Flacco's Progress?
by Bruce Raffel on Dec 9, 2009 10:35 AM EST
112 comments
All we've heard through the Castle and all across the football media is how Baltimore Ravens QB Joe Flacco has progressed from his rookie year to his sophomore season. After Monday night's career worst performance, where he "earned" a 27.2 QB rating, I decided to look back at the stats to see how both seasons measured up against each other to determine his real progress.
Everyone knows that the Ravens have reversed their offensive tendencies to be more of a passing team this year than last year's run oriented offense. Yes, the type of offense that wore teams down, dominated the time of possession and got the Ravens to the AFC Championship Game with a the first rookie QB to ever win one, much less two road playoff games.
Now we are a pass first offense and sit at 6-6 with the need to sweep the remaining four games to even get a sniff of the post season. So how much better has Joe been this year compared to last year? Well, the stats don't lie and here they are:
It is ironic that we are doing this now and you will see why that is. Flacco accumulated his 2008 stats in 16 games last year but we are comparing all 16 games of 2008 to the first 12 of 2009 because due to the re-focus of the game plan this year, Flacco has virtually the same passes attempted and completed through 12 games this year compared to 16 games last year. What does that mean? Basically, it shows that the Ravens are having Joe throw 25% more often in 2009 than he did in 2008. Regardless of his success, it goes away from the way this team has been defined and achieved success from the Super Bowl year of 200 through even last season.
Let's look at the amazingly similar passing stats:
Year Games Att. Comp. %-age Yards Avg. TD INT Long Sacked Rating
2008 16 428 257 60.0 2971 6.9 14 12 70 32 80.3
2009 12 406 257 63.3 2881 7.1 14 11 72 26 84.6
Less important, but noteworthy are his rushing stats comparison:
Year Att. Yards Avg. Long TD 1st Downs Fumbles
2008 52 180 3.5 38 2 16 5
2009 28 51 1.8 10 0 7 2
The stats show very similar numbers, including the exact same number of completions both years, and almost the same numbers the rest of the way around. The rate of throwing picks is actually up from last year, as he's thrown almost the same number in less attempts. His yards per completion are surprisingly down, most likely due to the recent reliance on Rice Rice out of the backfield rather than throwing downfield. While his sacks are down, the season still has four more games left and those numbers, as well as his TD and interceptions, will surely increase.
While obviously less important, the noticeable difference in his rushing stats tell a tale themselves. He is staying in the pocket or throwing the ball more on the run rather than running this year much more than last. He scrambling last year that resulted in many more first downs may have defenses sitting back waiting for the late release and possible interceptions, many of what we have seen in the Red Zone this season.
Most fans would have said he has made huge strides this season before they read this. Now we have to possibly scratch our heads and say what were we thinking? Better yet, we need to ask the coaching staff if they've seen these same stats and what are they thinking? Isn't this the best evidence presented to make a case for returning to our success by running the ball as the first option and passing as the second option? Utilizing all three running backs like we did last year and not putting Flacco in the position of having to carry this team at a point in his development that he is obviously just not ready to do after only one full season in the NFL. While I accept the fact that he had a pretty good year last season as a rookie, there was too much read into that success and the next step the team expected him to make was just too big of a jump from year one to year two.
Now is the time to say the stats on paper tell the true story and let them be a reminder of what we were able to do with Flacco not being the one to lead the team to success with the weight of the offense on his young shoulders. Go back to what we did and still do well and that is run the ball as Flacco is on pace to make close to 600 passing attempts which could put an unnecessary strain on his young shoulder and arm. I have no problem featuring Ray Rice as the feature back, but give Willis McGahee 10-12 carries a game an LeRon McClain 8-10 as well.That would also limit the wear and tear on the smaller Rice, who should still get 20 touches a game combined rushing and receiving.
Is the possibility of Flacco throwing for close to 4000 yards true progress? Not in my opinion, as the reason is that this team is just relying on him way too much and while the stats are showing the same results as last year, the team as a whole is not.
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As a postnote
I also wonder if Flacco’s calm demeanor is a double-edged sword. He is sometimes so reserved that perhaps that gives the other players in the huddle the feeling that they don’t have to generate the passion and urgency that seems to be missing in coming out of the huddle or hurrying to the line of scrimmage in close games as the clock winds down and our poor clock management is exposed over and over again.
aka 'Rexx'
Agreed......
and not just because I hate him. His face is lifeless, constantly! Way too stoic. He needs to play with much more emotion IMO. Get mad, yell, scream, cheer, jump up and down, throw your arms in the air, something, anything, just don’t keep that same stupid-ass look on your face all game. I think it definitely wears off on other players when your leader on the field is lifeless.
The very existence of flamethrowers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, "You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done."
-George Carlin
Not that I'm comparing A to B
But, I’ll assume you guys never saw Unitas play. Never ran. Never got excited. Never screamed. Never much changed his facial expression except for the occasional smile after a score. Outward appearance is NO indicator of internal process.
"Talk’s cheap. Let’s go play." - Unitas
Johnny Unitas, one of a kind
When asked what it was like to play with Unitas, tight end John Mackey said, “It’s like being in the huddle with God.”
often imitated, never duplicated.
Where Have You Gone Johnny U?
Yea man
Greatest QB to ever play the game. No one revolutionized the game or approached the game like Johnny U did.
The saying I came up with for around here is “From Unitas to Unibrow.”
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
So...
On the day Joe retires, think there’ll be a plane flying over trailing a banner that says “Unibrow We Bow”? LOL
"Talk’s cheap. Let’s go play." - Unitas
As calm as Unitas' demeanor was,
he could be a mean SOB in the huddle if he needed to be. Unibrow needs to be more like that.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Dec 10, 2009 9:24 AM EST up reply actions
Outward appearance is definitely no indicator of internal process.
However outward appearance can definitely influence the rest of your team as a leader.
The very existence of flamethrowers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, "You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done."
-George Carlin
This may be the most sophisticated comment I have read from you.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
Thanks Malor. Rooting for Pittsburgh tonight? LOL
The very existence of flamethrowers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, "You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done."
-George Carlin
Hell no
Browns win 20-17 on a game winning FG in overtime.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
Yeah,
I’ll buy that. Could totally see it happening, sad as it is!
The very existence of flamethrowers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, "You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done."
-George Carlin
It happened.....
Sorry dude. Get well and bring it in 3 weeks.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
He’s worse than last year simply because Rice didn’t catch nearly as many passes last lear. This year Rice has about 500 receiving yards on short dumps. I don’t think Flacco makes up for those yards throwing to Mason and Clayton without getting picked 2-3 more times.
The fact that he’s on a pace to break his INT record with less attempts than last year and throwing very short balls to Rice is very telling. He should end up with 15 INTS this year.
On Tom Davis’s show, Ed Norris (our very own reality media hound/NY Jack The Ripper investigator) was all over Flacco and the O for being slow to the line. Wally Williams compared this team to a naked girl at a strip club who teases but doesn’t touch you. Jolly Tom reminded Wally it’s a family show. Bruce Laird, like all the old Colts, gave his normal, ‘When I was a young man, I’d play hard in front of a machine gun nest’ stuff.
Love Laird's
Player angle not taking this BS attitude, though.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Dec 9, 2009 12:20 PM EST up reply actions
Great
So now we have the Convicted Felon Ed Norris opinion – that’s all the we really need isn’t it? Maybe we can ask the Premier of China – cause I’ll be the knows as much about football.
"Talk’s cheap. Let’s go play." - Unitas
I heard Norris on TV
Her is a fan, just like us and knows his football pretty good, certainly better than some of the people who are paid to know.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Dec 10, 2009 9:25 AM EST up reply actions
Statistically speaking
Flacco’s numbers are marginally better than last year. If you discount last Monday’s debacle, then his numbers are even better. He will improve. He has the size, the tools and the smarts. He just has to hone in on them a little better.
My Comments On Flacco
I sit here all season long and hear about Rodgers every night on the news (ya, bummer cuz I live here) and Rodgers just seems to have it going on, connecting with his team and looking around more than Flacco does. Do you ever think Flacco can get to that point?
Yes, him being so calm and cool can throw off the passion in the rest of the huddle but do we want the passion of Ray Lewis in Flacco?
Just my 2¢
Lonely Ravens fan in Cheese Head country (Watertown, WI)
Don't forget,
Rodgers sat for couple of years watching and learning behind one of the best ever. That has to count for something, considering the Niners passed over his (from that area at Cal) and took Alex Smith instead, who is decent but nowhere as good as Rodgers.
Besides, Rodgers is a heck of a lot better than the Cal QB to come out before him (K. Boller)!
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Dec 9, 2009 12:22 PM EST up reply actions
Maybe.....
next year, we can get that person who taught Rodgers, onto our team. Hell, he switches teams every yr. Why can’t the Ravens be next? lol
Lonely Ravens fan in Cheese Head country (Watertown, WI)
I realize everybody wants to run the ball more but the run simply wasn’t there on Monday night.
And there are still four weeks left in the season, who’s to say Flacco’s stats don’t dramatically improve? It’s really too bad that most of you have lost hope in the coaching staff and the young quarterback, I can’t wait for all of you to start jumping back on if they have a few good weeks. We know Flacco is capable of he just needs to make a few adjustments.
How owuld w eknow about the run game
if McGahee got only four carries (including the goal line dumb end run call) and McClain got ZERO!?
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Dec 9, 2009 12:23 PM EST up reply actions
It seems like...
We are always playing from behind so they never even try to establish the run game or work the clock.
I completely agree about McClain. He should always be getting the ball in the red zone. When did McGahee become a goal line runner? Just because he isn’t our premiere back any more that makes him our goal line runner?
First of all
the games all start at 0-0, so we have every chance to establish the run game and besides, you don’t abandon the run game in the first half anyway. Secondly, Willis had 7 TDs in the first four games, then only one or two more in the next eight!
aka 'Rexx'
Do you know how unique it is for us to have 3 starting backs on our team. This is a once in a franchise deal going on here. To not make the most of this triple threat along with one of the best possession receivers in the league is an injustice. With those 4 I could move the ball on anyone. How can you defense that. Cam really has more weapons than most OC’s and he’s missing the boat and pissing off people doing it.
Again 1-15 at Miami making decisions.
as their head coach
Did pretty good at SD and no one was complaining most of last year or the beginning of this one. If Flacco and the o-line and the defense did their jobs every week, perhpas we’d not be pointing the finger at the coaches.
aka 'Rexx'
If Flacco ends up with more interceptions than TDs
I think we go 8-8. So that means a loss to either the Lions, Bears or Raiders. And it is VERY possible if this bum keeps throwing away our redzone drives.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
1?
Flacco has 4 interceptions in the redzone this year. Lol
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
Alright
I forgot about the Colts one, who were the other two against? I’m sure you’re right, I just have an awful memory of anything that didn’t happen in the previous week.
Yeah, try in losses to
Cincy (1st game,1st drive), NE (at end of 1st half), Indy (at end of game), and GB (late in game).
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Dec 9, 2009 12:24 PM EST up reply actions
Any why weren't we running the ball?
Stop forcing Flacco to make the plays. If he gets us into the red zone, run it then kick a FG if we don’t get in.
Over the past 2 seasons he’s had at least 7 4th quarter red zone picks that have immediately decided the outcome of games. I bet there is not another Qb who has choked that much the past 2 years.
What about Boller in
the previous two years before that? Makes the Ravens look pretty lame with that combo over the past four, including McNair’s.
aka 'Rexx'
It’s been a long road. Regardless of how much we bitch about this team, Baltimore has the greatest fans. We get screwed every week and still sell out every game. I hope the ownership realizes just how patient we have been while they fart around with receivers and QB’s. Honestly, they should give Lewis 1/3 of the franchise for keeping th fans coming out. Ultimately, it’s his defense that has given us anything to be proud of. Sad to say that is slipping away. We hoped Flacco could bridge the gap but he seems intent on carrying on our tradition.
I still don't understand why
they don’t introduce Lewis EVERY game last. They can still intro the offense at times, but still have Lewis come out last. There is no substitution for being in the stands and seeing him come out and whip the fans and players into a frenzy!
aka 'Rexx'
+10,0000
That is 1/2 the game for me watching Ray come out of that tunnel like a mad man. It is the coolest thing and we get screwed every other game with him not doing it. It ‘s kind of funny because I take people to the game and tell them, "OH man your going to love Rays Dance. It’s the best. The crowd goes nuts." And my guests are like, “Oh man I can’t wait. Let’s get in early so we don’t miss it!!” And then Flacco leads the team onto the field with Mason bring up the rear. Snore……Screwed again.
Note- PLEASE kill the smoke machine!!! 1/4 of the stadium can’t see any of the players and miss whatever Ray dance there is. It sucks.
The team is asking Flacco to do too much...
I think there is an article in GB( you know, behind enemy line stuff) saying ravens are trying to ask Flacco to carry the team. We increase his attempt by 25% like Bruce said and let him be Tom Brady/Payton Manning in his second year! I put the blame on coaching staff: this is not way to proceed. I can understand it: now you have this new toy called franchise qb, let’s put the franchise on him. However, the approach seems to put him way out of his comfort zone.
I keep thinking about the beginning of the year, when we have this shiny new system where everybody is involved: slant to Kelly, deep ball to clayton and heap looks like his old self. It caught other teams by surprise. Remember KC coach said we were a throw machine that they never thought us of. It worked until NE game(by the way, it almost worked in that game except for Clayton to drop the ball…). People figure us out. They see that although it looks like we have a complete offense, the quality of each individual component is not that great. Kelly is not Wes Walker and Clayton is not Randy Moss. Heck, Heap is not tony Gonzalous( I am sure I spell this one wrong…). If they put some mind to it, it’s not hard to take these people away.
Once we don’t have the success we had, people’s confidence is waning, which only make it worse. The desperate throw by Joe is a sign of lack of confidence… to some degree, maybe he don’t trust we will have a next chance to score…
"Lack of confidence" was the same thing
I was thinking when I saw Flacco throw that last interception. But I also noticed that he had a lot of open space in the field, even though none of his receivers were open. I totally thought he was going to run that one in. People have forgotten he’s pretty quick on his feet, and I was totally expecting him to get a rushing TD on that play. Instead, he threw it right to the other team.
At that point, I was wondering what could have spooked him so bad, to throw the ball into a sea of yellow helmets, instead of just running like hell and possibly getting into the end zone?
I was thinking that too
well, to be honest, I was excited to see him avoid tackle. Then he look into the end zone. I am pretty sure he had enough time to plant his feet and make a dart throw. Really, if a fully confident qb was there, he would stand tall after he avoid the tackle and make a strong throw, like the ones we used to see him make. Instead the throw was high and floaty, Joe said afterwards it’s even a worse throw.
i think the offense just don’t trust themselves/each other that much anymore.
I was yelling at the TV
“Get rid of it! Throw it away!” And when I saw it floating, I was in slow motion screaming…“nnooooooo….”
aka 'Rexx'
Kind of like “A Christmas Story” Bruce when Ralphie slips and tosses his dads lug nuts into the air on the side of a dark road while his Dad is trying to change a tire. “Fuuuuu – - !”
How many QB’s have a Ray Rice in the backfield? That should more than make up for any increase in the load Joe gets. Increase in load does not equal bad decisions. He can throw the ball away with less or more load. I would expect QB’s enjoy an increase in the load.It means you get to play more. Isn’t that what players beg for. Oh, I see, an increase in the load for a QB is a bad thing. Like getting tackled.
Joe has missed many open receivers. He has ignored Kelly Washington. He is slow to get rid of the ball. He throws high more often than not. He’s having a very bad year. If it weren’t for Rice carrying THE REAL LOAD Joe would be Jamarcus Russell.
Naa
Boller never even gave us a chance to win and that was during a time when we had a much more impressive defense. Obviously Flacco isn’t where we thought he would be we just have to hope he goes back to playing the way he did before the second Cincy game. Just give him some time.
Like he played in the Championship game, and the Tenn. games and the other Steelers games last year. He’s had about 5 good games out of 30. At least 15 were below average and 10 were fair. He has a long way to go.
Jammal Lewis is pretty darn good in his prime.
So is Willis Mcgahee.
Regarding the high throws
As someone who’s 6’3, let me say it’s hard to throw a football over opposing linemen of equal height and then make it curve downward to the midget receiver who’s jumping up and down and yelling “de plane boss, de plane”.
"Talk’s cheap. Let’s go play." - Unitas
Yes it is
But Joe is not Doug Flutie. The only lineman taller than Joe, who stands at 6’6", is Jared Gaither who is 6’9". Joe is taller than all his lineman pretty much, so I do not really want to hear that excuse.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
I'm not saying he can't get it OVER the line
I’m saying it’s against the laws of physics to expect a football to go upward over the linemen and then suddenly drop to the level that someone as short as Clayton can get it. It still has to be up in the air because a lot of CBs these days are also taller than our receivers. To get it directly to him, Flacco has to throw downward. If he consistently had to throw down to reach the receivers who, (beyond Mason) never seem to want to go up to get it, he’d wind up with a lot more picks and knockdowns at the line. I’m simply saying if you give him a receiver (or two) who are 6’1 plus and hopefully not afraid to climb the ladder and you’ll see a lot more receptions.
"Talk’s cheap. Let’s go play." - Unitas
Yeah, THAT makes sense
and Drew Brees has learned to curve a ball like Angelina Jolie in “Wanted!?”
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Dec 10, 2009 9:26 AM EST up reply actions
That is why a QB needs to be nimble more than tall. Good QB’s step into open windows and fire the ball on a line. You can’t just stand there and get batted down. You look for wholes and move left ad right. All the great ones could dance a little. You also need a good pump fake so you can pass over lineman as they come back down from the fake and are again being manhandled by the O-linmen.
You know, it’s our duty as fans to put pressure on Joe and demand better. I could feel bad for him and pat him on his shoulder but this isn’t college and he’s not a wide eyed rookie. Rice is figuring it out, Oher is figuring it out, Webb is rocking so we can expect better from Flacco. For a lot of fans football season is a big part of life. We hang on every pass. To get cheated can ruin a week. Crazy? Yes, but for some odd reason it does. I can’t explain it.
I will give him that he doesn’t fumble many snaps and he is not excitable like Kyle TIMMY! Boller.
It would really suck if Joe is just some weird dude who lives with his parents and drives moms old volvo instead of a wholesome human-interest story of a great family guy. He might be an INT away from walking the streets with a stolen shopping cart and donated blanket.
Flacco's way too calm demeanor
is the polar opposite of Boller’s frentic pace. We need an on field personality more in the middle of the two.
aka 'Rexx'
in reply to raven's comment about walking the streets
Lonely Ravens fan in Cheese Head country (Watertown, WI)
The walking to the line with time ticking and the game on the line bothers me more than the interception. That is a leadership issue. Maybe Joe is still listening to Cam babble on the radio and takes his time lining up the troops.
Radio turns off automatically
with 15 seconds on the play clock. I think he’s so calm he doesn’t realize the urgency. His calmness is pretty good for the most part but those times he needs to step it up!
aka 'Rexx'
I’ve seen on several scouting reports that Flacco is being held back by his receivers. I wonder if those numbers reflect more the talent of our receivers than they do Flacco’s progression as a QB…
I do believe if he had a big play receiver
he’d go to him more often and not rely on Rice to check down to so fast.
aka 'Rexx'
Don't know where he saw it
But I agree – better receivers (or at least ones tall enough to ride at Disneyworld) and we get a better Flacco.
"Talk’s cheap. Let’s go play." - Unitas
His receivers were open Monday and Flacco threw high a few times. Twice they went up and got the ball and almost got split in 2. On his pick in the end zone he had major time to throw once rolling out. It’s not the receivers moving his arm or reacting to pressure for him. His INT"S Monday were ridiculous. They weren’t even close to a Raven. I still want to know if it was Cam or Willis that bumped the ball outside on the one.
Too bad he didn't throw too high
on the end zone INT, as then it would have gone over the DB head and D-Will could have caught it!
aka 'Rexx'
He is not leading
Yes, Flacco shows occasional brilliance but he needs to take that team and make it work. Find the open man, avoid the rush you know is coming, keep the D humble. I cannot believe our receivers are covered perfectly on every play. He needs to step up and lead. I am so tired of hearing about the QB rating – that means absolutely nothing. What a silly stat. I rue the day it was created. There is so much it does not take into consideration. I want to see Joe take that team down in the 4th quarter and MAKE that TD any way he can. If it is too much to ask of him he doesn’t belong at the head of an NFL team. Do or don’t do Joe. There is no try.
I'd love to see him
get in the face of an o-lineman who jumped or a receiver who didn’t run the patern Joe called. But, that’s not him, I suspect.
aka 'Rexx'
It's going to be almost impossible for Flacco to "lead"
When you’ve got a team that’s entirely subservient and deferential to the middle LB. Until Ray goes, no one on this team is going to emerge as a leader. Hell, look at Rice – when was the last time you saw a D player and an O player representing themselves as a “team”?
"Talk’s cheap. Let’s go play." - Unitas
I actually thought
McNair was definitely in charge in the offensive huddle. And probably so was Vinny. So it IS possible, but if Joe keeps playing on field like his demeanor is off field, then it will just not happen.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Dec 10, 2009 9:27 AM EST up reply actions
wouldnt these stats say that
in the 12 games this season, hes already accomplished what he did all of last season. So wouldnt that mean he has progress? with 4 games left to go, that would (hopefully) makes his stats even better.
Stats are a funny thing and if you know what you are doing, you can make them say just about anything, but thats what i got from it
That would be my reading as well
but the problem is that anytime you introduce numbers – especially partial numbers to an argument, you can twist them to represent any point you’d like to make. Given an hour for research and the right stats, you could probably make an argument that Flacco is a worse QB than Ray Lewis… Numbers only mean something if you already believe what they’re being used to “prove”.
"Talk’s cheap. Let’s go play." - Unitas
For pure total numbers....
….of course, because of the gross number of attempts going up. But to me, progress is not based on shear numbers, but the quality of them. To me, the proportion is not changing, so the quality is not improving although the actual totals are.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Dec 10, 2009 9:29 AM EST up reply actions
Average Joe
This year Joe Flacco remains an average QB. He hasn’t progressed much in his second year. His tendency is to lock onto a single receiver and heave it whether the guy is open or not. When we need only a few yards to keep a drive going, he heaves it 35 yards into triple coverage. He doesn’t seem to see the whole field the way an elite QB does. There is usually someone open. I’m convinced that Cam Cameron is hampering Joe’s development. The lack of big play receivers is also a factor, but many of Joe’s throws are so off the mark that a Larry Fitzgerald couldn’t get them. Joe may be better in the future with more experience or he may stay the same.
I agree that Flacco locks onto one guy too much
But I will make this argument in his defense – He, so far in his career, has had exactly two receivers that he’s able to trust and that’s Mason and Rice. When no one else can get open in the 1 second the OL has been giving him lately to do something, he throws to who he thinks is likely to catch the ball. It’s a Catch-22 given though. If he never throws to anyone else, how does he know if they’re to be trusted and if he never has time to see anyone else, how can he throw to them?
"Talk’s cheap. Let’s go play." - Unitas
These things take time
Lets be real, Flacco has only 1 and 1/2 years of experience and with our receiving core he doesn’t have the best choices. He will wise up and not make these same mistakes in 2-3 years. It just takes time. He doesn’t look off safety’s very well yet, he resorts to the check down way too often, and personally I feel its partly Cam Camerons fault for experimenting all this season with Flacco. I feel Cam is using this year to experiment and not use what he knows will work. Last year we had a formula for winning, though it may not have been pretty, who cares. This year Cam wants to experiment with Joe and see how far he can go and see how different things can be while still winning games and it has proven to not work. Joe Flacco will be good, he is just going through some growing pains right now…happens to every quaraterback that gets thrown into things like he did.
by ShaneOmacDaddy on Dec 9, 2009 6:59 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
This is the most spot on appraisal I've seen
Nicely thought, logical and realistic. Well done.
"Talk’s cheap. Let’s go play." - Unitas
Of course he doesnt find the field
the way an elite QB does. Its because hes not an elite QB…yet. No 2nd year QB is an elite QB…Ben winning superbowl, he wasnt elite…he played terrible in Super Bowl XL…his team was just stacked. Joe will be an elite QB is 2-3 years…we can expect too much out of him just yet…but it is damn frustrating when he makes those poor decisions.
by ShaneOmacDaddy on Dec 9, 2009 7:01 PM EST up reply actions
Right on there, matey
Joe WILL be a winner and a great leader someday, and I hope its sooner than later. Patience is something that we Ravens’ fans lack. For goodness sake, the guy is 24 years old and he’s on a very steep learning curve. All the greats have had their lessons learned the hard way. Joe’s just gotta learn from them!
raven
I am really proud of you. Your replying abilities have sky rocketed. Keep up the good work.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
Flacco is a good addition to the team, but you can not base the team on him, he is not good enough for that roll just yet.
You can't soar with the Eagles when you're surrounded by turkeys.
by Aeries god of soar on Dec 9, 2009 10:57 PM EST reply actions
Right now it appears
that Flacco has decided right out of the huddle which receiver he is throwing to. Think it’s a coincidence thsat he always seems to hit Kelley Washington on third downs? He’s locked in on him even before the ball is hiked. K-Wash gets open otherwise it would be incomplete or picked. The Red Zone picks prove that he was throwing to those guys no matter what the coverage was. He still isn’t able to sell the play action, which looks pathetic and fools no one other than taking unnecessary time that the shotgun would shorten. Doesn’t look defensive players off and just stares down primary target or quickly checks down to his “insurance policy.”
aka 'Rexx'
I tell you what has disappointed me the most this year...
has been the offensive line. You had to have a screw less not to be worried about the secondary, the linebacker corp only got worse with the loss of Bart Scott, and the adjustment to a new defensive coordinator had me expecting some (now read as A LOT) of issues on defense. You can say the exact same thing about the receiving corp except if you didn’t see it coming, your functionally in a coma. What I didn’t expect was for our offensive line to completely regress. Not only is Flacco not getting the time to make his progressions, they aren’t opening up holes and in the red zone and on short yardage plays, the O-line routinely gets pushed back off the line of scrimmage. I didn’t realize that Big Willie Anderson was so important to our line, but my god their performance this year has been terrible compared to last.
"The ball always seems to find Ed Reed...The man is a menace"
by UMBC Oriole fan on Dec 11, 2009 6:14 AM EST reply actions
Yeah, all I hear is how good
they are, especially Ben Grubbs, who seems to be getting pushed into the backfield like Mike Flynn used to. Disappointed in his performance this season.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Dec 11, 2009 8:42 AM EST up reply actions
I'm tired of hearing how our O-line is good but makes mistakes
When really we don’t have an appropriate O-Line to live up to the league’s always progressing defensive line men. In the Minn. Game Jared Allen was blowing through our line and when we blocked him, we left room for Kevin/Pat Williams. I say we need to find a new lg/rg in FA. That and and a Cb,Wr,SS,D-cooridinator,lolb,.
When Chuck Norris dives into water he doesn't get wet, The water gets Chuck Norris.
Chuck Norris has counted to infinity....... Twice.
When God said let there be light, Chuck Norris said," Say Please."
Chuck Norris can sneeze with his eyes open.
There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of creatures Chuck Norris has allowed to live.
Hey Steelers fans:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOphGZZrE44&feature=related
by Baltimore Warrior on Dec 12, 2009 1:18 PM EST up reply actions
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