Video: Lamar Jackson Lives By Philosophy of 'Nobody Cares, Work Harder'
Lamar Jackson often wears a shirt with a slogan that reads "Nobody Cares, Work Harder."
It's a reminder for the young Ravens quarterback to keep moving toward his goals despite any adversity.
"That’s every day. Nobody cares about what you’re doing," Jackson said. "You’ve got to work harder. If you want to be the best, you’ve got to work hard at being the best. If they’re doubting you, work harder, it [doesn’t] matter. It’s their opinion. We’re just going to go.”
So far, that philosophy has paid off well for Jackson this season.
He is a leading candidate for this year's National Football League Most Valuable Player Award. Jackson has run for 977 yards in 2019, marking the second most by a quarterback in NFL single-season history. He is just 63 yards shy of setting a new NFL record.
Jackson has also thrown for 2,532 yards with 25 touchdowns and just five interceptions. He has completed 66.5 percent (214 of 322) of his pass attempts. Jackson is just the sixth QB ever with at least 25 passing touchdowns and seven rushing scores in a single season. The last player to achieve the feat was Cam Newton (35 and 10) during his 2015 MVP campaign.
Jackson is also the first player in NFL history with at least 25 passing touchdowns and at least 950 rush yards in a single season, according to NFL Research.
However, his impact on the Ravens transcends the field.
His teammates value his leadership and work ethic. Jackson has been known to walk into the trainer's room and shake hands with injured players even though he does not need any medical assistance.
Jackson spent the offseason working to become a better pocket passer and he's clearly made strides in that area.
Despite all of the talk about winning the MVP award, Jackson's sole focus has been winning a Super Bowl. He has the Ravens on the right path: Baltimore currently owns the top seed in the AFC playoffs at 10-4.
“We've been believing in him since he's been here,” right tackle Orlando Brown Jr. said. “He's somebody that comes in every day, works hard at practice, works hard in the film room and goes hard on Sundays. So, to me, his energy is so contagious. It's been one of the reasons we've been able to win."
