Anyone saying they’d take Lamar Jackson over Justin Herbert, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Dak Prescott, Deshaun Watson or Trevor Lawrence… you should be fired instantly.
Our assessments of Lamar clearly aren't the same. I love his potential and overall athleticism, ability to extend plays, scramble, and designed runs. At his best he's an MVP caliber player. He hasn't had great offensive talent around him either. He was spectacular to start this season, and although his numbers have come down, he's been relatively mistake free. Now unfortunately he's injured and will miss an undetermined amount of time. Eventually we'll see what he does in the postseason, which he'll enter with Mahomes, Allen and Burrow all expected to do more, so Lamar will have a real opportunity to make a statement.
As to the bit about which quarterback I would take, it depends on if it's for a single game, a single season, or as a franchise quarterback moving forward. The context changes all of my answers.
I'd take the potential of Mac Jones, Davis Mills, Mike White, Kenny Pickett, Bailey Zappe and Kyler Murray over LJ without batting an eyelash.
Ok, I'm not agreeing with this for sure. With all of the information I have as of today, I'll take Lamar over all of those quarterbacks. Of those quarterbacks, aside from Lamar, I would say Murray clearly has the most potential. Pickett's numbers are really bad but by the eyeball test he seems to have good potential. Zappe's an interesting case because he overperformed expectations and probably is worth another look... which for the long term will only happen if Mac gets seriously injured or traded.
Geno Smith wasn’t on this list to start the season, he was an unquestioned “bust.” Now he’s near the top, just below Brady. How does a QB ranking list account for team play around them?
Geno has to be given some credit for his own success this season. He's the comeback player of the year. Pete Carroll is a good head coach too. I know that's difficult for some to admit but his track record has become undeniable. We have to reassess Russell Wilson to some extent now as well. Perhaps he was contributing to Seattle's poor record in 2021 more than was originally thought. He's looked completed washed up in Denver and it's week 14 of the season. I like Lockett and Metcalf, and their running game has a solid Y/A, but their defense isn't very good and they're not guaranteed to make the postseason. Overall good team, with a good head coach, and a quarterback who's having an unexpectedly excellent season.
Up until this past weekend Josh Allen led the entire NFL in interceptions, his team is 9-3 because of the team around him…. if we’re being honest.
Allen's ceiling is almost unstoppable but he's been too inconsistent. With the respective remaining schedules, Buffalo will be fortunate to hold onto the #1 seed. If Allen plays to his potential then they could run the table. He's far from their biggest concern. Their defense on the other hand is leaking oil with the injuries, and with Miller now out for the remainder of the season, the defense isn't going to be as good as originally thought. So that's their main issue... working around the significant injuries on defense.
All that said, Burrow is closing in on the #2 spot quickly. And if Hurts keeps up his pace then he'll have to be considered for leapfrogging Allen too.
Is Tua Tagovailoa that good, or does he now have an innovative smart coach scheming for him along with Tyreek and Waddle? I'd still take him over LJ, even though Tua's one injury away from retirement.
My feeling is Tua was a bit underrated heading into the season and now it's going a little bit the other way because he's having a great season with a very strong supporting cast and a new head coach who has caught on really fast. But a healthy Lamar in that Miami offense would be next level impressive.
Justin Fields is Lamar lite, but like Jalen Hurts showed in college that he could be accurate as a pure passer when called upon. Has Lamar been able to pass from the pocket against the best defenses in the NFL?
Fields, like Lawrence, has shown the potential that got them drafted in the 1st round. Fields has had a slightly better season as a passer but he's really taken off with his running game. He has one of the worst supporting casts in the NFL so I'd like to see what he looks like with some legitimate WRs.
No, is the answer. If never winning a ring is assured, why would he be on the list at all… never mind at the top? Oh yeah, because the Pats were supposed to draft him… even though he’ll never win a ring… ever.
Who would I take over Lamar, not all the guys on this list… but Lamar wouldn’t even be on my list.
My goal as a lazy boy recliner GM would be to win rings, not sell tickets, jerseys and have a good QB on video games. Passing accurately is the job, being able to pass well against the best of the best defenses in the playoffs is a requirement… that’s not Lamar.
Well, obviously I think you're being harsh. Again, we'll have more data by the end of the season. We'll see how Lamar fairs in a loaded AFC postseason. I'd feel better about his chances if the team had surrounded him with any WRs at all. Andrews is a nice TE but they've got next to nothing at WR. And their pass defense is bad, which isn't ideal when you're facing Mahomes, Allen or Burrow.