Steelers All-Pro Cameron Heyward Has Jackson’s Back
Even a member of the arch rival Pittsburgh Steelers knows that Jackson’s exclusion from ESPN’s top 10 quarterback rankings “makes no sense.”
“How the heck is he not a top 10 player? The guy just won an MVP two years ago,” three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Cameron Heyward said on his “Not Just Football” podcast (via Steelers Depot). “I have the utmost respect for a guy like Lamar.”
ESPN’s rankings were the result of a survey of more than 50 league executives, coaches, scouts and players, who apparently still don’t know what to make of a quarterback with Jackson’s unique skillset regardless of how much success he has.
“Is he a prototypical quarterback? No, but who’s to say quarterbacks have to play a certain way?” Heyward said. “He’s a younger guy that’s gonna continue to develop and be one of the greats in our league. I just think he is a top quarterback in our league. For everybody to just put him down because he got hurt last year seems a little irrational. “
Heyward, who has played against Jackson three times, went on to say how challenging it is to try to contain him.
“When we play Lamar, you’ve got to make sure everybody’s accountable,” Heyward said. “There’s always got to be a spy, so when you do that, you can’t have anybody in the back end, you’re taking somebody out there. I don’t know a lot of quarterbacks that can do that. This list just seems incomplete if you don’t have Lamar on your top 10.”