, you don't have Tom Brady."
Ryan, a former New York Jets coach, led the team to two back-to-back AFC championship appearances. He called out the number of throws Monken drew up for his quarterback:
"Do you realize your quarterback is Lamar Jackson, not Tom Brady? What in the hell are you doing, dropping back 82% of the time? This is the team that led the NFL in rushing attempts. They had six whopping rushing attempts to the running backs."
Some may argue that either being down or tied for the duration of the game forced the quarterback to throw more to score quicker to cut through the deficit. However, others would say that once the defense started to rack up stops, the Ravens could have returned to their typical run-first philosophy. Either way, the team and its fanbase are left wondering where Lamar Jackson's team goes from here.
Will Lamar Jackson get more or less expensive in 2024?
While much of the story this season has been about how the Ravens were awarded for correctly succumbing to Lamar Jackson's wishes, the end of the season puts his salary in a new light. The Ravens didn't win it all, so it will fall on them to find a way to get better. However, the question is whether Jackson will be more or less helpful on that front next season than he was this year.
According to Spotrac, Jackson's cap hit is expected to rise in 2024. In 2023, he brought on a cap hit of about $22 million. In 2024, his cap hit will balloon to $32.4 million.
His cap hit will only continue to grow in the following seasons. In 2025, his cap hit will be $43.65 million, but 2026 will be when the hammer drops. In 2026, at age 29, Jackson will cost the Baltimore Ravens $74.5 million in cap space.
The cost of the quarterback will only drag down the roster more over the next several years. Roughly speaking, for every additional $10 million locked up on Jackson, the team won't be able to sign a high-end starter or two mid-level starters. Odell Beckham Jr., for instance, carried a $5 million cap hit this season.
While losing a few starters won't automatically crater the franchise, it may make things challenging in the regular season and much more difficult in the playoffs.
Will the Baltimore Ravens be able to manage their new financial burden as Beckham and Gus Edwards' futures teeter?
If any of the above quotes are used, credit "Get Up" and H/T Sportskeeda.