Baltimore Ravens

Is Ravens' Lamar Jackson a victim of 'ridiculous' narrative?

Published Jul. 16, 2022 11:53 a.m. ET

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson can't seem to catch a break.

In the aftermath of being excluded from the top-10 QBs by an ESPN poll surveying NFL personnel, the former MVP caught more flak from ex-Ravens safety Bernard Pollard. Notably, Pollard said that he believes no top wide receivers will go to Baltimore while Jackson is at the helm because he's "not able to make the throws."

Jackson's response — which included calling out Pollard's player credentials, or lack thereof, and saying that he needed to google Pollard to know who he was — then caused much more of a stir than Pollard's initial remarks.

On Friday's "Speak For Yourself," Marcellus Wiley explained why he agrees with Brown and broke down where the narrative surrounding the 25-year-old Jackson originated.

"Bill Polian poisoned the well on Lamar Jackson," Wiley said. "What he told Lamar Jackson basically in so many words was, ‘You shouldn't even be playing quarterback.' … [Jackson's] good is never good enough to shut them up for good.

"Lamar Jackson goes to the NFL [and] leads the league in passing touchdowns, which is nearly impossible if you can't play quarterback. … He goes and wins a unanimous MVP … [and] gets his team to the playoffs [after the Ravens] hadn't been to the playoffs in five years, and people [are] still holding their breath, waiting for something to happen. … Nothing Lamar Jackson can do will make people finally exhale and give him his props."

Hollywood Brown defends Lamar Jackson from 'ridiculous' narrative

Former Baltimore Ravens WR Marquise "Hollywood" Brown came to the defense of his former QB Lamar Jackson after he was criticized by ex-Ravens safety Bernard Pollard. Marcellus Wiley and Emmanuel Acho discuss the criticism of Jackson.

Prior to the 2018 NFL Draft, Hall of Fame general manager Bill Polian infamously stated that the Heisman Trophy winner out of Louisville projected better as a wide receiver and should switch positions. That eventually prompted Jackson's "not bad for a running back" comment, after he recorded a perfect passer rating in the Ravens' 59-10 Week 1 victory over the Miami Dolphins in 2019.

Wiley's cohost Emmanuel Acho believes that Jackson has been unfairly stereotyped since entering the league, but he argued that the Ravens QB has to be the one "to break the narrative" himself.

"Lamar, if people are saying because you run you are more likely to be hurt, and you get hurt, even if you didn't get hurt because you were running … people [are] looking for the bias to confirm. … That's what Lamar Jackson is faced with.

"He has to be greater than other people's greatest excuse."