Lamar Jackson, expected to start for the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night against the Miami Dolphins, is back after missing three games and he apparently means business.
We know he means business because during his time away, Jackson says, he ordered all the diversionary toys in the locker room, like the ping pong table, be moved out.
Because that’s a work area, not the play area, dang it!
Lamar Jackson ‘Excited’ To Return
But first the most important news:
Jackson has not played since he strained a hamstring in the second half of the Sept. 28 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Jackson missed three games over four weeks that included a bye week.
His time away included some controversy over his return and got the organization in some potential hot water.
The Ravens were 1-2 in the games Jackson missed.
But that changes this week on Prime’s Thursday Night Football. Jackson, who had thrown 10 touchdowns and only one interception in four games, is back.
“Extremely excited,” Jackson said with a smile. “Can’t wait to touch the grass with my guys, man. Been a while.”
Jan 28, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) throws the ball around Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie (22) while being sacked by Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones (95) during the first half in the AFC Championship football game at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Jackson: Gaming Not The Focus
Sometime after the Kansas City loss, Jackson and some of the other leadership on the team, decided the entire locker room needed to be more focused on the job at hand rather than, well, anything else.
So they had the “toys,” to use Jackson’s term, moved out of the locker room. So no game consoles or the ping pong table are in the locker room anymore.
“I told Kenico, our head equipment guy, I told him to take all the games, ping pong, turn the TVs off,” Jackson told reporters. “If we could have taken out the TVs they’d have been out too.
The fun stuff was originally placed in the Ravens locker room courtesy of team owner Steve Bisciotti. And that showed his open pockets desire to make his players feel at home and comfortable.
But Jackson decided comfort and gaming are not meant to mix with the business of rallying from a losing record.
“We’re not going to have them the rest of the year,” Jackson said. “We’ll probably have them next year, summertime, OTAs or something. But right now that’s not the focus.”
Game Removal Stirred Controversy
“I appreciate Mr. Steve for putting that in for us, but we had to focus,” Jackson said. “I don’t want to say people don’t take their jobs seriously, don’t get me wrong, but I didn’t feel it was the time for that. We’ve got a lot of work to do.”
The game removal issue stirred a bit of a controversy when it was originally reported days ago. Coach John Harbaugh said that was fake news because nobody within the organization thought it was a sign of anything problematic.
“Nobody cared about that,” Harbaugh said after Sunday’s victory over the Chicago Bears. “And like I said, which the people that wrote it already know, they already know that came from the leadership players – but they haven’t reported that yet – but that’s where [the decision] came from.
John Harbaugh wasn’t happy with how a question was asked at the Ravens’ first day of training camp on Wednesday. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
John Harbaugh: Stick Together
“It came from the leadership players. It was a players’ decision to do that. So, that was nothing. I was kind of proud of it. When I heard about it two weeks after it happened, I was like, ‘Good, great, cool.’ I haven’t been in the locker room.
“I don’t spend time in the locker room. So, that’s all nothing. That’s nothing. What matters is a team that sticks together and fights, even when the outside tries to divide you … You have to stick together, and you have to be a family.”
Jackson has been part of the family for some time. Now he rejoins the starting lineup.
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