Harbaugh: 'Bet the over' on 139 rush attempts for Jackson
Despite focusing on his passing mechanics all offseason, the Baltimore Ravens are prepared to let Lamar Jackson use his legs aplenty in 2019.
"I'd bet the over on that one," Harbaugh told NFL Network when informed that Cam Newton's career high in rushing attempts is 139. "I'd bet the over for sure. It's going to be interesting. I don't think we know the exact numbers or the math."
Jackson ran the ball a whopping 147 times last season, even though he only started seven games. Durability concerns that come with run-heavy quarterbacks led observers to believe the Ravens would try to limit Jackson's attempts going forward.
Harbaugh, though, said throughout the offseason Baltimore would roll out an innovative offense with the dynamic Jackson.
"If you look back and think of the history a little bit, the game was probably revolutionized with Bill Walsh and Joe Montana," he said. "And that's been the model for the last 25, 30 years, and we've all been chasing that model, pretty much, trying to find that quarterback, find that rhythm, and all the things that go with that offense, and it really hasn't changed too much.
"None of us can envision what's to come in the future. I don't know how many of the quarterbacks from the 60s or 70s would have been able to succeed. Not too many, probably. (Dan) Marino, I'm sure, could have played in any era, but a lot of those other guys would not have been great in the west-coast-offense-era. What's the next era going to be? Well, we're about to find out. We're about to find out what the limits are on that. I think it's going to open up opportunities for quarterbacks all across, and in our league, and it's going to make it tough on defenses. So, that's the idea."