Tom Brady on when he first noticed Lamar Jackson’s star power: ‘You’re the reason people watch the NFL’

Lamar Jackson is in the playoffs, leading the No. 1-seeded Baltimore Ravens and is an MVP front-runner, but his days of impressing football fans goes far before his NFL years. Future Hall of Famer Tom Brady first took notice when Jackson was in high school.

The 27-year-old appeared on Brady’s “Let’s Go” podcast this week and TB12 explained when Jackson was first put on his radar.

“First time I ever really noticed you was that high school highlight where you put the breaks on the guy and he went flying by,” Brady said. 

He continued, highlighting Jackson’s ability to be a dual threat, while Brady noted some of his own shortcomings.

“And you know, not that I’ve ever had that experience in my entire life, I don’t even know what that feels like, but now you’re doing that at the highest level,” Brady said, getting laughs from Jackson.

Brady is one of, if not the, greatest quarterback of all time, but he did not exactly excel in the running game, something he can clearly admit. 

In 335 games played, Brady had 1,123 rushing yards on 693 attempts with an average of 1.6 yards per attempt and with 28 touchdowns on the ground. In 86 career games, Jackson has 5,258 rushing yards on 875 attempts with an average of 6.0 yards per attempt and 29 rushing touchdowns.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion had high praise for Jackson, telling him, “You know you’re the reason people watch the NFL, because guys like you and just having an amazing career, so thanks for coming on.”

Jackson responded, saying, “I appreciate that. It means a lot coming from you.”

The Ravens offensive leader is now going to try to do what Brady did 10 times in his career: reach the Super Bowl. Jackson has yet to make it to the big game, but this year it seems he has the best chance. The Ravens currently have the second-best odds to win the Super Bowl at +340, behind the San Francisco 49ers at +200, via Caesars…


Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/tom-brady-on-when-he-first-noticed-lamar-jacksons-star-power-youre-the-reason-people-watch-the-nfl/

Author : Shanna McCarriston

Publish date : 2024-01-09 17:22:18

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