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Flacco Is Possibly Elite, But His Receivers Are Definitely Not

In comparison to his fellow NFL QB compadres, Flacco is lacking in the weapons department.

By Nathan Beaucage
Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

While the never ending battle rages on about Flacco's status amongst his QB colleagues, there's one thing we can all agree on, he's not surrounded by 'elite' weapons.

In the wake of ESPN's QB rankings this week, one Redditor made a post asking how the top 10 QBs ranked by the quality of their receiving corps. While a good OL and defense can affect a QB positively, I believe that wide receivers directly influence a QB the most.

Here are the Top 10 QBs, and their respective receivers.

  1. Aaron Rodgers (Nelson, Cobb, Adams)
  2. Tom Brady (Gronkowski, Edelman, LaFell)
  3. Andrew Luck (Hilton, A. Johnson, Fleener)
  4. Ben Roethlisberger (Brown, Bryant, Miller)
  5. Peyton Manning (D. Thomas, Sanders, Daniels)
  6. Drew Brees (Cooks, Colston, Hill)
  7. Philip Rivers (Allen, Floyd, Gates)
  8. Russell Wilson (Baldwin, Kearse, Graham)
  9. Tony Romo (Bryant, Williams, Witten)
  10. Joe Flacco (S. Smith, Perriman, C. Gillmore)
Most seemed to agree with Cowboys fan /u/Tomoromo9, who posted this list.

The Ravens group was at or near the bottom of most users' lists.

Most Ravens fans seem to fall back on the argument that Flacco has never truly had any dynamic or true 'No. 1' receivers at his diposal, and these fan-made lists seem to back that argument up. While Rodgers has Cobb and Nelson, Romo has Bryant and Witten, and 'Big Ben' has Brown and Miller, Flacco has.... Smith Sr. and Perriman?

In comparison to his fellow NFL QB compadres, Flacco is certainly lacking in the weapons department.

However, the Ravens receiver corps is mostly young and unproven with lots of potential. Perriman could easily develop into a true 'No. 1' receiver in just a few seasons, while the group of young players (like Kamar Aiken) fighting for the third wide receiver spot could easily turn into a productive slot guy for Flacco.

But until Ozzie shells out the money to give Flacco a household name receiver, (a la Dez Bryant or Demaryius Thomas) this will remain a 'what if' debate.

Would Flacco be elite with elite weapons? Perhaps we'll find out in a few years if all goes to plan with Breshad Perriman.

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