Jalen Ramsey’s Early Quarterback Assessment Report Card

Jalen Ramsey doesn’t have an off switch. The 23-year-old cornerback for the Jaguars is known for talking smack, a skill he learned from his father, and this offseason Ramsey let the smack talk fly. In an explosive Q&A with GQ, Ramsey gave his opinion on almost every QB in the league. After one week of playing, I wanted to find out if the QBs mentioned lived up to Ramsey’s words. Remember we are only considering Week 1’s performances when grading Ramsey.

Aaron Rodgers (Packers):  Does not [suck].

I think we can all agree Aaron Rodgers doesn’t suck. Even more, after a game where Rodgers had to leave because of an injury only to come back in the game hobbling on one leg to lead his team to victory, I think it’s safe to say he’s one of the greatest of all time.

Matt Ryan (Falcons): I think Matt Ryan’s 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? There is no way that should ever happen. I don’t care.

The QB Nick Foles beat in the NFL’s opening match-up, Matt Ryan, actually had better numbers than Foles. Ryan was 21/43 with 251 yards and one interception. There were times fans expressed their frustration with the lack of use of Julio Jones, similarly to Ramsey’s thoughts; however, I don’t believe Matt Ryan is making those calls. To me, the jury is still out on Ryan.

Drew Brees (Saints): I’m a fan of Drew Brees. I think Drew Brees really good, even at this age. He still runs. Everything.

I am also a fan of Drew Brees, partly because I’m a Saints fan, but Brees excels at leading his team them back into any game. At the start of the 4th quarter, the Saints were down 41-24 to the Bucs, and Brees led his team to get within a score. If the Saints ever helped Brees on defense, maybe the team would win more games.

Tom Brady (Patriots): Doesn’t [suck].

If you’ve watched an ounce of football in the past decade, “Doesn’t suck,” is modest for how great of a QB Tom Brady is. With fewer weapons and a somewhat depleted offensive line, Brady still managed 277 yards and 3 touchdowns in the Pats 27-20 home win against the Texans.

Deshaun Watson (Texans): Deshaun Watson, he’ll be the league MVP in a couple years. One hundred percent. There is s not even a debate about that.

Watson made his first start since coming off knee surgery. With that being said, honestly, I wasn’t really impressed with his performance. A fumble to start the game, and less than 200 passing yards, doesn’t sing MVP to me. Watson did have a few good runs, but I don’t see MVP yet.

Marcus Mariota (Titans): I think Marcus Mariota is a great quarterback for their team.

We’re working with a smaller sample size for Mariota, who left the game after being injured on a hit in the third quarter. Because of this, I’m not going to call it either way. Before he left, Mariota had nine passes completed for more than 100 yards but also allowed two interceptions in the Titans 27-20 loss to the Dolphins.

Kirk Cousins (Vikings): I think he’s good. I think he’s a winner. He’s a hell of a competitor. Coming off the play action, he’s the best quarterback in the league. Play action passing, he’s a hell of a quarterback.

Great analysis from Ramsey. I agree, Cousins is what the Vikings need, and he’s a guy who’s going to fight and get it done. In week one, he was 20/36 with 244 yards and two touchdowns. As Ramsey said, he’s a winner, at least for one week.

Jimmy Garoppolo (49ers): Just cause when they beat us, his hype picked up. They were like, ‘He beat the number one defense.’ It was all schemes. He didn’t beat us. It wasn’t like he diced us up. It was literally all schemes.

Jimmy G. struggled in the first game with San Francisco, missing some open receivers, though most didn’t do him any favors. If we just take that game into account, it would seem the hype might just be that, all hype.

Russell Wilson (Seahawks): I think Russell [Wilson] is good. I think he’s just a really good leader too.

Wilson had a decent game against the Broncos, almost 300 passing yards and three touchdowns. He did have two interceptions, but he also didn’t have the best protection from his line.

Derek Carr (Raiders): Derek Carr, I think he’s good.

Carr failed to execute in the Raiders loss to the Rams. While Carr put up over 300 yards, he had three interceptions, one which was a pick-six. Carr didn’t live up to Ramsey’s words in week one.

Jared Goff (Rams): Jared Goff, he’s average to above average.

The Rams defense definitely helped out the offense in the game, but Goff did what he needed to do to win. With 233 yards and two touchdowns, if Derek Carr is good, and according to Ramsey he is, Goff is more than just above average.

Philip Rivers (Chargers): I think he’s pretty good.

Okay, I really wish I could hear the tone in some of these rankings. I imagine how Ramsey is saying these statements in my head, and to me, there’s a certain connotation ‘pretty good’  has. After week one I think Philip Rivers is more than “pretty good,” especially when compared to some of the other QB’s stats. Rivers had 424 yards 3 touchdowns and one interception in the Chargers loss.

Tyrod Taylor (Browns): I think Tyrod Taylor is actually a better quarterback than he gets credit for because he does not make mistakes.

I agree with Ramsey’s conclusion on Taylor. He didn’t put up stellar stats in the Browns’ tie, but he kept Cleveland in the game, and for a team who didn’t win a game last year, that counts for something.

Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers): I think he is decent at best. It’s not Big Ben, it’s [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.

If Tyrod Taylor’s performance kept the Browns in the game, then Big Ben is the reason the Steelers didn’t win. Roethlisberger threw for over 300 yards but also had three interceptions and just one touchdown in the Steelers’s Week 1 tie.

Eli Manning (Giants): Eli [Manning] … It’s not really Eli. I think it’s Odell [Beckham, Jr.]. I won’t say Eli is good, I’ll say Odell is good. And their connection is good.

The Jags defense, Ramsey included, did a good job of keeping the Giants out of the endzone in their week one 20-15 win over the Giants. Eli didn’t have a great game, but Beckham still managed 11 catches and 111 yards. So yeah..

Joe Flacco (Ravens): And just being honest about it, [Joe] Flacco sucks. I played him two years in a row. He sucks.

Flacco had a good outing, but it was against the Bills. If he faced a tougher defense, like the Jags, he might struggle. But it’s hard say a QB with three touchdowns and no picks sucks.

Andrew Luck (Colts): I don’t really think he’s that good. Him and T.Y. [Hilton] had a connection in the past that made him stand out a little bit more, but I don’t think he’s good.

Luck looked a lot like his old self and would have fueled a comeback win if TE Jack Doyle didn’t fumble on the last drive. He had more than 300 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in the loss to the Bengals. It was also Luck’s first game back from shoulder surgery.

As you can see Ramsey is an astute quarterback analyst, at least for one week. We’ll check in on his progress later in the season. B+