Jaguars star cornerback Jalen Ramsey stirred up the NFL community today by sounding off on virtually every team and quarterback in the league. Ramsey praised many quarterbacks, while also giving harsh criticism to others. Ramsey’s harshest criticism fell on Buffalo Bills rookie Josh Allen, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, Atlanta Falcons veteran Matt Ryan, and the Ravens’ Joe Flacco. Ramsey said of Allen, “He’s trash. And it’s gonna show too.”, along with, “That’s a stupid draft pick to me”, referring to the Bills drafting Allen. Ramsey commented on the former league MVP, Matt Ryan, “I think Matt Ryan is overrated. You can’t tell me you win MVP two years ago, and then last year, you a complete bust, and you still got Julio Jones?” And of Eli Manning, “It’s not really Eli. I think it’s Odell. I won’t say Eli’s good, I’ll say Odell’s good. And their connection is good.”
As he was ripping through the rest of the NFL, Ramsey had this to say about the Ravens franchise quarterback, “I would’ve picked [Lamar Jackson] earlier than 32. I think he’s gonna do a good job. Especially with the Ravens’ offensive coordinator – he likes running quarterbacks, likes that read option. And just being honest about it, Flacco sucks. I played him two years in a row. He sucks.”
Jalen Ramsey has no idea what he is talking about, and it’s not just with Joe Flacco. No, Joe Flacco does not suck. You can praise Lamar Jackson as a good pick, the right pick, without saying that. Maybe Jalen Ramsey forgets that Joe Flacco beat his defense back in 2016 to win the game. Yes, Joe Flacco struggled last year against the Jaguars in London, but the offense was disappointing as a whole, and he was not healthy. In this interview with GQ, Ramsey goes on to praise his team’s quarterback, Blake Bortles. While I respect Bortles as a quarterback and do think he’s underrated, let’s not forget that Joe Flacco was able to defeat the Patriots, in Foxboro, in the playoffs, multiple times. That’s a test Blake Bortles, and Jalen Ramsey, have failed so far.
Ramsey’s comments about Josh Allen, Matt Ryan, and Eli Manning are also just plain incorrect. Sure, Josh Allen may be a gamble for the Bills, but he is not trash. Allen has natural arm talent, and with work on improving accuracy, he can morph into a solid quarterback. Matt Ryan may be overrated, but he was not a bust this past season. Ryan played as he typically does, and almost punched his second straight ticket to the NFC Championship game. While the rest of the comments were bad, the Eli Manning comment was likely the worst. No, Eli does not look good because he has Odell Beckham Jr. Eli Manning is good because he’s delivered for the New York Giants throughout his career, including two Super Bowl rings before Beckham was ever on the team.
