GREEVER | Lamar Jackson's next step is simple: Keep believing

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) - My first jersey was actually a quarterback's.

Remember Vinny Testaverde? Maybe you do, maybe you don't. Most probably do from his University of Miami days, his early NFL years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or a successful stretch later with the New York Jets.

Well, he was the first starting quarterback for a new NFL franchise in 1996: the Baltimore Ravens. Thirty-three touchdowns and 19 interceptions later, he was a Pro Bowler that season. A young man who became so much of a fan that his nickname was "Mini Vinny" received a jersey to show that. (I'm on the far left. That hat is too big.)

There are three other quarterbacks in franchise history to ever earn a trip to the Pro Bowl: Steve McNair (he didn't play in it), Tyler Huntley (he made it as an alternate)...and Lamar Jackson (three times now). I am assuming you are well aware of that last guy.

Now, Jackson has a much larger honor to celebrate. On Thursday night, he won his second NFL MVP award. There are multiple points of history to note:

- At 27 years old, the Louisville legend is the youngest two-time Most Valuable Player since the merger.

- UofL's lone Heisman winner is the only player to ever take home college football's most prestigious individual honor and multiple NFL MVP awards.

- Jackson is one of just 11 players in NFL history to win the MVP award multiple times. 

Who are the 10 others? I am sure you know them: Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Jim Brown, Brett Favre, Johnny Unitas, Patrick Mahomes, Joe Montana, Steve Young and Kurt Warner.

There are many out there who are going to roll their eyes at any association of Jackson with such an illustrious group. Why?

Nine of those 10 greats have won at least one Super Bowl and Brown won a championship before the creation of what is basically now a holiday in our country. Jackson has not led his team to a championship.

Let someone who has watched countless quarterbacks fail in Baltimore while the rest of the team tried to lift them tell you what your response should be to that:

Just wait. And who cares?

That may not be the popular response after Jackson's latest playoff performance. This season presented the best chance for him and the Ravens to break through to the Super Bowl.

The league's Most Valuable Player terrorized the toughest teams on the schedule as Baltimore separated itself from everyone else. New offensive coordinator Todd Monken trusted Jackson's ability as a passer. The organization helped it by improving his receiving options. And the defense was dominant.

It all added up to a 17-10 loss to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs dynasty in the first championship game in Baltimore since another UofL legend in Unitas was playing quarterback. Jackson had two turnovers compared to just one touchdown. Nevermind that Baltimore completely abandoned its strong running game, even when most knew that was how to attack the Chiefs. The narrative returned: Lamar Jackson is great in the regular season. He is just not great in the playoffs.

I am not here to tell you he is blameless. His decision-making on that stage needs improvement, as he has totaled the same amount of postseason turnovers as touchdowns with nine. There are often times where he looks like he is pressing and not trusting his instincts, even when a defense is giving him room to take off and run like no one has ever done.

That brings me to a clip that caught my attention: During the latest playoff loss to the Chiefs, veteran wide receiver and Super Bowl champion Odell Beckham Jr. talked to Jackson on the sideline, reminding him how much he can change a game with his legs.

#Ravens Odell Beckham Jr. to Lamar Jackson during the AFC Championship:“You change the whole dynamic of the game when you take off…we gotta get some s**t going on, like what the f**k is going on”pic.twitter.com/itRIO0XZzm

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 31, 2024

Think about this: So many people have questioned the most productive dual-threat quarterback in NFL history that a teammate has to remind him how dangerous he is.

Maybe he needed the reminder because what has always separated Jackson is not his athletic gifts. It is actually his undying belief in himself.

We are talking about someone who has had to continuously prove he is not just a great quarterback, but one of the best, at every level because so many thought he should play a different position. We are talking about a guy who guaranteed a Super Bowl right after he was drafted as the last pick of the first round. We are talking about a franchise quarterback who had to wait out every moment of finally landing a contract he deserved.

So, betting on a 27-year-old who has only gotten better each season to fully realize he does not have to prove anyone wrong anymore is not exactly bold. In fact, it is just a natural part of the maturation process.

“It’s an honor just to be amongst the greatest.“I feel like I still have work to do and stuff to prove to the naysayers. But I need the naysayers.” @Lj_Era8 reacts to winning his second MVP award. pic.twitter.com/apoJjJuzct

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) February 9, 2024

The next step for Jackson is the easiest one because he has already conquered it in many different ways. Being himself is more than enough. It is literally historic. Taking what defenses give you, trusting your instincts to pass or run and showing off the talent that earned two MVP awards should result in a Super Bowl one day.

And if it doesn't? Sure, it will be disappointing, and no one will take it harder than Jackson. He has made that clear.

But what we do not have to do is constantly say, "Yeah, but..." every time we dissect him. We tend to consume sports in such a zero-sum manner that it sucks joy out of witnessing so many different talents, not just Jackson.

His is unique and it fits well in Baltimore, a blue-collar place that often carries a large chip on its shoulder. It is a city whose two Super Bowl winners were quarterbacked by Trent Dilfer and Joe Flacco. The 2000 Ravens did not score a touchdown for five straight games. The 2012 Ravens made a late run thanks to a legendary (one could say ELITE) stretch from Flacco and one Mile High Miracle of a heave to Jacoby Jones against the Denver Broncos. 

In that way, these two were always made for each other. But the next step of that relationship is embracing a simple truth: Proving yourself and those who believe in you right as opposed to the doubters wrong is more fruitful. 

Mini Vinny does not need to see a Super Bowl to appreciate Lamar Jackson. The 31-year-old version sure as hell does not. If it happens, and I think it will, then Baltimore and Louisville can enjoy it together with a talent who connected these cities again.

But it will be because they are two of the places who always believed in him. Now, he just has to keep believing in himself. 

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