Baltimore Ravens Are Trying a QB Idea That Has Never Worked

The Baltimore Ravens seem to be growing more and more infatuated with what they have in new quarterback Lamar Jackson by the day.

The 1st round pick has drawn comparisons to a “young Michael Vick” thanks to his freaky athleticism, speed, and arm talent. Given how lethal Vick was during the early part of his career, it’s little wonder they’re excited. At the same time, it’s created friction in the Ravens quarterback room. Joe Flacco hasn’t shown the least bit interest or enthusiasm from the rookie’s arrival.

This is no surprise. It’s obvious Jackson was drafted both to push Flacco and be his eventual replacement as starter. Being the competitor he is, Flacco no doubt takes exception to that. Yet it might not end with just that. According to head coach John Harbaugh who spoke with ESPN, Baltimore may be planning to tweak their offense to include both of them. Not for different plays. At the same time.

"“Gosh, I sure like him out there helping us,” coach John Harbaugh said of Jackson. “If you put two quarterbacks on the field at once, what options does it create for our offense? That’s what we’re trying to figure out.There’s a lot of considerations that go into that. Everybody has an opinion. I’ve read a few. You want to find a way to get the most out of all your guys.”"

Ravens would be the first team to make a 2-QB offense a success

Here’s the thing. It’s not like the Ravens are the first team to grow infatuated with the idea of playing two talented quarterbacks at the same time in a game. Teams have experimented with it for decades. The results are mixed at best and downright bad at worst. The problem isn’t the talent of the players involved, it’s too many conflicting voices in the huddle.

The quarterback is expected to be the leader of the football team. He gives direction and everyone else follows. So what happens when suddenly there are not one but two voices dictating things? Men get confused and almost inevitably are forced to pick a side. It happened with the Dallas Cowboys back in the 1970s. Tom Landry tried to alternate Roger Staubach and Craig Morton during the year.

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It got to be so bad that his players practically forced him to pick one and stick with it. The same thing happened to Bill Walsh with Joe Montana and Steve Young in 1988. It’s the sort of thing that looks great on paper but is impractical on the field, even if Jackson can be used in different roles. Baltimore would do best to pick one of them and move forward.