There is only one way to respond to pundits ripping Lamar Jackson for his postseason performances.
Cue the GIF of an animated version of George Harrison during his forever-relevant appearance on The Simpsons over 30 years ago. Harrison rolls down the window of his limo, sticks his head out at the action above him (Homer Simpson and his barbershop quartet performing on an outdoor roof), and says, “It’s been done.”
Harrison then rolls his window up and speeds off. It’s the perfect example of how to react to an utterly stale bit.
Former Green Bay Packers wide receiver James Jones is the latest in a long line of NFL pundits who have decided to recycle a routine that’s been overdone for some time.
“He’s average at best,” Jones said while appearing on the adequately title FS1 program Speak this week.
“Are we keeping it 100?
“Lamar Jackson is one of my favorite players. At best in the playoffs, he’s average… So he has to accept the criticism and go out here and make sure, ‘Hey man, y’all think I can’t do this? Watch this.’ He has to do that.
“But the criticism is absolutely fair, because he’s not the Lamar Jackson that we’re used to seeing in the playoffs versus the regular season.”
Jones, who won the 2011 Super Bowl with the Packers, currently works as an analyst for NFL Network.
The statistics back up some of Jones’ points. Jackson, as a starting quarterback, is 2-4 in the playoffs, versus 58-19 in the regular season.
His postseason passer rating is 75.7, which is quite a dropoff from his regular season mark of 98.0.
However, Jones’s calling extra attention to this phenomenon is pointless for reasons beyond its lack of originality. It’s only natural that most professional athletes, or teams for that matter, won’t do as well in the postseason as they do in the regular season.
The reason is painfully obvious—the level of competition they face. The further you advance in the playoffs, the more formidable your opposition.
And those opposing defenses are, and this should go without saying, a lot stronger than who you’ll face for the bulk of the regular season. A classic parallel is Michigan State men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo.
Maybe you’ve seen the T-shirts and memes: “January. February. Izzo.” Yes, the man nicknamed “Mr. March” has a career NCAA Tournament record of 56-24.
However, this mark includes a record of 3-7 on the final weekend of March Madness (which ironically takes place in April). So, while he’s 53-17 on the first two weekends of the tourney, which cover the first four rounds, he doesn’t perform as well in the final stages.
Again, because of the quality of the opposition. To reference another humorous GIF: “It’s not rocket surgery.”