Lamar Jackson: Anthony Richardson's Remarks on Him, Cam Newton 'Made Me Feel Old'

Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson told reporters back in March at the NFL Scouting Combine that he started calling himself "Cam Jackson" in the 11th grade because he was "just trying to make big plays, just like Cam Newton and Lamar Jackson."

On Wednesday, Jackson joked with reporters that those comments "made me feel old."

"I'm like 26," he added. "Like comparing me, himself and Cam, it was like, 'Dang. Comparing yourself to me? I'm still young.' But I appreciate stuff like that. And I did see him a couple of times in college and he played phenomenal. And his first two [NFL] games he has too."

Richardson, 21, has shown some of the rushing ability that made Newton so dangerous in his career and continues to make Jackson a threat. The young Colts quarterback has already rushed for 75 yards and three scores, though he also has had to leave both of his games due to injury, leaving his somewhat reckless running style as a concern going forward.

That is one of the central concerns with mobile quarterbacks, and players like Jackson have seen both the positives and negative sides of being dual-threat weapons. The positive is that Jackson won the MVP award in 2019, just his second season, throwing for 3,127 yards, 36 touchdowns and six interceptions while also rushing for 1,206 yards and seven scores.

It was one of two seasons that saw him eclipse 1,000 rushing yards. Behind an offense tailored to Jackson's unique skills as both a passer and runner, the Ravens have gone 47-16 with him as a starter during his career.

The downside is the added risk of injuries. Jackson missed five games in each of the 2021 (ankle) and 2022 (PCL) seasons, with those injuries unfortunately keeping him out of action in December. That meant in 2021 he watched as the Ravens failed to make the playoffs down the stretch, and in 2022 missed the team's Wild Card loss to the rival Cincinnati Bengals.

Players like Jackson and Newton each became MVP quarterbacks because they made plays with their legs and arm. Richardson hasn't been one-dimensional to this point in his career, throwing for 279 yards, a touchdown and an interception through two games while completing 63.8 percent of his passes.

But if he wants to reach the heights of Jackson and Newton, he needs to find a way to stay on the field. That may require protecting himself more when he decides to tuck it and run.