LeSean McCoy defends Lamar Jackson; says he’s been ‘unfairly criticized’

Despite being a two-time league MVP, three-time Pro Bowler, two-time First Team All Pro selection and arguably the most electrifying playmaker in NFL history, Baltimore Ravens franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson continues to have more detractors than supporters it seems especially when it comes to the national media.

The biggest knock prognosticators love to lament when it comes to him is the team’s inability to look like the same juggernaut they have shown they can be during the regular season in the postseason.

Just last week, retired NFL offensive lineman and three-time Super Bowl champion turned analyst, Mark Schlereth, called the reigning league MVP “mediocre” when it comes to the playoff in a clip from his podcast ‘Stinkin Truth’ which of course went viral.

It was a debate topic in a segment of FOX Sports’ show ‘Speak’ and another multi-time Super Bowl winner came to Jackson’s defense and pointed out the hypocrisy in which he is criticized compared to his contemporizes around the league who are less accomplished and also yet to win a ring.

“All these other quarterbacks that [won] Heisman’s, that was first pick overall, we gave them grace. We give them excuses,” retired former six-time Pro Bowl running back LeSean McCoy said last Thursday.

His first example of trying to defend his stance wasn’t the best. He named veteran Baker Mayfield who went No. 1 overall in the same year Jackson was drafted in 2018 and has been heavily scrutinized over the years and is now on his fourth team. However, McCoy went on to make a much stronger case with more apt comparisons.

“I look at a guy like Peyton Manning, who is phenomenal. He’s great, isn’t he? So, let’s talk about his numbers for a second,” McCoy said. “His first five seasons in the NFL, 0-3 in the playoffs. But we always knew how good he was. Gave him a grace period over and over again. Because we knew eventually, he would turn it [around]. Lamar Jackson’s not even 30 years old yet. He’s got a lot of time left, he’s a quarterback.”

Jackson has led the Ravens to the playoffs four times in his first six seasons in the league including securing the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage after finishing with the best record in the league. While the team is 2-4 with him under center in the postseason and 2-5 overall since 2018, McCoy isn’t placing the blame squarely on him and is cutting him some slack given how the rest of the quarterbacks in the AFC haven’t faired much better while the Kansas City Chiefs have been establishing their dynasty.

“Lamar Jackson, he lost this year to Patrick Mahomes. Who else is beating Patrick Mahomes? Joe Burrow in the playoffs one time,” McCoy said. “All I’m saying is for the way we grade Lamar Jackson he’s doing the best he can. He could be better in the playoffs. I will give him that. He could be better in the playoffs. But a guy like Josh Allen, who I love — I think Josh is better than Lamar—we don’t grade Josh the same way we grade Lamar Jackson.”

Along with Allen, some other far less accomplished and talented star signal callers who have yet to even win a playoff game or have an even worse record than Jackson but face far less vitriol include Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers and Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars who only have one playoff win between them.

“I just hate — they don’t keep the same type of attitude with Lamar like they do other quarterbacks, and I’m tired of them,” McCoy said.