Lamar Jackson Misses Thursday Practice, Lions Counting on Safeties
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Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson did not participate in practice on Thursday, ahead of his team's Week 3 matchup against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.
Dan Campbell jokingly told reporters on Thursday that he previously enjoyed watching Jackson play the position of quarterback prior to having to prepare for him as a head football coach.
“I did (enjoy watching) before I was a head coach and preparing for him. And then you get a little sick to your stomach," Campbell said. "But yeah, I mean, God, he’s a dynamic player. And let’s face it, he’s a dynamic player who has rare ability, rare talent, and he’s going to touch the ball 60-70 times a game. He’s going to have it in his hands.”
Jackson is certainly among the most talented and swift quarterbacks in the entire league, and his emergence as a passer in the coming seasons will ultimately determine the level of success he can attain as the leader of the Ravens' offense.
"He’s a rare breed for the fact that he has explosiveness and the speed that he has and then certainly being able to throw the ball because the minute you start trying to take all of that stuff away and you have to have a jump on it," Campbell explained on Wednesday. "You have to have a step on where you need to be to get to your gap, that’s when they go right behind you and they’ve got speed now at receiver to get on top of you in a hurry with no underneath coverage because you’re trying to drive on the run. That’s the key for us. It’s how do we get them in third-and-long? It’s easier said than done."
For Detroit, producing on offense, along with safeties Will Harris and Tracy Walker 'filling gaps' would go a long way in the defenses efforts to limit the explosiveness of Baltimore's offense.
Campbell explained further, "I think you have to play a lot of down-safety defense and you have to be gapped out, truly gapped out, where we know exactly where our run fits are at.
"There's a lot of eye candy. Man, I just think our safeties are going to be a huge part of this game for us to have success. They've got to be where they need to be and ready to fill gaps."
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