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Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff Writer
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — After a season in which Lamar Jackson said the Ravens gave him the keys to the offense, Baltimore is planning a bigger role for its All-Pro quarterback this offseason.
“Lamar’s a driver. He’s got to be involved in the setup of the car even more,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Friday at the team’s end-of-season news conference.
In his first season under offensive coordinator Todd Monken, Jackson set career highs with 3,678 passing yards and a 67.2% completion rate. Jackson spoke all season about how Monken gave him more freedom to change plays at the line.
Now, after speaking with Jackson on Thursday, Harbaugh said the quarterback is talking about Baltimore’s offensive schemes, how to attack different defenses, pass protections and route concepts.
“Those are things that are on his mind, and those are things that he’s going to be involved with the staff talking about,” Harbaugh said. “I’m excited about that. He wants to do it, and he’s just into it, man.”
Jackson is the front-runner to win his second NFL MVP award next week. He led the Ravens to an NFL-best 13-4 record in the regular season and finished with 64.7 QBR, which ranked fourth in the league.
But Jackson struggled in Sunday’s 17-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game with two turnovers, including an interception in the end zone in the fourth quarter. It dropped Jackson’s postseason record to 2-4 and increased questions about whether he can lead the Ravens to a Super Bowl.
“Lamar Jackson is a phenomenal success,” Harbaugh said. “He’s a phenomenal success as a football player. He is a phenomenal success as a person, as a leader, as a family man. In my opinion, there’s nobody better than this league, especially nobody better for the Baltimore Ravens and for this organization, for this city, and just from a historical perspective. I’m excited about the future.”
Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said he hasn’t spoken to Jackson since the season ended but might go down to Florida to have dinner with him and talk about the team.
“He’s great about offering suggestions and ideas,” DeCosta said. “I have a great relationship where we can exchange different ideas on personnel and things. And he’s a huge fan of college football, and I appreciate his feedback.”
The biggest issue with Baltimore’s offense in the AFC Championship Game loss was the lack of a commitment to the running game. The Ravens totaled 10 designed runs — the second fewest in Harbaugh’s 16 seasons as coach — against a Chiefs defense that ranked No. 18 against the run.
Harbaugh explained that there were some factors, including the Chiefs’ defense being lined up to take away the run and the Ravens using a two-minute offense in the fourth quarter, that reduced Baltimore’s rushing attempts. But Harbaugh also said that’s not an excuse.
“That’s not the number you want to have,” he said. “When it’s all said and done, you look back on it [and] that’s not really going to win us an AFC Championship Game, for sure.”