By: Adam Reuter
In any high-performance organization, legacy employees are eventually audited for relevance. Mike Preston, a fixture of the Baltimore Sun for decades, has transitioned from a “tough love” columnist into a toxic liability. His recent campaign to devalue the Baltimore Ravens’ primary asset, Lamar Jackson, represents a fundamental failure of journalistic due diligence. It is time for the city to cut its losses.
1. Analytical Malpractice: The Offensive Lineman Paradox
Mike Preston’s unique value proposition was always his background as a collegiate offensive lineman. He was supposed to be the guy who understood the trenches. Instead, he has committed professional malpractice.
The Data:
- Pressure Rate: 41.2% (League Bottom-Tier)
- Sacks Allowed: 41+
- Pocket Integrity: Non-existent.
For an analyst with Preston’s background to look at a quarterback getting hit on nearly half his dropbacks and conclude the problem is “video games” is not just wrong—it is intellectually dishonest. It ignores the mechanical failures of the right tackle and left guard positions to push a lazy narrative. He isn’t analyzing the game; he is ignoring the tape to sell papers. That is a dereliction of duty.
2. The “Work Ethic” Projection
Preston’s claim that Jackson—who has played through hamstring, back, ankle, and toe injuries this season—is “falling asleep in meetings” is a distraction tactic. In the business world, we call this projection.
Preston spent the first five years of his career making “chicken runs”—fetching lunch for the real writers. It appears he never evolved past that “gopher” mindset. He is still just running errands, but instead of fetching coffee, he’s fetching water for a front office that refuses to invest in a legitimate offensive line. He is protecting the establishment by blaming the employee who is literally breaking his back to keep the company afloat.
3. The ROI of Rage
We must acknowledge Preston’s business model: Rage Revenue. He no longer provides insight; he provides friction. He is the clickbait equivalent of a broken sewage pipe—it stinks, but you can’t help but look at the mess.
However, the cost of this revenue is the alienation of the fanbase and the degradation of the city’s sports culture. When a “journalist” advocates trading a two-time MVP for cents on the dollar, he is actively damaging the market value of the franchise.
The Proposal: A Strategic Trade
The Baltimore sports market needs to execute a strategic divestiture of the “Mike Preston” asset immediately.
- The Trade: Mike Preston to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
- The Return: A bag of expired crab mallet seasoning and a Conditional 7th Round Draft Pick (2030).
- The Logic: This is addition by subtraction. By removing the primary source of toxic negativity, we clear cap space for actual analysis—writers who can read a zone-blocking scheme rather than reading rumors from “anonymous sources.”
Conclusion: Lamar Jackson isn’t the problem. The problem is a media landscape that allows a dinosaur to critique a spaceship. Trade Mike Preston. Rebuild the culture.
P.S. When the Ravens struggle against Green Bay because they are fielding a backup QB behind a broken offensive line, Mike Preston will write a column Monday morning claiming this proves Lamar ‘gave up’ on the team. Do not buy it. That is not analysis; that is a pre-written narrative waiting for a tragedy to exploit.
