Joe Buck compares Ravens' Lamar Jackson to NBA legend

During the latest edition of the "This is Football with Kevin Clark" podcast, ESPN "Monday Night Football" play-by-play announcer Joe Buck compared Baltimore Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson to a well-known Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee. 

"There are a few people I’ve run across over the years," Buck explained while speaking about Jackson, per Brandon Contes of Awful Announcing. "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."

Much was made as recently as last week that Jackson – now a two-time Pro Football Writers of America NFL Most Valuable Player – had gone 1-3 as a starter in postseason play. That was before the 27-year-old notched two touchdown passes to go along with two rushing scores and 252 yards of total offense in this past Saturday's 34-10 divisional-round playoff win over the Houston Texans.

Buck and announcing partner Troy Aikman recently found during a pre-production meeting that Jackson doesn't lose sleep over takes claiming he can't win the most important games of any season on the biggest stages. 

"I think some guys talk about pressures and saying they’re able to put it to the side and I don’t believe them," Buck noted. "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."

As of early Wednesday evening, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Ravens as 3.5-point favorites for this Sunday's AFC Championship Game versus the Kansas City Chiefs, which will be played at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium. Even Jackson's loudest critics may have to eat their words if he defeats the Chiefs with a trip to Super Bowl LVIII on the line.