TMZSports.com
Warren Moon says if he were coaching the Ravens, he wouldn’t sit Lamar Jackson, Odell Beckham Jr. or any other starter this week — telling TMZ Sports he believes the moves could seriously ruin their chances at a Super Bowl.
Of course, with the No. 1 seed in the AFC already locked up, John Harbaugh revealed earlier this week Jackson and several others will take a seat on the bench against the Steelers on Saturday in order to stay healthy for the postseason.
Moon, though, doesn’t think that idea’s so great … explaining that because Baltimore has a bye in the first round of the playoffs, there’s now a far greater chance the squad will be rusty when it finally kicks off its divisional round game in more than two weeks.
“As a football player,” the Hall of Famer said, “you want to stay within that routine and that habit of what you’ve been going through the whole season to make you successful.”
Moon said he’s by no means advocating playing Jackson and co. the full game against Pittsburgh — he just thinks a few series could mitigate any potential problems down the road.
“That’s the only thing that concerns about this team and some of the guys that they’re sitting down,” the ex-quarterback said. “How sharp are they going to be in three weeks after going through a season where they’re used to playing week after week after week?”
In addition to Jackson … three other starters — Beckham, Marlon Humphrey and Kevin Zeitler — have already been ruled out. Star rookie Zay Flowers and star defensive back Kyle Hamilton appear poised to miss the game too.
Nonetheless, Moon still believes the Ravens have done enough to show him they’re the NFL’s best heading into 2024.
“They dominated against some of the best teams in the league,” he said.
