Joe Buck gave fans an unexpected comparison when talking about Baltimore Ravens superstar Lamar Jackson.
The sports world loves to compare superstar athletes. While some of these comparisons are apt, others are, um, interesting — to put it nicely.
Broadcaster Joe Buck managed to make a comparison that was both of those adjectives when he talked about Lamar Jackson on the latest episode of ESPN's "This is Football with Kevin Clark" podcast.
GREAT This Is Football with Joe @Buck.
Pressure does not get to Lamar Jackson. "I think some guys talk about a pressure and say that they're able to put it to the side and I don't believe them, you can see it dripping off them...I believe [Lamar]. He is the exception." Watch: pic.twitter.com/K0vi08489Y— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) January 24, 2024
When discussing what impressed him most about the Ravens' star quarterback, Buck said, "I think some guys talk about pressures and saying they're able to put it to the side, and I don't believe them. You can just see it; it's dripping off of them. And when Lamar Jackson said that, and you take in the body language and the way he said it, and then you go on and add to it the way he played ... I believe him."
The iconic ESPN broadcaster continued from there: "There are a few people I've run across over the years; I think Charles Barkley legitimately doesn't care what you or I or anybody thinks of him, and it's kind of a beautiful thing. It frees him up to say and do as he pleases.
"I feel like Barkley is going to live to be 110 because he has no stress. I think we all put more stress on ourselves when we try to — and I have certainly been in this category — try to please everybody. And you can't. You just can't."
While it's tough to imagine anybody out there expected to hear Jackson compared to NBA Hall of Famer and "Inside the NBA" analyst Barkley this week, that's precisely what Buck provided us.
Yet, once one gets past the initial shock factor of this comparison, it actually makes a lot of sense. Both Jackson and Barkley carry stress-free attitudes into their stressful day jobs — with Jackson seemingly more worried about what's included on the Ravens' "snack wall" than how defenses intend to attack him — which translates into success.
Buck is often criticized for some of his on-air antics, but we've got to give him credit for this comparison. It's certainly a fresher take on the Ravens QB than the usual Michael Vick comps that Jackson has been subject to across his career.
There's also one other reason why comparing Barkley and Jackson makes sense: Neither has a championship ring.
However, Jackson intends to end that in a couple weeks.
