The hope is that rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson doesn't have to play much, if at all, this season.
If he does, that's not a good sign. It would indicate that starter Joe Flacco has been hurt or is playing poorly. And if that's the case then the Ravens are in trouble and any postseason aspirations are gone. Then the coach and his staff might be fired, too.
That's too much drama.
If the Ravens want success, they need a quiet season and certainly no quarterback controversy. But it's probably going to happen: Jackson vs. Flacco.
Somehow coach John Harbaugh has to try to stop this from happening. But there hasn't been a more polarizing sports figure in Baltimore in recent years than Flacco. He is like the Russians — he gets blamed for everything from dropped passes to lack of scoring to lack of leadership.
It was general manager Ozzie Newsome's final draft as the person in charge and he delivered 12 potential Ravens, the highest number of picks in a draft for the team since 1997.
Are there future stars in the class? We'll have to wait and see.
The new savior arrived in town when the Ravens drafted Jackson, the Louisville quarterback, in the first round on Thursday. He is the new prototype quarterback in the NFL. He is big, strong and fast enough to make plays outside of the pocket, which makes him ideal for run-pass option plays.
Yet here is the rub: The kid isn't ready for the NFL. All quarterbacks struggle in their rookie seasons and some never recover. The Ravens don't need to rush him onto the field.
The ideal situation for both the Ravens and Jackson is to sit for a year and study the offense as well as Flacco and fellow quarterback Robert Griffin III. He can learn from offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, who has coached mobile quarterbacks like Steve Young and Michael Vick.
Because if there is one major flaw in Jackson's game it's his mechanics. Once he fixes those, his accuracy and confidence will improve as well.
There are going to be cries from fans for Harbaugh to start Jackson over Flacco at some point during the season if Flacco struggles.
It will start in the preseason where both Griffin and Jackson could play well against second- and third-string defenses. It's unlikely the Ravens will keep three quarterbacks and they certainly aren't going to cut a first-round pick.
So if Jackson is No 2 and Flacco struggles when does Harbaugh pull the plug?
I hope it never gets to that point in 2018.
This is the time for Flacco to step up, not back. He has responded to challenges before, like in 2011 when Harbaugh fired coordinator Cam Cameron during the season and replaced him with Jim Caldwell. Flacco went on to have a strong postseason and lead the Ravens to the Super Bowl title.
When Gary Kubiak became the Ravens' offensive coordinator in 2014 he gave Flacco the option of either doing it Kubiak's way as far as improving his mechanics or take a seat on the bench.
Flacco became a Kubiak disciple and established career-highs that season in passing yards (3,986) and touchdown passes (27), as he completed 62.1 percent of his passes for a quarterback rating of 91.0.
This season presents another challenge. Flacco is on the downside of a 10-year career and sustained major injuries in two of the last three seasons. Despite those issues, general manager Ozzie Newsome went out this offseason and loaded up with some new weapons.
He signed receivers Michael Crabtree, John Brown and Willie Snead during free agency. Over the weekend he secured the two best tight ends, Hayden Hurst and Mark Andrews, in college football. He drafted wide receivers Jaleel Scott and Jordan Lasley.
Harbaugh downplayed any debate about his quarterback situation minutes after the selection of Jackson by stating Flacco was his No. 1 quarterback. It was a good move and appropriate.
Flacco will count almost $25 million against the salary camp this season. After New England quarterback Tom Brady, Flacco's 10 playoff wins are the second-most among NFL quarterbacks since he entered the league in 2008. Flacco's resume also includes a Super Bowl championship.
There is no need for an open competition. Flacco is a proven winner and Jackson hasn't thrown a pass in the NFL. Apparently Flacco didn't want to talk about the addition of Jackson over the weekend and who can blame him? Only a week ago he had talked about how the NFL was a business and it was inevitable for the Ravens one day to bring in another quarterback.
That day came Thursday.
While Flacco is silent the town is buzzing about Jackson. People are asking questions about how much Jackson will play this season and will the Ravens put in special packages for him.
That's what we don't need to see. Wildcat offenses indicate unproductive offenses. It's tough enough watching Mornhinweg tinker with his current offense much less changing it to compensate for Jackson's skill set.
That could be ugly.
Flacco has earned the right to finish his career in Baltimore as long as he plays well. He has been loyal to the organization and you never went to sleep at night wondering if his name was going to appear in the police blotter the next morning.
Jackson can wait. An early sighting would indicate serious trouble for the organization. The Ravens have a luxury few other rookie quarterbacks get to enjoy.
Right now, there is no need to rush Jackson into the starting lineup.
Time is on his side.
About the Author
