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Ex-Ravens Safety Bernard Pollard Slams Lamar Jackson After Playoff Loss

Pollard says Jackson is “exciting, but not the answer” at quarterback.

The Baltimore Ravens lost to the Tennessee Titans 28-12 on Saturday (January 11) in the divisional round of the playoffs, and it was not Lamar Jackson’s finest hour. Ex-Ravens defensive back and Jackson critic, Bernard Pollard, took to Twitter to say, “I told you so.”

Pollard, who picked the Titans to win prior to the game, concedes that Jackson is an exciting player but isn’t a good enough passer to win in the playoffs.

Related: ‘We Have Others Coming In, Next Generation’: Lamar Jackson Is Proud Of Black Quarterbacks Excelling

To be clear, Jackson turned the ball over three times, and was not very accurate throwing the football. 

But to be fair, this is only Jackson’s second season in the league and his second playoff game. To write him off as a quarterback who will be unable to throw and win in big games is very premature. 

Soon to be Hall of Famer Peyton Manning was 0-3 in his first three playoff games, completed only 47% of his passes, and turned the ball over twice. Things worked out OK for Manning. 

This is not to say Lamar will have Peyton’s career trajectory, but development isn’t linear, and sometimes there are setbacks.

But Jackson is such a polarizing player, and it’s easy to jump on every mistake and every success with equal amounts of vigor.

That’s the gift and the curse of the quarterback position. When things are going well, you get the lion’s share of the credit. When things are going poorly, all eyes are on you. 

Jackson seems unfazed by the ups and downs and his teammates support him fully. 

“He’s an incredible guy as an athlete, as a person,” cornerback Brandon Carr said. “That’s very contagious for a locker room. He brings a lot of excitement to the city, to the ball club, and to his teammates. They play for him. They root for him. They’ve got his back out there, and that’s important for a locker room to have his team support him and the city as well.

“He’s a guy that’s finding his way. This is Year 2 for him. He’s not going to be perfect. But at the same time, he’s incredible who he is right now. The sky’s the limit for that guy. I’m excited to see him continue to grow.”

Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner shared his support of Jackson.

Chris Long also chimed in.

Plenty of Ravens fans were not here for Pollard’s take.

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