Mike Greenberg Says Lamar Jackson Is 'Playing for Immortality'
Coming off one of the greatest seasons ever by a quarterback, Lamar Jackson was asked Wednesday at training camp if there is another level he can take his game to.
"Yes, I'm only 28," Jackson said. "I'm really just getting started, for real."
The only thing missing from the two-time MVP's resume is a Super Bowl. If and when Jackson gets one, ESPN's Mike Greenberg said the conversation about his place in history becomes a different one.
"For Lamar and Josh Allen, what they're playing for is immortality," Greenberg said on “Get Up.” "Both of them could retire tomorrow and they'd be in the Hall of Fame. But if either of them, and we'll use Lamar in this case because that's who we're talking about, wins a championship, all of a sudden he vaults into that place where the conversation on shows like this one are, 'Where does he belong on the list with the great quarterbacks of all time?' Two regular-season MVPs and a Super Bowl starts that conversation."
It's not a conversation that Jackson has shown interest in. He has always emphasized that he prioritizes winning a Super Bowl over individual accolades.
"I think anything short of winning a Super Bowl for Lamar is going to be seen by Lamar as a disappointment," Kimberley A. Martin said. "As an individual, he's already cemented what his legacy is. He can only add to it. I think for him it is the team aspect."
As Jackson said, he's just getting started. For context, Peyton Manning won his first Super Bowl a month before his 31st birthday. John Elway was 37 when he won his first.
Mina Kimes Says She Would Choose Jackson if She Were Starting a Team From Scratch
ESPN analyst Mina Kimes was asked which quarterback between Jackson, the Buffalo Bills' Allen, and the Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Burrow she trusts the most to overcome their team's deficiencies.
Kimes acknowledged that the Ravens have fewer deficiencies than most teams, but she still chose Jackson.
"When I watch Lamar Jackson and I watch this Ravens offense, I see a system, a scheme where Lamar is the sun that creates the gravity that it all rotates around," Kimes said on "First Take." "It's no coincidence that Derrick Henry, 31 years old, came off the worst season of his career and then had the best season of his career once he started playing with Lamar Jackson. His effect on the football field is undeniable.
"If I was building a team from scratch and I had to take a guy who I think could do the most with the least, it would be Lamar."
In a separate discussion of who the best player in the NFL is regardless of position, Kimes said on ESPN's "This Is Football" podcast with Kevin Clark that it's between Jackson, Allen, and Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett.
Clark put Jackson and Garrett in a class of their own.
"What Lamar Jackson does to defenders makes a professional look like an amateur," Clark said.
David Ojabo, Jalyn Armour-Davis Off to Strong Starts at Training Camp
Two returning players perceived to be on the roster bubble have impressed The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec during the first two days of training camp: outside linebacker David Ojabo and cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis.
"Ojabo broke up a pass in Wednesday's practice and has given starting right tackle Roger Rosengarten some issues in each of the first two days," Zrebiec wrote. "Armour-Davis, meanwhile, had two pass breakups Thursday and on one of them went tumbling through a makeshift fence, set up to keep fans and reporters at an appropriate distance from the field."
Ojabo and Armour-Davis, who were drafted in 2022 by the Ravens in the second and fourth rounds, respectively, have been hindered by injuries, but both have shown flashes when healthy.
When asked specifically about Ojabo on Thursday, Head Coach John Harbaugh said he likes what he's seen in camp thus far and has high expectations.
"I think David being on the field consistently will be the key," Harbaugh said. "He didn't play at all his first year. Last year, he got a little bit 'nicked up.' I think he's healthy, stronger than he has ever been. He looks great out here the first two days [of training camp]. I expect him to play great."
Quick Hits
Yesterday's Most Read: Practice Report: Malaki Starks Leads Strong Day for Rookies at Training Camp
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