Since taking over as the Baltimore Ravens starting quarterback job in November 2018, Lamar Jackson has been one of the best players in the NFL. The two-time NFL MVP is arguably the most electrifying player in the league, but he does have one flaw in his game.
Jackson recently revealed that flaw during an interview on “Cold as Balls,” a show hosted by Kevin Hart. (If you’ve never seen a “Cold as Balls” episode, the premise is pretty simple: Hart and a celebrity guest sit in a cold tub and have a fun conversation.)
During the episode, Jackson was asked what the most difficult adjustment has been about playing in the NFL, and he didn’t hesitate with his answer.
“Just being a leader,” Jackson said. “I’m going to say being a leader.”
Although Jackson has been a starting quarterback for almost seven full seasons, he admitted that he’s still struggling with the idea of being a vocal leader on the field. Jackson is mostly quiet by nature, so he usually tries to lead with his actions, but he’s come to realize being a vocal leader is also needed when you’re playing a position like quarterback.
“I’m really not outspoken, being vocal with my guys, like ‘let’s do this and that’ with a great motivational speech, I don’t have that,” Jackson said. “I just pretty much lead by example. I’m going to go out there, I’m going to work hard and I expect that out of you, but as I’ve been growing in the league it’s like ‘nah, you got to talk to the guys.'”
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John Breech
Ravens coaching staff already seeing improvement
Jackson has clearly been working on being a better vocal leader, and the Ravens coaching staff has definitely taken notice. The team’s quarterbacks coach, Tee Martin, was recently asked where Jackson has grown the most in Martin’s four years with the organization.
“Vocal leadership,” Martin said. “When I first got here in 2021, he was the leader by play, by action, there was a lot on his plate and he was relatively quiet.”
Martin was hired to be the Ravens’ wide receivers coach in 2021, but was promoted to quarterbacks coach in 2023. He’s now spent two full seasons as Jackson’s position coach and has seen a lot of growth in that time period.
“Being with him every day and being around him more closely, his communication — nonverbal and verbal — you really hear him in the back having side conversations that weren’t the case a couple years ago, and you see more and more of that,” Martin said. “That’s the biggest area I’ve seen, is the verbal and nonverbal communication, that he has really grown and taken his game to the next level.”
Jackson hasn’t quite fully embraced being a vocal leader just yet, but he says he’s getting there.
“Now I talk to them one on one, but certain things I’m seeing I got to voice it more, voice my opinion more to those guys,” Jackson told Hart.
Jackson seems eager to fix the one minor flaw in his game, and improving his leadership skills could help put the Ravens over the top as they look to get back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2012.
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Author: John Breech
July 1, 2025 | 11:20 am
