Pundit Compares Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry to Shaq and Kobe
Ever since Derrick Henry signed with the Ravens in March, pundits have debated whether he is the missing piece that could get Lamar Jackson and the Ravens over the hump and into the Super Bowl.
The “Good Morning Football” crew discussed the topic, and Akbar Gbajabiamila likened the Ravens acquiring Henry to when the Los Angeles Lakers signed Shaquille O’Neal to complement Kobe Bryant.
O’Neal and Bryant led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships in the early 2000s, and Gbajabiamila believes Henry and Jackson together could take the Ravens all the way.
“This is the Shaquille O’Neal right here. This dude is a monster,” Gbajabiamila said. “When you give him the ball, if he’s averaging over five yards a carry, he’s running like 2020 Derrick Henry? Let me tell you as a defensive player, ain’t nobody got time for that. Ain’t nobody want to see that type of nonsense. You think I want to see Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson in the backfield? That is a nastiness nobody is prepared for.
“That’s hard to stop. That right there looks like a Super Bowl-caliber team. This is your Kobe-Shaquille O’Neal year right here.”
Peter Schrager compared Jackson’s lack of a Super Bowl appearance thus far to Michael Jordan not winning an NBA championship until his seventh season and LeBron James not winning one until his ninth.
“Michael Jordan had a lot of regular-season success and would lose to the Pistons and would eventually get over the hump and then was the guy,” Schrager said. “I’m not bailing on Lamar because he hasn’t made the Super Bowl yet. … I mentioned Michael Jordan. [Also], LeBron James. It doesn’t happen right away sometimes. Sometimes you need to lose a few times before you win.”
Kyle Brandt was less optimistic about the Ravens’ Super Bowl chances. In keeping with the NBA analogies, Brandt said AFC quarterbacks such as Jackson, the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen, and Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow have the misfortune of playing in the same era as the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes.
“I don’t look at [Jackson] as Jordan. Because Jordan plays for the Chiefs,” Brandt said. “[Charles] Barkley, [Karl] Malone, [Patrick] Ewing — is that the fate for these AFC quarterbacks because they played in the wrong era? Those are great all-time players who should’ve won championships, and not a single title amongst them because [Jordan] took them all. [Mahomes] has taken them all.”
The NBA analogies continued on ESPN’s “NFL Live” when the question of whether the Ravens can knock off the Chiefs in the AFC was raised.
“We are in the Jordan era in the AFC, but I do think the Baltimore Ravens have the team that can represent the AFC in the Super Bowl,” Damien Woody said. “Lamar Jackson, two-time league MVP, one of the most electrifying players that we have in our game. They got the skill position players. Obviously, they added Derrick Henry in the backfield that’s going to be thunder to Lamar Jackson’s lightning.”
These Current or Former Ravens Are Projected to Make Hall of Fame Over Next 10 Years
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell predicted the next 10 Hall of Fame classes, and he believes the following current and former Ravens have gold jackets and busts in their future:
Class of 2025: EDGE Terrell Suggs (first year of eligibility)
“Will T-Sizzle show up on Suggs’ plaque? He entered the NFL as a 20-year-old, so he was around for a long time; he was a Ravens player long enough to play with both Orlando Brown Sr. and Orlando Brown Jr. He had seven different seasons with double-digit sacks, won Defensive Rookie and Defensive Player of the Year and managed to help the Chiefs win a Super Bowl as a waiver acquisition in his final season. Suggs is eighth on the official sack leaderboard, and every eligible player above him (and quite a few of the players immediately below him) is in the Hall. It’s tough for me to see a case in which he doesn’t make it quickly.”
Class of 2028: G Marshal Yanda (fourth year of eligibility)
“Yanda’s streak of eight consecutive Pro Bowls is going to keep drawing more voters as the years go on; virtually every player to pull that off at some point during their career has eventually gotten into the Hall, although it should take interior linemen longer than their more notable counterparts.”
Class of 2028: S Earl Thomas (fourth year of eligibility)
“For however Thomas’ time ended in Seattle and Baltimore, his run as the NFL’s best center-fielder and an utterly essential, irreplaceable part of the Legion of Boom should eventually get Thomas into the Hall. Pete Carroll’s defense was never the same without Thomas and his ability to play the post and the seam.”
Class of 2032: K Justin Tucker (first year of eligibility)
“Tucker’s famous booming leg has quietly gotten less reliable in recent years, with the legendary kicker missing nine kicks from 50 yards or more over the past two seasons. Tucker could hold on forever and play deep into his 40s to challenge Adam Vinatieri’s hold on the NFL record book. But I could also see the Ravens cutting him in 2026, leaving Tucker to retire and settle for finishing his career as the most accurate kicker in league history.”
Class of 2034: Henry (fourth year of eligibility)
“Henry and Christian McCaffrey basically traded widespread recognition as the best player at their position for most of the span between 2018 and 2023, with one season from Jonathan Taylor as an exception. They have both felt like transcendent players at their best and made unheralded quarterbacks look like stars. I don’t see much of a problem putting either player in, even if they don’t have lengthy careers, given how the league treats running backs these days.”
Todd Monken Ranked NFL’s Second-Best Offensive Coordinator
Coming off a highly successful season in his first year as the Ravens’ offensive coordinator, Todd Monken was ranked No. 2 in Pro Football Focus’ offensive coordinator rankings.
“The Ravens hired Monken from Georgia to revitalize their passing game, and he did just that in 2023,” PFF’s Zoltan Buday wrote. “Baltimore’s passing attack generated 0.01 and -0.03 EPA per play in 2021 and 2022, respectively, before improving to 0.08 on pass plays in 2023 under Monken, which ranked eighth in the league and contributed to Lamar Jackson winning his second MVP award and earning a career-high 90.4 PFF overall grade.
“Despite getting much stronger in the passing game, Monken’s offense still dominated in the running game as the Ravens relied heavily on the same run concepts used under Greg Roman. As a result, Baltimore’s offense was one of just five teams to generate positive EPA on run plays, ranking fifth among NFL offenses in EPA per play on runs (0.004).”
Only the Detroit Lions’ Ben Johnson was ranked ahead of Monken.
Dan Orlovsky Says Steelers Should Start Justin Fields and Emulate Ravens’ Offense
Could the Ravens be facing a mirror image when they play the Pittsburgh Steelers?
It could happen if the Steelers follow the advice of ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky, who said Pittsburgh should go with mobile quarterback Justin Fields instead of projected starter Russell Wilson.
In 2022 with the Chicago Bears, Fields rushed for 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns. He joined Jackson and Michael Vick as the only quarterbacks to rush for 1,000 yards.
“[They] could become the Ravens,” Orlovsky said on “Get Up.” “The Pittsburgh Steelers can lead the NFL in rushing this season if [Offensive Coordinator] Arthur Smith utilizes more quarterback runs, with that offensive line and those two backs (Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren) and Justin, who when he runs the ball is about as explosive as anybody in football maybe outside of Lamar.
“The team in your division, who’s owned it along with Cincinnati for the past couple years, gave you the blueprint.”
Woody agreed with Orlovsky’s assessment.
“You have the ultimate running quarterback on your roster in Justin Fields, so why not utilize that?” Woody said. “Could you imagine if you unleash Justin Fields in that offense what this Pittsburgh team could be? They could be something like Baltimore. And you can go a long way playing that style of football.”