Steve Jones

@stevejones_cj

If University of Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson played as well as he did last season when he didn’t even know the plays, how good can he be in 2016 when he actually knows what he’s supposed to do?

That was the main thought I took away from Friday’s appearance by Jackson at Atlantic Coast Conference media days.

Jackson, who deserves high marks for the affability, humor and candor he displayed as the only non-junior or -senior at the ACC Kickoff, didn’t hide the fact that his freshman season involved a lot of guesswork as he tried to execute an offense he barely understood.

The sense you got from watching Jackson a lot last year was that he tended to make one read on a passing play, and if that man wasn’t open, he’d take off running. He didn’t appear to go through many progressions, didn’t often throw to his check-down targets, didn’t look over the middle too much to the tight ends. When he was in, U of L didn’t run its more traditional pro-style plays with him taking snaps from under center and handing off to the running backs.

And Friday provided clarity as to why all that was probably happening.

“I really didn't know any of the plays last year,” he acknowledged.

It was an uneven season for Jackson, who battled all year with Kyle Bolin to be the starting QB, but the highs he had were so high that you’re left to ponder what could be in store this year. He had Auburn chasing him all over the field (106 rushing yards) in the season opener. His cutbacks and top-end speed devastated NC State (121 rushing yards). He gashed Kentucky (186 rushing yards), and he really gashed Texas A&M (226 rushing yards and 227 passing yards).

Now Jackson will have had an additional spring, summer and fall to develop an expertise of Bobby Petrino’s system and gain comfort as a passer, complementing his dynamic running.

Jackson’s gaudy passing stats – 519 yards and eight touchdowns – in the spring game can be somewhat dismissed because they occurred against a second-team defense that was overmatched, but I do put a lot of stock into the public spring practices that preceded the Red-White game. Jackson was hanging in the pocket and confidently making accurate, high-velocity passes all over the field at a level we didn’t see in 2015.

What was most important about the spring-game touchdown bonanza, from my view, was that it showcased Jackson’s ability to throw a dangerous deep ball. Regardless of the level of defense he was facing, few other quarterbacks could make those long throws with such little loft and such high velocity.

A 50-yard rope is not a problem for him. Neither really is a 60-yarder. And it’s a safe bet that Jamari Staples, James Quick, Ja’Quay Savage or another tall, athletic receiver will eventually succeed this fall in getting behind or out-jumping a defensive back to haul in one of Jackson’s deep passes.

And it seems even more inevitable if defenses are forced to have extra people in the box to account for Jackson’s running threat. And EVEN more inevitable once Jackson gets more comfortable understanding and executing play-action.

What’s more reason for optimism for U of L in 2016?

MORE COVERAGE FROM ACC KICKOFF

Q&A: Petrino, Jackson and Kelsey at ACC Media Day

Analysis: Reading the Cards in Charlotte

U of L's Young to miss season with injury

Duke's Cutcliffe calls Louisville a 'football power'

The same inexperience and lack of knowledge that limited Jackson last season were also plaguing a young offensive line. That group should, like Jackson, simply know Louisville’s plays better in 2016.

The Cards played much of last season with two true freshman tackles, a redshirt freshman guard, and a junior-college transfer guard who reported to campus just before fall camp.

The O-line, which ranked second-to-last nationally in sacks allowed last year, was the shakiest part of the team, and it’ll remain the biggest question mark in 2016.

But it stands to reason that the offensive line, including second-year starters Geron Christian, Kiola Mahoni, Kenny Thomas and Lukayus McNeil, will improve solely because they understand the plays better, understand blocking for Jackson’s unique skills better and understand defenses better.

“We made a lot of strides (in the spring),” Petrino said. “We didn’t have the assignment errors that come with experience. … You know the play, know your assignment and you can go play fast. … Last year, with inexperience comes hesitation and uncertainty, so you’re not able to go play all-out at a fast, consistent level. We should be able to do that this year.”

An O-line that’s even a little improved over last year could lead to an offense that’s markedly improved overall.

That’s because Jackson, the dynamic trigger man of it all, already was hard to stop last season when he didn’t even know what he was doing. Imagine what Louisville can be now that he does.

Steve Jones can be reached at (502) 582-7176 or swjones1@courier-journal.com.