Raven Country

Former DPOY Picks Cam Newton Over Ravens' Lamar Jackson

Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson may still have some work to do to become the greatest dual-threat quarterback ever.

Jon Alfano

Dec 25, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) during timeout against the San Francisco 49ers in the third quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 25, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) during timeout against the San Francisco 49ers in the third quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Is Baltimore Ravens superstar Lamar Jackson already the greatest dual-threat quarterback in NFL history? Well, the jury's still out.

Last week, longtime Carolina Panthers star Cam Newton, another contender for the title, annointed Jackson as the greatest dual-threat quarterback ever, citing his speed and elusiveness. For Jackson, already a two-time MVP at age 27, receiving such high praise from a player of Newton's caliber is undoubtedly special.

However, not everyone agrees with Newton's assessment. Legendary Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly, a former Defensive Player of the Year, was asked on Monday's episode of "Up & Adams" if he'd choose a prime Newton or a prime Jackson. Unsurprisingly, he sided with his former teammate over Jackson.

“I’m partial to Cam, and I’ll say this—I think that playing against Cam Newton would be so difficult because of how physical he was," Kuechly said. "He’s big, he’s physical. Lamar is a pain to tackle, he’s a pain to get your hands on, he’s a pain to keep in the pocket. But you can get on him, you can get him on the ground.

“With Cam, he’s running through you on third down-and-1, fourth-and-1, fourth-and-goal, third-and-2 at the 2-yard line. You know exactly what play’s coming. He’s gonna be 6-5, 265 running with power with [Mike] Tolbert as a lead blocker and it’s like, good luck.”

Newton was only listed at 245 pounds throughout his career, but Kuechly claims he frequently weighed in at 20 pounds more than his listed weight. For any defender, tackling a player that big and that fast is a difficult task.

There is one area where Newton completely dominates every other quarterback, and that's rushing touchdowns. He holds the all-time record for quarterbacks with 75 rushing touchdowns, while the next closest is Josh Allen with 53. Jackson currently has just 29 rushing touchdowns, so he has a very long way to go in that regard.

In the end, Jackson and Newton are very different players despite both being dual-threat quarterbacks. The former's greater speed and elusiveness allow him to be more of a threat in open space, whereas the latter's greater size makes him much scarier in short-yardage situations. They're both great at what they do, just in different ways.

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Jon Alfano
JON ALFANO

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