Is Lamar Jackson Downgraded In 2018 NFL Draft For Being Black QB Dissed By Bill Polian?

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Is Lamar Jackson Downgraded In 2018 NFL Draft For Being Black QB Dissed By Bill Polian?

Is Lamar Jackson Downgraded In 2018 NFL Draft For Being Black QB Dissed By Bill Polian?

Lamar Jackson is without a doubt the best player at the quarterback position in the 2018 NFL Draft. Consider that Jackson’s a top 20 leader in the 2017 NCAA Passing rankings, and a 2017 top 10 leader in NCAA Rushing rankings, for a giant 5,261 yards of total offence for one year. Oh, and did I mentoon that the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner was the 2017 Heisman Trophy runner-up? For all of this, and a classy off-and-on the field character, Lamar Jackson is… considered by some to be a running back? Yeah, in the era of Deshon Watson, there’s some who would really put that out there. Or is it just that? Where’s Lamar Jackson’s agent in all of this?

Well, Lamar Jackson’s agent isn’t anyone you’ve ever known and especially not CAA Sports, which has an annoying habit of having its players wind up getting TV endorsements from ESPN and the NFL Network, even if they’re not really the best players on the board. Let’s take USC Quarterback Sam Darnold. In the game’s I’ve personally attended, Mr. Darnold is fantastic at running the Tee Martin-designed USC Offense. But once you are able to use your 3-4 adjusted to stop the inside run by bringing the ends inside the offensive tackles, and mix in the occasional outside linebacker or safety blitz, Darnold can be rendered less than effective, and prone to throw interceptions. NFL Network’s Mike Mayock thinks Darnold’s the best quarterback. Ah, OK.

By contrast, Lamar Jackson is a complete offensive weapon. His running ability has produced exciting results when a passing play broke down, or when he was called on to run by play design. And if you mention his 10 interceptions, my counter is Darnold threw 13 and that I can point to some interceptions that were the fault of a receiver tipping the ball, rather than Jackson making a bad throw – thus reducing the number to eight or nine interceptions. But given the choice between Darnold and Jackson, the Cleveland Browns would be completely stupid to pass on Lamar Jackson. So, why is he downgraded?

Part of the problem is a set of negative comments made by ex-NFL General Manager Bill Polian. It was Polian who tesily said that Jackson should line up as a wide receiver, and then more recently stated it again from his ESPN platform. So, I wondered: what does Bill Polian really have against Jackson? And then I wondered if Bill Polian was ever high on any black NFL quarterback prospect?

So, I checked: Jameis Winston? Nope. Cam Newton? Polian thought he was average. Both Winson a and Newton were taken number one in the 2015 and 2011 NFL Drafts respectively. Rusell Wilson? After Seattle drafted him, Polian said ““He’s not going to be a starting quarterback.” We all know the NFL histories of Winston, Newton, and Wilson.

Who else? Is there one black QB Polian liked? Let’s see, Polian was said to have been “not interested” in Michael Vick. He blasted the Buffalo Bills for picking E.J. Manuel in the NFL Draft. Polian did everything to suggest Tyrod Taylor should not be in the Buffalo Bills plans for the future, then said he was a “perfect fit” after it was obvious that Taylor was a perfect fit for the Bills. In other words, Polian did everything to discredit Taylor, until he was put in control of the Bills Offense and did well – then, he had to admit that Taylor was the answer. And that, as Mel Kiper, Jr said that Lamar Jackson’s style was like, who else but Tyrod Taylor!

So, it’s starting to look like our legendary NFL Hall of Fame GM Bill Polian might have an un-intended racially based bias he has to work on. It’s not personal to Mr. Polian, who’s a nice man from my experience, but it’s something that he might consider as being a block to his ability to fairly evaluate Lamar Jackson.
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