• Did he win the competition in training camp?  Well per your site’s Ravens Quarterback Watch: Boller won, especially if looking at the last week, days 12 – 17.  But who cares about honest competition?
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• Joe Flacco is your starter of the future, correct?
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  Isn’t one of the biggest critiques of the way Boller was trained that he didn’t have the opportunity to learn from a veteran?   Well Smith is not exactly an experienced veteran now is he?
• Do you want to ask the teammates and fans to go through two consecutive years of braking in a new quarterback?  That is exactly what will happen if Smith starts this year.  He will go through a learning curve this year, then Flacco the same learning curve next year.  That is not fair to the Ravens players or fans.
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• Do you want a quarterback competition again next year?  If Smith performs OK, we will enter next year with another open quarterback competition. Uggh!  
  
  Boller gives you the best chance to win games this year.  The object is to win games, correct?  Although Boller is not a top quarterback he is not terrible.  If you take the time to look at his stats you may realize that he is not that bad.  He has more touchdowns than interceptions, almost 60% completion %, and about 68% home winning record.
  
  Boller is not the quarterback of future, and he probably nothing more than a good second string NFL quarterback.  However, for this year, he is the best quarterback to lead the Ravens.  
  
  Regards,

Craig Svoboda

Hey Craig,

Thanks for the note.  Let me address your points while keeping in mind that while I disagree with most of your opinions, I do respect them.

Here goes….

• Boller looked the best during the last week of camp.  He was the most consistent of the three quarterbacks.  But there’s one disturbing habit of Boller’s that he arrived with in 2003 and has yet to break.  Last year I spoke with Rick Neuheisel about this and he concurred – Boller predetermines his throws.  In other words, he too often determines where he will go with the football prior to the snap and that leads to inexplicable throws into double, triple and sometimes quadruple coverage.  His interceptions against the Patriots and Vikings are perfect examples.  My choice of Troy Smith as the Ravens’ starter is based upon the reasoning here in my blog but of those reasons, the one I keep coming back to is the one that rationalizes that we already know what we’ll get with Boller.  I don’t see any upside there.  We don’t know what we’ll get with Smith.  Perhaps there’s upside, perhaps there’s not but since Boller isn’t going to take us to the playoffs (if they get there it will be due to a ball control running game and a stout defense), why not hand the reigns over to Smith?  Smith is more likely to be here after 2008 than Boller.  I think he helps the team better in the future with more experience.
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• Yes Joe Flacco is the QB of the future.  If you think that he could learn better from Smith than Boller, I’m not so sure.  I also think the QB mentoring program is way overrated.  That’s why there’s a quarterback's coach and an offensive coordinator.  Who did Peyton Manning learn from?  What about Tom Brady?  Was Brett Favre really tutored by Don Majkowski? Steve Young by Joe Montana?  Besides, do you really want a player studying Boller’s poor footwork and ball skills?  That said I do think Boller’s toughness and team first attitude are exemplary.
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• Unfortunately Craig breaking in these quarterbacks and a quarterback competition are realities for the Ravens.  It is what they must deal with and hopefully when they get to 2009, Flacco will be ready to take over for years to come and then the players and fans won’t be subjected to such a QB carousel.  Personally I think a good season from Troy Smith would be great news for Ravens fans.
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• As for Boller giving the team the best chance to win, how do we know that? He was 2-6 in games he started last year.  He hasn’t won a road game since November, 2004.  If that suggests he gives the Ravens the best chance to win, then what have they to lose by starting Smith?  And Craig let’s be honest here, don’t you think that Boller’s home winning record has more to do with the defense than his efficiencies on the field?

Smith is my choice, even if it is for one year.

Best regards,

TL