All of the ways NFL defenses have tried (and failed) to stop Lamar Jackson from running

Defensive coordinators usually come up with a solution to any problem. But not this time.

Lamar Jackson isn’t the first quarterback to dominate NFL defenses as a rusher over the course of an entire season. Michael Vick became the first to hit the 1,000-yard mark on the ground way back in 2006. Cam Newton set the record for rushing touchdowns with 14 in 2011, his rookie season. Robert Griffin introduced the NFL world to the zone read en route to winning rookie of the year in 2012.

For whatever reason, we like to throw all of those guys into the same box, which we’ve conveniently labeled “mobile quarterbacks.” But just like your more “traditional” quarterbacks, there are different styles within that broad category.

Vick was as quick and agile as any skill player we’ve ever seen. Newton is a downhill runner who is especially dangerous down near the goal line. Griffin is a straight-line runner who uses his track speed to simply out-run tacklers. No two quarterbacks are alike and that goes for those who just so happen to be gifted when running the football.

I think Kyle Shanahan summed it up best when reflecting on the brief time he spent coaching Johnny Manziel — another mobile quarterback who won a Heisman, like Newton and Griffin — and explained why that Browns offense didn’t look the same as the one he built for RGIII in Washington:

“Everyone there wanted me to run the same stuff with him as we did with RGIII. Well, RGIII runs a 4.3, Johnny runs a 4.68. That is a different type of running style. Johnny is not going to outrun people on a zone read. Johnny needs to go downhill and make you miss which is quarterback draw, quarterback power, things like that.”

Shanahan’s words are important to remember when talking about Lamar Jackson and the lessons we can learn from his success. One of those lessons is the importance of a coaching staff building around its quarterback. The Ravens have been showered with praise for the scheme they’ve built for Jackson, which has allowed him to flourish. But I think we have that backward. This isn’t the case of a team building the perfect offense for a mobile quarterback; instead, we’re seeing a rare talent allowing a team to build a world-conquering offense. The scheme is getting more from Lamar than Lamar is getting from the scheme.

Even as a runner, you can’t put Lamar into a box. Like Griffin, he can outrun anyone on the field. Like Vick, he is capable of making would-be tacklers look like high school athletes. And while he’s not the punisher runner Newton is, he has been just as effective on downhill runs within the tackle box.

The offseason is still a month away, but I can already tell you one question you’re going to hear asked over and over again: How will this Ravens offense fare now that defensive coordinators have had an entire offseason to study it? In most cases, that might be a valid question to ask. This is not one of those cases, because there are no X’s and O’s that can account for how good No. 8 is with the ball in his hands. Just ask the many defenses that have tried to contain him in 2019. Opposing defenses have tried every tactic out there to stop Jackson from gashing them on the ground, and while some of them have been more effective than others, none of them have really worked.

Let’s take a look at how teams have tried to contain the Ravens quarterback in the run game and how Lamar, being Lamar, has helped Baltimore overcome even the defensive schemes that have “worked.”

The most basic way to defend an option run is the “scrape exchange.” It was really the first thing defensive coordinators came up with when college teams started running the option out of spread formations. It’s a simple concept: The unblocked defender crashes down the line of scrimmage, giving the quarterback a “keep” read. Meanwhile, a linebacker “scrapes” over the top which puts him in position to tackle the quarterback coming around the edge, a much tougher task when Lamar is that QB:

That puts the linebacker in a precarious position, though. Tackling Lamar one-on-one is hard enough as it is; when he has a large swath of grass to work with, it becomes an impossible task.

If Baltimore is anticipating a lot of scrape exchange, it will ask a tight end to come from the backside and “arc” around to pick up that scraping linebacker.

If the tight end can execute that block, the defense is relying on a defensive back to beat his blocker. Even when that happens, Lamar can just do this…

During their regular-season matchup in Baltimore, the 49ers started scraping two linebackers over the top — one to take on the arc block and force Lamar back inside and the other to make the tackle — and that worked initially.

But the Ravens simply switched which side they attacked — this is easier to do from the pistol, where the run can go either left or right — and had the offensive tackle leave the defensive end unblocked and work up to the linebacker.

This is a tougher block for a lineman to make but it doesn’t need to be clean with Lamar speeding around the edge.

The Chiefs tried a more modern approach to slowing down option runs. This is something you’ll see a lot on Saturdays in the Big 12, where defenses are looking to clog up the interior gaps with a three-man line and funnel runs out to speed on the perimeter.

This is actually a good job by the defense, but it’s still a six-yard gain because Lamar can outrun those defensive backs and the Ravens play so many tight ends, they usually have the blocking advantage outside.

NFL teams aren’t crazy about using these fronts very often because it limits their pass-rushing ability, and stopping the pass is of the utmost importance at the pro level. Even if a team is willing to commit to the strategy against the Ravens, it won’t be something they practice a whole lot, so execution could be an issue.

Another option is just to flood the run box with as many defenders as possible. Of course, that leaves the defense vulnerable to the deep shot, and with Lamar developing as a passer, the Ravens have been taking advantage of those looks. Even when the defense calls one of those Cover 0 looks at the right time, and there are too many defenders to block, Lamar can just do this:

Even the perfect play-call is no match for Jackson when he has the ball in his hands.

The most sensible approach is to just keep the ball out of Jackson’s hands no matter what. Let Baltimore’s running backs try to win the game. While that might be a better option, it’s not necessarily a good one. The Steelers have tried two methods of keeping the ball out of Lamar’s hands and neither really worked.

The first was just sitting the defensive end — which means he stands at the end of the line, essentially waiting for the outside run — which tells Jackson to hand the ball off to his back. But that just evens up numbers in the box for the offensive line…

The Ravens line is just too good for that.

And even when you sit the end in an effort to force the “give” read, Lamar can still outrun that defender if he senses any hesitation.

In Week 17, when RGIII got the start for a resting Jackson, the Steelers tried to “charge the mesh,” which is a more aggressive way of forcing the QB to hand the ball off, with the unblocked defender just making a b-line to the quarterback. It’s actually the tactic current Titans defensive coordinator Dean Pees used against Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman when Pees coached Baltimore’s defense against Roman’s 49ers (and Colin Kaepernick) in Super Bowl 47.

The problem with charging the mesh is that it leaves large gaps inside the defender tasked with attacking the quarterback, which the Ravens exploited against Pittsburgh. Gus Edwards was the main beneficiary, rushing for 130 yards on 21 carries, including this 9-yard that broke the NFL’s single-season record for running yards by a team.

If Pees sticks with the gameplan he used against Roman’s offense eight years ago, the Ravens running backs could have a monster day. And Baltimore’s coaching staff will still find some other way to put the ball in Lamar’s hands anyway.

When Jackson is at quarterback, the possibilities are endless. Roman’s creativity isn’t stifled like Shanahan’s was when he was coaching Griffin and Manziel. He has a quarterback who can do it all, as NFL defenses have learned this season. Opposing coaches can keep searching, but there isn’t a scheme that can overcome Lamar Jackson’s talent.