NFL teams
Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff Writer 5y

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson says he can throw as well as run

NFL, Baltimore Ravens

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Baltimore Ravens rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson made it clear Wednesday that he can beat teams with more than his legs.

"I know I can throw," Jackson said. "I ran 27 times [on Sunday]. I didn't try to. We did whatever it took to win. Hopefully, I'm going to start throwing the ball more. The game plan is coming up. We're going to be throwing the ball. They're going to see."

Joe Flacco didn't practice Wednesday because of his hip injury, which likely means Jackson will remain the starter for another week. Baltimore hosts the struggling Oakland Raiders (2-8) on Sunday.

In his first NFL start, Jackson recorded the most rushing attempts (27) by a quarterback in the Super Bowl era and threw 19 times. This extended a season-long trend where Jackson has done most of his damage on the ground instead of the air.

Jackson, the No. 32 overall pick, only attempted 12 passes in the first nine games as part of specialty packages. At Louisville, Jackson was a dual threat, throwing over 400 times and totaling 3,500 yards passing in each of his last two seasons.

On Monday, coach John Harbaugh defended Jackson's throwing ability.

"All this veiled stuff, 'Is he really a thrower?' I have news for you: He's a thrower,'" Harbaugh said. "The kid can throw. He's a quarterback. He's a quarterback. So, all these little veiled questions -- and if anybody is out there [saying], 'Oh, I can't believe 'Harbs' is getting so ticked,' -- I don't appreciate the insinuation of the question. We will continue to say it: Lamar Jackson is a quarterback."

Jackson was surprised he ran so much in Sunday's 24-21 win over the Bengals and didn't know the exact number of runs until after the game. He doesn't feel banged up, although he revealed that Cincinnati defenders were doing their best to rattle him.

According to Jackson, the Bengals told him, "We're going to hurt you. This is the NFL," after tackling him. Jackson's response: he laughed at them.

"Getting in my head and talking trash, that's not going to work," Jackson said. "I play football. It's about winning games. It's not about who can talk trash the most."

What ticked off Jackson the most was his inability to get his wide receivers more involved. Jackson completed 13-of-19 passes, but he connected once each with Michael Crabtree and John Brown.

Harbaugh said Crabtree and Willie Snead both got in his face because they wanted the ball more. Jackson approached Crabtree after the game to say he needs to get him more involved, and Crabtree replied that it was unnecessary.

"I have to get those guys the ball because they're helping me out," Jackson said. "They're not out there to block. Their job is to catch the ball and help us win games. That's my job to get the ball to him. I was mad about that."

One of Jackson's favorite moments from his first start came after the game. He received congratulatory texts from Doug Williams and Randall Cunningham.

"Those are the guys who paved the way for us," Jackson said. "Without those guys, we probably wouldn't be in the situation we are."

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