Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh thinks the criticism directed at Lamar Jackson is unfair. Stephen A. Smith thinks Harbaugh is off-base.
On the first day of Ravens training camp on Sunday, Harbaugh stood up for his franchise QB, saying the criticism Jackson receives is head-scratching.
"Lamar, for whatever reason — he gets a lot of good things said about him, Lamar. But there’s a lot of stuff that’s said that you’ve got to just scratch your head about and kind of wonder, 'what’s that person even thinking?' Harbaugh said. "But we take it personally."
Harbaugh added: "What does he have to do to prove himself to some people?"
On ESPN's "First Take" on Monday, Smith accused Harbaugh of making up "narratives," saying that the lone criticism of Jackson is valid.
"Respectfully, Coach Harbaugh, what the hell are you talking about?" Smith said. "What is this critique and this criticism of Lamar Jackson? Where's it coming from?
"There's only one: you haven't been to a Super Bowl. You haven't won a Super Bowl championship."
Smith said there are nine quarterbacks who have won multiple MVPs and Jackson is the only one who hasn't won a Super Bowl.
"That is all we say," Smith said. "Nobody questions his ability. We used to question his ability to throw the football; that's been thrown out the window. We know how electrifying, how mercurial of an athlete and a talent and a runner at the quarterback position that he is. We know what type of a game-changer at the position this guy is ... Nobody questioned that he deserved his money, nobody questioned his greatness as a quarterback, nobody questioned anything other than the fact that you have not won a Super Bowl."
Smith said Harbaugh needs to look in the mirror and analyze why the Ravens have only won three playoff games total since winning the Super Bowl in 2012. Jackson is only 2-4 as a playoff quarterback.
Indeed, this offseason, that has been the bulk of the criticism directed toward Jackson. Analysts have criticized Jackson's playoff record and performances, saying that Jackson hasn't played up to standard in the biggest games.
For a two-time MVP, Jackson is widely considered the fourth-best quarterback in the league and often falls outside of the top 10 players in the league.
On Sunday, Harbaugh said the Ravens' vision for Jackson is to become the greatest quarterback ever, and that doing so will require winning Super Bowls.
Jackson now finds himself in a tough position going into 2024: he is expected to perform at an elite level, but it will largely be brushed off until he has a strong postseason run.
Watch Smith's comments below:
