Why did he slide you ask?
•Lawrence and Fields have been neck and neck since H.S. and Fields’ success threatens the anointed, golden god that is T. Lawrence.
•Fields’ talents, even his mechanics, challenge preconceptions of what a QB, especially a “black QB”, can/should be. Fields’ is often euphemistically referred to as a running QB though he has always been more of a pocket passer.
•Orlovsky’s report of work ethic concerns, the epilepsy leak, the characterization as a “one-read and run” guy were all put out there to explain what was really a fall based on Fields threat to QB norms in general and Lawrence’s throne in particular.
•Chris Simms’ Ranking
-In ‘18 Simms had Lamar Jackson as his top QB, a call which Simms has used to defend his position on Fields. However, Jackson fits the traditional QB stereotypes more comfortably than Fields. There is a secondary wrinkle here in that Jackson was clearly being underrated by both the media and the league. Simms was able to play the “white knight” role in this instance.
There’s more, there’s much more, but fuck it I’m getting tired.