Jason Whitlock, BlazeTV host of “Fearless,” and former Buccaneers quarterback Shaun King have put three high-profile quarterbacks on the operating table this year: Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson, Jacksonville Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence, and Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts.
The prognosis from disgruntled fans isn’t good. Jackson fails to ignite a stagnant offense and is injury-prone; Lawrence has an embarrassing completion rate, especially considering his $275M contract; and Hurts plays scared in the pocket, underutilizing his star receivers downfield.
King lays bare what’s really going on with each player.
Lamar Jackson
Despite the rumors that Jackson is on a permanent decline, King says he’s likely just struggling with hesitancy after a string of injuries.
Right now, it looks like he’s “unwilling to use his athleticism, which makes me think that he’s trying to guard against further injuring whatever his ailment is,” he tells Jason.
But given the superstar’s “track record of success” — two MVP awards, two 1,000-yard rushing seasons, and the best dual-threat stats in NFL history — we need to “give him the benefit of the doubt.”
“If this persists into next year, I think we can circle back around to this topic,” King concludes.
Trevor Lawrence
King is far less forgiving of the Jaguars’ quarterback.
“Has never been held accountable for his deficiencies. Incubated at Clemson. Not exposed to any of the criticism or ridicule. … Got the big contract way too early,” he condemns, accusing Lawrence of being a coach killer.
“He’s a very frenetically wired player, and I don’t think you can play that position if you can’t be calm when it’s chaotic,” he says.
King believes that Lawrence, who he argues is over-reliant on his raw talent, has never been properly coached. “Nobody’s held him accountable for some of the fundamental flaws he has, some of the bad decisions he makes — like, really holding his feet to the fire. … He’s never been faced with the threat of being benched for his deficiencies.”
If Lawrence gets a coach willing to “get after him,” we may yet see the QB rise to true stardom.
Jalen Hurts
“I think [Hurts] might be the most underappreciated player in the National Football League,” King says.
Unlike legends like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady — who were able to master their system under the same coaches for over a decade — Hurts has never had that kind of stability.
“Jalen Hurts has changed coordinators the last four years,” meaning he’s “[spent] every off season learning a new system as opposed to focusing on fixing some of [his] deficiencies,” King explains.
And despite this lack of continuity, he’s still one of the league’s most successful and celebrated quarterbacks.
“I don’t think he gets enough credit,” King says. “Is he a finished product? Absolutely no. I would love to see what Jalen Hurts could do from a development standpoint if Philly could finally give him continuity.”
To hear more of King’s analysis, watch the video above.
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