Ryan Clark said each of the quarterbacks named has been needed to get to this point due to negativity surrounding African-Americans playing at that position.
NFL legend Ryan Clark has pointed out the one reason why the Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson needs to absolutely win a Super Bowl.
Speaking on ESPN’s ‘First Take’ along with Cam Newton, Clark charted the evolution of the ‘black quarterback’ in the NFL.
“I wanna say it to you and I want to say it to Randall Cunningham and I want to say it to Russell Wilson and I want to say it to Michael Vick. This is the evolution of the position. Without Randall Cunningham having to try to conform and be a pocket passer and also show his athleticism, we don’t get to Michael Vick. And without Michael Vick accepting that and working to become a better passer and better leader, we don’t get a Cam Newton. If Cam Newton doesn’t bring the style of play that he had the opportunity to bring from Auburn to the NFL and win an MVP doing it, we don’t have a Lamar Jackson,” Clark said on the show.
Ryan Clark said that each of the quarterbacks named has been needed to get to this point due to the negativity surrounding African-Americans playing at that position.
“And that’s why we need Lamar Jackson to take that next step and hold that Lombardi trophy the same way we all cried when Doug Williams did it in the 80s,” the former safety added.
Double MVP Lamar Jackson
Lamar Jackson has won the NFL MVP award twice so far, in the 2019 and 2023 seasons. But he has yet to win a Super Bowl title, and he came so close to it the last time he won the MVP. The Baltimore Ravens lost to the eventual winners, the Kansas City Chiefs, in the AFC championship game in the 2023 season.
Many have been critical of Jackson and his quarterback style, which involves using his legs as much as his arms. Winning a Super Bowl title would cement his already impressive legacy in the league, and that would surely silence his critics.
