JAGUAR TAKES BITE OUT OF QBS
Jacksonville cornerback holds nothing back in assessment of opponents in GQ interview
Jalen Ramsey is a household name — but only in households containing devout NFL fans.
The Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback clearly is intent on eliminating that qualifying phrase, based on his uncommonly unvarnished assessments of NFL quarterbacks, young and old, which appear in the latest edition of GQ magazine.
There’s outspokenness. There’s Richard Sherman-level outspokenness.
And now there’s Ramsey-esque outspokenness.
If he meant it all, it’s a rare — probably even unique — publicly shared assessment of quarterbacks from a top cover corner in the NFL.
Here are Ramsey’s flaming-hot assessments of some of them, per the GQ interview:
Eli Manning, New York Giants: “It’s not really Eli. I think it’s Odell (Beckham Jr., receiver extraordinaire). I won’t say Eli’s good, I’ll say Odell’s good. And their connection is good.”
Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers: “Big Ben, I think he’s decent at best … It’s not Big Ben, it’s (all-pro receiver Antonio Brown). Big Ben slings the ball a lot of the time. He just slings it, and his receivers go get it. He has a strong arm, but he ain’t all that. I played him twice last year and he really disappointed me. He’ll be in the Hall of Fame and all that.”
Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons: “I think Matt Ryan’s overrated. You can’t tell me you win MVP two years ago, and then last year you (are) a complete bust, and you still got (top receiver) Julio Jones?”
Josh Allen, rookie No. 7 overall draft pick, Buffalo Bills: “I think Allen is trash. I don’t care what nobody say. He’s trash. And it’s gonna show, too. That’s a stupid draft pick to me. We play them this year, and I’m excited as hell. I hope he’s their starting quarterback. He played at Wyoming. Every time they played a big school … he threw five interceptions, and they lost by a couple touchdowns or something like that. He never beat a big school … It’s like: Yo, if you’re this good, why couldn’t you do better?”
Lamar Jackson, rookie No. 32 overall pick, Baltimore Ravens: “I would’ve picked (him) earlier than 32. I think he’s gonna do a good job.”
Baker Mayfield, rookie No. 1 overall pick: “If all those teams were wanting Baker so bad — Baker compares better with Lamar than any of those other quarterbacks. So if they want that type of quarterback — confident, get out the pocket, throw on the run, big plays, charisma — then, yeah, I understand Baker going No. 1. But (then) why wasn’t Lamar the second quarterback chosen?”
Joe Flacco, starter, Baltimore Ravens: “And just being honest about it, Flacco sucks. I played him two years in a row. He sucks.”
Deshaun Watson, rookie hotshot last year, Houston Texans: “He’ll be league MVP in a couple years. One hundred per cent. There’s not even a debate about that.”
Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles: “(Watson) and Carson Wentz, for every year starting now until five to 10 years, it’s gonna be them two. They’re that good.”
Nick Foles, backup, Eagles: “He won them a Super Bowl, so he’s good enough to do that. He had a hella good team, too, though.”
What does he think of the two quarterbacks generally regarded over the past few seasons as the best in the NFL — Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers and New England’s Tom Brady? That duo headed Ramsey’s list of passers “who don’t suck.”
“Aaron Rodgers does not. Tom Brady doesn’t,” he told GQ.
So who is this Ramsey kid to dish like this?
He’s 23 years old, he hails from Smyrna, Tenn., and he starred in college at Florida State. The Jags selected him fifth overall in the 2016 draft.
After recording two interceptions and breaking up 14 passes in 16 starts as a rookie, he emerged as a premier lockdown corner last year, picking off four passes and breaking up 17 in being named both a Pro Bowler and first-team all-pro. He’s generally regarded not only as one of the league’s best cornerbacks, but perhaps the NFL’s champion trash-talker.
Reaction to Ramsey’s assessments poured in from around the league by Wednesday afternoon.
Here’s Manning ’s reaction to Ramsey’s criticism of him following the Giants’ joint practice with the Lions in Detroit: “Who?”
Zing. Ramsey sure won’t like that.
“I hadn’t heard anything about it,” Manning said.
“I got work to do. I’m going to be excited about Week 1 no matter what.”
Ramsey is dating the younger sister of Lions receiver Golden Tate. Lions beat writers asked Tate about Ramsey’s lukewarm comments on Stafford’s abilities.
“He has his opinion,” Tate said. “I don’t know — when’s the last time they played us?”
Two years ago, Tate was told. “What happened?”
The Lions won and Ramsey was weeping on the bench. “Oh,” Tate said. Reaction to Ramsey’s assessments within the Jaguars hierarchy was not immediately known. But with extreme disciplinarian Tom Coughlin running the football side of the organization and with disciplinarian Doug Marrone as head coach, no one in authority can be happy with Ramsey in Jacksonville today.
As it happens, Ramsey isn’t even with the Jaguars this week.
Defensive end Dante Fowler and teammate Yannick Ngakoue scuffled after practice on Sunday and reporters began recording the incident with smartphones. Ramsey yelled at them to stop it.
Later, a still-hot Ramsey tweeted, “Lol if ya’ll want war, we got sum for y’all.”
The club suspended Ramsey and Fowler on Sunday night for seven days for “violating team rules and conduct unbecoming a Jaguars football player.”