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'One-of-a-kind': Browns once again prepare for unique challenge of Ravens' Lamar Jackson
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- 'One-of-a-kind': Browns once again prepare for unique challenge of Ravens' Lamar Jackson
BEREA − Martin Emerson Jr. faced a lot of great players during his three years at Mississippi State. There were a lot of dynamic quarterbacks he went up against in the SEC.
The Browns rookie cornerback , though, knows he's not faced anyone quite like he's going to face on Sunday afternoon in Baltimore . There's no one Emerson saw, be it inside or out of the SEC, quite like Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson .
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"I feel like he one-of-a-kind," Emerson the the Beacon Journal this week. "For real. So, there's a lot of great quarterbacks in the SEC that I played against that extend plays, like [Alabama's] Bryce Young, he's one of those guys who extends plays with his feet. But he don't run the ball as much as Lamar. Lamar, he'll take off and run, even though he'll take hits, too."
No quarterback in NFL history has produced more games of 200-plus passing yards and 100-plus rushing yards than the seven Jackson has had in his 55 career starts. He became the fastest quarterback in NFL history to eclipse 10,000 passing and 4,000 rushing yards when he did so in Week 5 of this season, his 63rd game.
After having missed the past four games of last year with an ankle injury sustained against the Browns on Dec. 12, Jackson has thrown for 1,277 yards and rushed for another 451 yards. He's thrown 13 touchdowns and six interceptions, with two more rushing touchdowns.
"He's just a dynamic guy with the ball, it's been that way probably his whole life," said safety John Johnson III , whose played against Jackson since their days as ACC opponents at Boston College and Louisville, respectively. "Every level he's dominated with the ball in his hand, running and passing. I just think he's one of one in this league. Very elusive, very sudden. I just think you gotta have 11 guys running to the ball to contain him."
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) runs the ball against the Cleveland Browns on Dec. 12, 2021, in Cleveland.
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was in Emerson's spot a year ago. The Browns linebacker got his first look at Jackson, a former Most Valuable Player, last Nov. 28 when they played at Baltimore.
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That gave Owusu-Koramoah , a Notre Dame product, a first-hand look at the thing which makes Jackson such a unique talent. It's something Owusu-Koramoah acknowledges you can't truly appreciate until you're actually on the field against him.
That first look provided him a look into what makes Jackson so unique.
"It's the speed," Owusu-Koramoah said. "You watch film, and you're like, "OK, this guy is fast' and the quickness also, them two married together. So it's the speed and the quickness that he has and he's able to get from one point to another. He's able to see and react quicker than some of the guys I've ever seen so almost kind of like a … I'll leave it at that."
The Browns haven't necessarily specified one player as a "spy" on Jackson for every single play in past games. There are players who can get that designation depending on the call.
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Owusu-Koramoah is one such player, which was a big reason why the Browns were so excited to land him in the middle of the second round in 2021. He showed why in that first opportunity to face Jackson last November, being in on eight tackles of the Ravens' quarterback, including half a sack, a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit.
"It's a matter of personnel," Owusu-Koramoah said. "You put fast guys against fast guys. Power guys against power guys, so that's what the coaches see and that's what they ask me to do and ask me for games similar to this and I have to go out and do my part and follow my responsibilities."
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) throws as Cleveland Browns outside linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (28) defends during the second half Nov. 28, 2021, in Baltimore.
That was part of a bigger performance by the Browns defense in which they intercepted four of Jackson's passes. They had only had two interceptions against Jackson in 132 career pass attempts against the Browns leading into that game.
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Turnovers, though, are something with which Jackson can have issues. He's thrown 37 interceptions in 64 career games, and he's lost 14 of the 40 fumbles he's had in that same span.
This season alone, four of Jackson's six interceptions have come in the fourth quarter, a major reason why the Ravens have blown double-digit leads in all three of their losses. Prior to this season, he had only thrown six fourth-quarter interceptions in four seasons combined.
"Like, if you have contain, make sure you stay contained and keep him in the pocket as best as you can," cornerback Greg Newsome II said. "There's obviously going to be some breakdowns where he gets out of the pocket because he's a great quarterback so [there's] gonna be times where he makes plays but the goal is to minimize those big plays that he has.
"So when everyone just does their job, I think we can compete with any team in this league. I feel like we can cover. We have extreme great matchups across the board. It's just we have to stick true to just doing our job every single play for 60 minutes."
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A big part of that is every one of the 11 players on the Browns playing every play to the whistle. That's because every play in which Jackson has the ball in his hands can end up a big play if one doesn't do that.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) narrowly escapes Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) as he scrambles for yards Dec. 14, 2020, in Cleveland.
It's not just among the front seven, whether it's Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney off the edge or the linebackers reading their keys. It's even the the defensive backs, who can't find themselves getting nosey peeking into the backfield while in pass coverage.
In fact, that may be the thing which makes Jackson the most dangerous. There's no way to tell when its a run or a pass until someone runs the football − or throws it − across the line of scrimmage.
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So there's really just one way to approach Jackson.
"Plaster when he tries to extend and being in tight coverage when trying to extend the play," linebacker Deion Jones said. "Also, when he does cross the line, get him on the ground. He is elusive. He knows angles. He knows how to get out of bounds. He knows how to slide to be safe. He is a good quarterback. We just have to account for him."
Contact Chris at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com.
On Twitter: @ceasterlingABJ
Browns at Ravens
Time:1 p.m. Sunday
TV:CBS
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Browns prepare for unique challenge of Lamar Jackson
