Lamar Jackson has been given a heaping helping of criticism over the years. His on-field achievements were routinely denigrated, labeling him “a glorified running back.” Even with his two MVP awards, there were claims his passing numbers weren’t good enough to warrant the honor. Heck, even the Ravens dragged out the process of giving him a contract extension over concerns about whether or not he was “the guy.”
Lamar Jackson consoling Mark Andrews shows the leader he’s become
This is so cool.
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
One criticism in the past has been whether or not Jackson is a true leader, or if he approaches the game like a superstar monolith. This season put that talk to bed, and watching him after Mark Andrews very clearly botched the Divisional Playoffs against the Bills is proof of that.
“It’s all us, bro. We a team, bro. We a team. It’s all us, bro. It ain’t just you.”
Keep in mind this came literal seconds after Andrews dropped the critical two-point conversion which would have sent the game into overtime, and less than a half-hour after Andrews tried to juke a defender for no reason, fumbling the ball and causing a turnover. There is absolutely no question that these two plays turned the tide for the Bills and allowed them to win, but Jackson was on the front line to ensure his star tight end knew where he stood on it all.
This is the epitome of leadership. Even with the crushing disappointment of being eliminated, facing another year of missing the big game, Baltimore’s QB was able to move past his own emotions to comfort a teammate.
We know this stings for Ravens fans, but you have to feel good seeing Lamar act like this.
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