There is only one way to respond to the pundits’ criticism of Lamar Jackson for his postseason performance.
Here’s a GIF of an animated version of George Harrison during his unforgettable appearance on The Simpsons over 30 years ago. Harrison rolls down the window of his limousine, sticks his head out to see the action above him (Homer Simpson and his barbershop quartet performing on a rooftop), and says, “This has already happened.”
Then Harrison rolls up the window and speeds away. This is the perfect example of how to react to a completely stale movie.
Former Green Bay Packers wide receiver James Jones is the latest in a long line of NFL pundits who have decided to revive a routine that has been overused for some time.
“He’s average at best,” Jones said this week during his appearance on the aptly titled FS1 show “Speak.”
“Shall we keep it at 100?
“Lamar Jackson is one of my favorite players. In the playoffs, he’s average at best… So he’s got to take the criticism and go out here and make sure, ‘Hey man, you think I can’t do this? Look at this.’ That’s what he’s got to do.
“But the criticism is absolutely justified because he is not the Lamar Jackson we normally see in the playoffs instead of the regular season.”
Jones, who won the Super Bowl with the Packers in 2011, currently works as an analyst for NFL Network.
The biggest criticism of Jackson is his inability to win in the postseason and his failure in his brightest moments.
Some of Jones’ arguments are backed up by statistics. Jackson has a 2-4 record as a starting quarterback in the playoffs, but a 58-19 record in the regular season.
His postseason passer rating is 75.7, a significant drop from his regular season rating of 98.0.
However, Jones’ reference to this phenomenon is pretty pointless for reasons beyond his lack of originality. It’s only natural that most professional athletes or teams don’t perform as well in the postseason as they did in the regular season.
The reason for this is obvious: the competition is so strong. The further you get in the playoffs, the stronger your opponent becomes.
And those opposing defenses, it goes without saying, are much tougher than the ones you’ll face during most of the regular season. A classic parallel is Tom Izzo, Michigan State men’s basketball coach.
You may have seen the T-shirts and memes: “January. February. Izzo.” Yes, the man nicknamed “Mr. March” has a career NCAA Tournament record of 56-24.
That mark, however, includes a 3-7 record over the final weekend of March Madness (which, ironically, takes place in April), so while he’s 53-17 over the first two weekends of the tournament, which include the first four rounds, he’s not doing so well in the latter stages.
Again, it depends on the quality of the opponents. To quote another funny GIF: “It’s not rocket science.”
