By Stuart Shikano
Remember 2012? People were doing that “Gangnam Style” dance, Pres. Barack Obama was running for re-election against Mitt Romney, and we thought that the Mayans’ prediction that the world would end would (probably) not happen. Although, looking back on the last few years, who’s to say that the world not ending was a good thing?
A paramount NFL storyline in the winter of 2012 was the rise of the dual threat quarterback. The dual threat quarterback was not a new concept in 2012; but with Washington’s Robert Griffin III, San Francisco’s Colin Kaepernick, and Seattle’s Russell Wilson on the scene and impressing, it felt like the quarterback position had evolved to guys like them. It felt like we were watching the future of the QB position when we watched Griffin, Kaepernick, and Wilson. And it was. Well, for 1 to 2 more seasons. So what happened?
RG3 suffered a knee injury in a week 14 game in the 2012 season and then re-injured his knee in a wild card game against Seattle. Things only got worse for RG3 and the Washington Redskins after that.
Coming off a breakout 2012 season that led to a Super Bowl loss to the Ravens and a stellar 2013 season, Colin Kaepernick was a Richard Sherman tip/Malcolm Smith interception away from reaching his second consecutive Super Bowl. But after that, the Niners declined as a team, failing to make the playoffs. Then, there was the ire directed at Kaepernick for protesting oppressive and racist forces in America, resulting in the NFL blackballing Kaepernick.
Russell Wilson went on to win a Super Bowl for the 2013-14 season, make it back to another Super Bowl the following year, and was a Malcolm Butler interception/terrible play call away from winning back to back Super Bowls. Wilson still played very well in the seasons following that, as did the Legion of Boom. But, the Seahawks had already peaked, never making it back to another Super Bowl, and reports circulating of a disconnected locker room.
WHICH BRINGS US to RIGHT NOW.
Russell Wilson is having his best season in years and feels like he is finally getting the recognition he deserves. He is currently the lone starting quarterback of 2012’s big three. However, there is one quarterback at the moment who is reminiscent of those dual threat quarterbacks of 2012, yet takes things on and off the field to the next level. His name is Lamar Jackson.
Lamar Jackson is frequently compared to Michael Vick. Such comparisons are inevitable and not without warrant. They are both extremely athletic, fast, and exciting to watch. Certainly, Vick and Lamar Jackson are the best quarterbacks when it comes to running the ball in the modern era. But, Vick, fair or unfair, would get labeled a coach killer and not a great leader. In Lamar’s case, it is nearly impossible to hear one of Lamar’s teammates or coaches speak about him for very long without highlighting his strong leadership and ability to galvanize this team.
The praise Lamar Jackson gets from teammates, coaches, and the media is significant. When Russell Wilson was making Super Bowl appearances earlier this decade, critics would point to Marshawn Lynch, as well as the Legion of Boom as the main reasons for Seattle’s success. There did not appear to be a particularly warm embrace of Wilson by many of his Seattle teammates and to outsiders, it was a debate as to whose team it was.
Even when Colin Kaepernick became the 49ers’ starting quarterback in 2012, it was because he did a great job filling in for an injured Alex Smith. The 49ers did not know that Colin Kaepernick would be their starter going into that 2012 season. The opposite is true for Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. Lamar Jackson was picked by Baltimore in the first round in the 2018 NFL Draft and it was clear that he was their guy. The man who was once Super Bowl MVP for the Ravens, Joe Flacco was out and Lamar was in.
Another important part of Lamar’s development is the organization he plays for. Poor RG3 had to play for the Washington Redskins, whose ownership has been a mess for a long time, and have mishandled numerous injuries over the years, including RG3’s. Lamar gets to play for the Baltimore Ravens, who have a competent owner in Steve Bisciotti, a GM with a vision in Eric DeCosta, and a hell of a head coach in John Harbaugh.
On a final note, I hope to see Lamar’s success continue. Watching a quarterback that can break a big run every play is exciting, and I have never liked seeing that style of play dismissed or be branded as gimmicky. There are valid concerns about running quarterbacks, particularly when some continuously take big hits. When avoiding those big hits though, a great dual threat quarterback can feel like a cheat code. If you really want to know how difficult it is to slow down a dual threat quarterback, consider that even the mastermind that is Bill Belichick does not know how to do it. In 2012, an emerging Colin Kaepernick went into Gillette Stadium and beat the Patriots 41-34. Flash forward to 2019 when just a few weeks ago Lamar Jackson beat the New England Patriots 37-20, giving the Patriots their first and currently only loss of the 2019 NFL season. Even a historically great Patriots’ defense was left scratching their heads when facing Lamar Jackson. NFL teams can certainly win with a running quarterback and with Lamar being only 22 years old, this could definitely go on for a long time.
We may have jumped the gun in 2012, but considering Lamar Jackson’s 2019 play and potential, the dual threat quarterback is the present and the future.
