Steelers pro Cameron Hayward has Jackson’s back
Even a member of the arch-rival Pittsburgh Steelers knows Jackson’s exclusion from ESPN’s top 10 quarterback rankings “makes no sense.”
“How the hell is he not a top 10 player? The guy just won the MVP two years ago,” three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Cameron Hayward said on his “Not Just Football” podcast (via Steelers Depot ). “I have a lot of respect for a guy like Lamar.”
ESPN’s rankings are the result of a survey of more than 50 league executives, coaches, scouts and players, who apparently still don’t know what to think of a quarterback with Jackson’s unique skill set, regardless of his success.
“Is he a prototypical quarterback? No, but who’s to say a quarterback has to play a certain way?” Hayward said. “He’s a younger guy who will continue to develop and be one of the greats in our league. I just think he’s the top quarterback in our league. For everyone to just write him off because he was injured last year seems a little irrational. “
Hayward, who has played against Jackson three times, went on to say how challenging it is trying to contain him.
“When we play against Lamar, you have to make sure everybody is accountable,” Hayward said. “There’s always got to be a spy, so when you do that, you can’t have anybody in the back, you’re putting somebody out there. I don’t know many defensemen who can do that. This list just seems incomplete if you don’t have Lamar in the top 10.”
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