Chasing Brady: Why Lamar Jackson is motivated by the Bucs' QB

TAMPA, Fla. -- When Baltimore Ravens backmost Lamar Jackson spots the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Tom Brady crossed the tract connected Thursday night, he'll beryllium looking astatine much than conscionable the opposing quarterback.

He'll beryllium looking astatine the idiosyncratic helium has been chasing since his aboriginal days successful the NFL.

It's not Brady's records, MVP awards oregon GOAT presumption that Jackson covets. And contempt the buzz astir Jackson's declaration concern -- he's successful his 5th and last twelvemonth of his rookie woody -- it's not Brady's declaration that fuels Jackson's pursuit.

"I ever punctual people, if you've ever heard Lamar speak, it's ever astir Super Bowls," said Joshua Harris, Jackson's longtime erstwhile idiosyncratic throwing coach. "That's his mindset. Tom Brady wins Super Bowls, truthful that's what helium wants. He's the golden standard."

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Ask Jackson astir his favourite representation increasing up, and he'll archer you astir winning the Super Bowl of the South Florida Youth Football League astatine property 11. Nine years later, Jackson was selected successful the archetypal circular by the Ravens and declared connected the draught stage: "They're going to get a Super Bowl retired of me. Believe that."

When Brady temporarily retired successful February, helium captioned a representation of him and Jackson shaking hands and helium wrote Jackson was "next." Some thought it was Brady's mode of passing the torch of being the game's apical QB. Jackson had a antithetic interpretation.

"I would say, hopefully, I'm adjacent to triumph the Super Bowl," Jackson said Monday. "He's got 7 of them, truthful hopefully, that's what I'm adjacent to [do]."

Being consistent, alternatively than being a Super Bowl contender, is the existent extremity for some clubs arsenic they conscionable astatine Raymond James Stadium connected Thursday (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video).

Brady is dealing with being beneath .500 7 games into the play for the archetypal clip since 2002. The Bucs (3-4) person mislaid 4 of five, including 2 successful a row, with the debased constituent being a 21-3 nonaccomplishment astatine Carolina connected Sunday.

Jackson, meanwhile, started the play astatine a blistering gait but has had problems successful 4th quarters. The Ravens (4-3) are conscionable the 3rd squad successful the past 10 years to person led by double-digits successful each of their archetypal 7 games, yet they person mislaid three. Despite Jackson's occasional miscues, he's inactive No. 5 successful QBR (63.1).

Downplaying the idiosyncratic matchup, Jackson said he's not playing against Brady, but alternatively the opposing defense. Yet there's a unsocial enslaved betwixt the 2 that has played retired connected societal media dating to earlier Jackson was drafted. The communal admiration is obvious, and -- astatine slightest from Jackson's position -- is based connected a elemental premise.

"I'm trying to pursuit Brady," Jackson said earlier his archetypal playoff quality successful January 2019. "I'm not disquieted astir immoderate different quarterback, due to the fact that he's got [multiple] Super Bowls.

"I've got to get my archetypal one, and past it's on."

Two weeks earlier the 2018 draft, an NFL Network expert suggested connected societal media that Patriots manager Bill Belichick mightiness privation a dual-threat backmost similar Jackson arsenic possibly Brady's heir apparent. Brady responded with, "He's a beast!!!!" and added a thumbs-up emoji.

Jackson replied that the GOAT had spoken.

But the Patriots went successful a antithetic absorption with their 2 first-round picks, and Jackson and Brady would beryllium competitors, alternatively than teammates.

Jackson proved to beryllium each spot arsenic ascendant arsenic Brady imagined. In 2019, helium became lone the 2nd subordinate successful NFL past to beryllium a unanimous MVP. Brady was the first.

Jackson's MVP tally included a 37-20 triumph implicit the Patriots successful the lone clip helium has faced Brady. Jackson scored 3 touchdowns, moving for two, arsenic helium outdueled Brady, who threw a TD walk and an interception.

"Good luck to you, bro, you're doing immoderate large stuff," Brady told Jackson arsenic they met connected the tract aft the game. "Big fan."

Three years later, arsenic their rematch nears, the admiration remains.

"I conscionable deliberation precise highly of him," Brady said connected Tuesday, explaining the information down the "next" post. "I deliberation he's got a large future."

Some accidental Brady sees portion of his communicative successful Jackson. They were overlooked and underappreciated passim the draught process. Both were thrown into starting roles aboriginal successful their careers aft seasoned quarterbacks got injured, and they rapidly climbed to the apical of the league.

Brady was a skinny and dilatory imaginable who fell to the sixth circular successful 2000. By his 2nd season, Brady led the winning, fourth-quarter thrust successful Super Bowl XXXVI.

Nearly 2 decades later, Jackson was considered a task successful the 2018 draught due to the fact that helium wasn't the classical pouch passer, and helium fell to the last prime of the archetypal round. By his 2nd season, Jackson became the youngest backmost to triumph MVP (22 years, 356 days old).

"I deliberation Tom sees his communicative successful Lamar and wants him to beryllium large due to the fact that helium knows it's successful him," said Ravens Pro Bowl fullback Patrick Ricard, who grew up a Patriots instrumentality successful Massachusetts. "He knows helium has that desire."

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Rex Ryan weighs successful connected however Lamar Jackson's declaration concern is affecting his play.

As Ravens Hall of Famer Ray Lewis escorted a 22-year-old Jackson astir squad facilities successful January 2019 during a tv interview, helium asked whether there's a ceiling to what helium tin accomplish.

There's nary ceiling, said Jackson, who past stated his extremity of wanting to beryllium similar Brady and bring aggregate titles to Baltimore.

The absorbing portion of Jackson wanting to beryllium similar Brady is however antithetic their games are. Brady is bearing down connected becoming the archetypal subordinate successful NFL past to apical 100,000 passing yards, including the playoffs. He's 489 yards away.

Jackson is 1 of the astir prolific moving quarterbacks successful NFL history. He has rushed for astatine slightest 50 yards successful six consecutive games, which is 3 shy of the longest specified streak successful his career.

But determination are similarities.

"They some conscionable transportation that confidence, similar they're going to spell retired determination and predominate each clip they measurement connected the field," said Bucs receiver Breshad Perriman, who was with the Ravens erstwhile Jackson was drafted. "You conscionable cognize [Lamar is] going retired determination trying to kill, and Tom is the aforesaid way.

"They person precocious expectations for themselves, and they conscionable transportation themselves successful that manner."

And there's the property difference. Jackson, 25, was 3 years aged erstwhile Brady threw his archetypal NFL walk successful 2000.

"He's an astonishing player," Brady, 45, said this week. "He challenges defenses.

"He has a truly unsocial accomplishment set. His quality to improvise, marque plays with his legs, extended plays, and they bash a bully occupation with that offense. He's evidently precise unsafe with the shot successful his hands."

Tedy Bruschi, an ESPN expert who won 3 Super Bowls with Brady successful New England, says helium believes Brady sees the aboriginal of the backmost presumption successful dual-threat players similar Jackson.

"Tom's a precise guardant thinker," Bruschi said. "He's looking astir the league astatine wherever the backmost presumption is going. The athletes connected the antiaircraft broadside of the shot are conscionable excessively bully now. With the unit that they're capable to make done each of the blitzes that travel astatine them, determination has to beryllium an other constituent to the quarterback.

"I think, possibly, that's what helium meant astir [saying Jackson is next], conscionable knowing that the adjacent one, that's going to beryllium idiosyncratic peculiar that's akin to Lamar, Josh Allen oregon Patrick Mahomes."

Depending connected what Brady decides astir coming backmost for a 24th season, Thursday nighttime mightiness beryllium the past clip Brady and Jackson look each different connected the shot field, unless they conscionable successful the Super Bowl. There's a batch astatine involvement for each team, and according to Jackson's erstwhile throwing coach, determination mightiness adjacent beryllium an unspoken information for 1 of the quarterbacks.

"[Jackson] volition ne'er accidental it, but I deliberation helium wants to triumph [over Brady] again," Harris said. "He's a competitor. He wants to gain the respect of the GOAT. He wants the GOAT to beryllium like, 'Hey, that feline tin play. He's a winner.'"

ESPN Bucs newsman Jenna Laine contributed to this story