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Lombardi's Way - No Slacko for Flacco

Ravens QB under fire

Posted On: 8/30/11

Written By:

Tony Lombardi

As the preseason winds down and Opening Day approaches, Joe Flacco remains a lightening rod in Baltimore. Mention his name in a pub, on sports talk radio or on message boards and for the most part the result is a rush of polarizing opinions about the player labeled the Ravens “Franchise Quarterback.”

That’s just the nature of the beast.

On one hand you have those who three seasons ago went Whacko for Flacco and have convalesced in Joe Cool LaLa Land ever since. On the other hand there are those who are outwardly frustrated by Flacco’s perceived limitations and his inability to win games on his own – particularly the big ones.

In many ways, Baltimore is no different than any other NFL city when it comes to the town’s signal caller. Yet there are circumstances in Baltimore that make things a bit more difficult for Flacco – circumstances that aren’t his fault and unfortunately can’t control.

THE POST BOLLER ERA

Fed up with Kyle Boller’s post-snap schizophrenic mental meltdowns and tired of watching the prime years of a premier defense wasting away, Ozzie Newsome traded for Steve McNair in 2006. The immediate results were good as the Ravens finished the season with a 13-3 record and the No. 2 overall seed in the post season.

But towards the end of that season the plus results of the anti-aging body cream started to wear off and McNair almost overnight looked like a has-been.

The effects of Father Time were even more pronounced in 2007 and McNair broke down forcing Brian Billick to turn the keys of his clunker offense back over to Boller only to have them taken away again late in the ’07 campaign and handed to Troy Smith.

It wasn’t pretty as the team was lucky to finish 5-11 thanks to a Week 17 gift from an unexpected philanthropist – the Pittsburgh Steelers.

ENTER JOE THE QUARTERBACK

Organizationally the Ravens committed to finding a franchise QB after the debacle of 2007. Frustrated again, they didn’t want to waste any more years of the team’s defensive talent nor did they want the cyclical ups and downs that were part of the Billick regime. To thwart that they fired Billick and then sought stability at the quarterback position – a young gunslinger to grow alongside rookie head coach John Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron.

Flacco didn’t arrive expecting to be the team’s starter from day 1 but as we all know, that’s exactly how it went down. Flacco’s inaugural season was a baptism of fire – one that overall was a smashing success as he helped guide the Ravens into the AFC Championship, something a rookie QB had never previously accomplished.

And neither did Elvis Grbac, Jeff Blake, Kyle Boller, Anthony Wright or even Steve McNair for that matter.

CRITICISMS JUSTIFIED?

So why then so much bile and angst directed toward Joe?

Part of it can be attributed to the many years of frustrating offensive performances dating back to the days immediately following the departure of Vinny Testaverde. Since 1998 the Ravens on average are the 21^st ranked offense based on yards. Defensively they averaged fifth during those 13 seasons.

The best offensive ranking for the Ravens since ’98 is 13^th. Guess who was QB then? You got it, No. 5 in 2009. Defensively the unit has place Top 5 or better eight times!

Maybe Flacco, despite an unprecedented three consecutive post season appearances is just an easy target. After all he is the trigger man of an offense that either hasn’t pulled its weight or has fallen short of expectations in the post season.

TIME FOR A (JOE) COOL CHANGE

Predictably the anti-Flacco camp wants a change. He was supposed to make a difference and in their mind’s eye he hasn’t and this preseason has provided little assurance that he will. Give them Bulger, give them Tyrod Taylor, bring back Troy Smith and why oh why did they not draft Matt Ryan?

“Matty Ice” is a media darling while Flacco gets mud slung in his face by some national and local sports talking heads. It’s no secret that the Ravens explored moving up in the 2008 draft to get Ryan but opted instead for the relative bargain in Flacco.

For many “Ice” trumps “Cool”.

But do the numbers support that position?

REGULAR SEASON

Player	G	Att	Comp	Yds	%	TD	INT	QBR	W/L	Sacks
Flacco	48	1416	878	10206	62.0	60	34	87.9	32-16	108
Ryan	46	1456	885	10061	60.8	66	34	86.9	33-13	59

POST SEASON

Player	G	Att	Comp	Yds	%	TD	INT	QBR	W/L	Sacks
Flacco	7	184	98	1050	53.3	4	7	61.6	4-3	13
Ryan	2	69	46	385	66.7	3	4	71.2	0-2	8

The regular season stats are remarkably similar while the post season digits for both are subpar. Flacco sports a 4-3 record in the playoffs and Ryan a 0-2 mark and although statistically Ryan is a little less ugly in the playoffs the circumstances have to factor in.

Ryan’s two January contests took place in domes at Arizona and at home against Green Bay while Flacco’s struggles are largely at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers, a regular top flight defense in less than ideal conditions at Heinz Field.

During the regular season Ryan plays indoors no less than 9 games per season and in a division with more QB-friendly climates. Flacco has played under a closed roof only 6 times in his career and in a division consisting of cold weather cities.

THE BOTTOM LINE

The pent up frustrations from the Boller Years and the missing out on Ryan aside, Flacco’s true nemesis without question is The Pittsburgh Steelers a team by birthright that Baltimoreans despise.

Twice the Ravens have been knocked out of the playoffs by the Steelers with Flacco at the helm. Not only has Flacco failed to knock off Pittsburgh but the manner in which they’ve lost has been painfully gut wrenching, particularly last season after taking a 21-7 halftime lead in the Divisional Round.

If Flacco can remove THAT monkey from his back he will become less of a lightening rod and the critics will calm down.

Joe Cool will get his chance to answer those critics on September 11 when the Ravens host the Steelers on Opening Day. Win and he’ll get a reprieve. Win convincingly and he could remove all lingering doubt.

But lose and that monkey will morph into King Kong.

That’s just the nature of the beast.

Post your comment

louieland
Posted On: 8/31/11 10:20 pm

The most glaring difference between the two are the sacks given up. Ryan has been protected fairly well by his offensive line while Flacco has been saddled with poor offensive line play, especially against blitz's. Thats why I think the signing of Bryant McKinnie is huge IF he plays to his potential. With Yanda and Oher dominating on the right and McKinnie and Grubbs holding down the fort on the left side, the performance of the O line, especially in pass blocking, should improve and with that Joe's numbers will follow upwards. If McKinnie can play at close to the level he has in the past I predict good things for the Ravens offensive line. With playmakers at almost every position and a solid line, we could dominate on offense if it all comes together.

richieG
Posted On: 8/31/11 5:01 pm

If MOher does not "matador" TroyP and AnQuanB does not drop that perfect TD pass in the playoffs, the Ravens would have won both games - then would Joe be a top 5 QB?!?
AND, to all the folks who say he stares down receivers, I say: credentials please.
Lastly, on a relative basis, he has been much better than his O-line & WR corps!

Tony Lombardi
Posted On: 8/31/11 9:11 am

Mitch, great point about Ray Rice!

WFF means Wacko for Flacco
Posted On: 8/30/11 11:37 pm

Screw Matty Ice. Flacco's arm will melt that motha any day of the week. TL you nailed it. For all of the reasons and the stats and for all you math majors here's the equation: Flacco > Ryan.

Nuff said!

Tony Lombardi
Posted On: 8/30/11 10:46 pm

@ Yiannis...really? A first round pick and after 3 seasons you are concerned about the game slowing down for Joe? Don't you think that should have happened by now? I'm not criticizing your opinion but it is one shared by the Flacco detractors.

Personally, I think hate is too strong of a word in this case and I don't think that I've described it as such nor do I think detractors necessarily hate.

Sounds to me you aren't a believer in Flacco. Again, not a criticism but to me, further evidence of the divide on Joe.

yiannis
Posted On: 8/30/11 5:50 pm

I don't think that there is a Flacco-hating crowd in Baltimore, not to the extent you describe it.

The frustration with Flacco is with some very specific limitations. He's poor under center, does not read opponents' defenses fast enough and is prone to slow starts and hot and cold performances within the same game.

The problem is that the game of football should have slowed down for him by now. If after starting 48 regular season games that has not materialized, one wonders if it ever will.

Mitch
Posted On: 8/30/11 4:02 pm

Good analysis Tony. A couple other things to consider is the offensive line and receiver deficiencies Flacco has had. Seriously, the 3 years he has been here I would rate the offensive line in the top 15 in only his rookie year when we had a very good ground game. Other than that, they have been shaky at best. I would not rate our receiving corps in the top 20 in any of the years. We have not had the receiving options that Pittsburgh has had in any of the 3 years. There are things Flacco does that have to improve no doubt. Staring down primary receivers and the nervous feet in the pocket and ability to throw on the run need to improve. All in all, I like him and think the best is still to come. The other part of the Flacco/Ryan comparison is that if the Ravens had traded up to get Ryan, Ray Rice most likely would not have been a Raven as we would have needed to offer the second pick. Considering that, the Ravens definitely made out.

Fanman
Posted On: 8/30/11 3:06 pm

Good stuff and I agree that fans here might be a tad too harsh on Flacco. The other angle here is the freedom Flacco has within the Cameron system. This is year 4 so the limits we 've seen so far should be gone. We will see in week 1. The Ravens have not bene great in the Redzone the last 3 years and a lot of that has to be laid at feet of Cameron.

Chuck
Posted On: 8/30/11 2:51 pm

For three years, Joe Flacco has taken his team to the playoffs. The problem hasn't been the QB, the problem is there is no consistency in the protection. Hopefully this will change and Flacco can be more effective. That is why I will continue to defend Kyle Boller, he was never protected by his line and spent most of his time on the turf, he never got a chance to show what he was capable of doing. If the offense does its' job, Flacco will lead his team to a fourth playoff appearance in as many years. Bottom line, "Guards, protect your quarterback!"