Durability is the name of the name for Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. We’ve seen how great the 2019 NFL MVP can be when healthy, but he’s played just 12 games each of the past two seasons. Aside from staying healthy, there’s another way first-year Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken believes the QB could take a step forward.
Previously, Jackson wore a wristband with the team’s offensive playbook inscribed on it to help him make play calls. That’s ending this year after Monken, the team’s new play-caller, suggested he stop relying on his wristband and work more off of his memory.
But Monken says this new change will drastically improve Jackson’s ability to communicate play calls in the huddle, hopefully leading to a more efficient offense. Here’s what the coordinator had to say.
“One of the most important things is your ability to communicate the calls. And the best way for that to happen is to not start with wristbands. He has to hear what I say. He has to process the call. He has to regurgitate to the players. He has to get the cadence. We can always go to wristbands. Wristbands are easy. You just read it. Hard is learning the offense, being able to process and make the calls.”
Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken on Lamar Jackson ditching QB wristband
It’s like the old memory game. Having that photo in front of you, knowing you can always rely on it, your memory just isn’t the same. But once you remove that helpful guide, you suddenly feel lost. But the brain is a muscle that can be worked out, which is exactly what the Ravens plan to do with their superstar QB this summer.
The hope is by the end of camp, Jackson will memorize the team’s calls like the back of his hand and won’t have to spend any time digging around. As Monken says, “We can always go to wristbands” if, for some reason, the experiment goes wrong.
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