Week 10

[geo]

This one is on Mattison and the defense.

 

Oh yeah, and Cam and his O. in the first half.

[Guest BallTMore]

Oh yeah, and Cam and his O. in the first half.

 

 

Yeah. He did pull it together, though. The defense couldn't stop the Falcons on third down all night.

[Spen]

Better QB performance and we win tonight. But Joe Confused had a good quarter and a half so I am sure no one will be worried.

[ForceEight]

The defense was the problem ALL NIGHT. I can't blame the offense. They were barely on the field in the first half. They can't stop physical receivers (White, Steve Johnson, Brandon Lloyd). They can't rush the QB. The LBs can't cover. The defense is an absolute mess.

[geo]

Good thing though 3 passing TDs in the RZ.

[ForceEight]

Better QB performance and we win tonight. But Joe Confused had a good quarter and a half so I am sure no one will be worried.

We shouldn't have needed better QB performance. Flacco scored three second half TDs and got the team back into the game. The defense kept giving it all back.

[Spen]

We shouldn't have needed better QB performance. Flacco scored three second half TDs and got the team back into the game. The defense kept giving it all back.

 

Yeah and I am sure most people will agree with you and ignore his first 2/3rds of his game.

 

He still stares down receivers and cant find others if his primary is open, even the Heap and Mason TDs he stared them down. He is a very average QB at this point in his career.

 

I agree the defense wasnt great the 2nd half, but if the offense and Joe showed up before the late 3rd it wouldnt have mattered.

[Guest BallTMore]

Yeah and I am sure most people will agree with you and ignore his first 2/3rds of his game.

 

He still stares down receivers and cant find others if his primary is open, even the Heap and Mason TDs he stared them down. He is a very average QB at this point in his career.

 

I agree the defense wasnt great the 2nd half, but if the offense and Joe showed up before the late 3rd it wouldnt have mattered.

 

 

So what should the coaches do? Certainly not bench him.

 

He's not elite. We know that, but he's good enough to win us games. I'll take it.

[ForceEight]

He's not elite. We know that, but he's good enough to win us games. I'll take it.

He is a playoff QB. Maybe not the best one, but that's not in question.

 

How do you really blame him for the first half. Drives weren't sustained, but you can't argue how often he was pressured. You can't argue how few opportunities he had considering the defense was giving up 12 play, 80 yard drives every single Falcons possession.

[ForceEight]

I think I'm already over it.

 

Out of conference. Short week. Panthers and Bucs next. 8-3 seems easily within reach.

 

Flacco needs to learn to play in the first half. The defense needs to learn how to play, period.

[Guest BallTMore]

That about sums it up.

 

To the Ravens: Son, I am dissapoint.jpg

 

Moving on.

[Spen]

So what should the coaches do? Certainly not bench him.

 

He's not elite. We know that, but he's good enough to win us games. I'll take it.

 

I don't think we should bench him. I agree he isn't elite, I think he is OK. I am not sure he is good enough to win us games. If the play calling is good and he can rely on his arm and not think or look for open receivers I think we are in good shape. If he has to find receivers I think we will suffer.

 

I dont like feeling this way. I just do. I see little or no improvement from him since his rookie year. Boller started so much lower but actually improved (probably never to the level Joe is now but that is not saying a lot). Joe I am not sure has improved one bit, he sucked at reading the field then and he sucks at it now.

 

Play him and hope he gets better, that's the only thing to do. I can still be disappointed if I dont see any growth even though I feel this way.

[dc.]

Spen... I simply return straight to the play-calling.

 

30+ yards for Rice on his first three carries. Then crappy play-calling for a good while after that.

 

Notice when we re-establish Rice, the offense clicks.

 

It's like it's some magic formula or something. Hrrrrm....

 

And yet each week we see Cam try and put this whole team on Joe's shoulders. But give him a balanced attack and let Ray take off the pressure and... voila.

[Spen]

Spen... I simply return straight to the play-calling.

 

30+ yards for Rice on his first three carries. Then crappy play-calling for a good while after that.

 

Notice when we re-establish Rice, the offense clicks.

 

It's like it's some magic formula or something. Hrrrrm....

 

And yet each week we see Cam try and put this whole team on Joe's shoulders. But give him a balanced attack and let Ray take off the pressure and... voila.

 

To a degree I agree. If the play calling is solid and Joe has Rice for his check down he is usually OK. And I dont know why the run was abandoned so early. Either way despite that I am not happy with what I have been seeing from Joe when he needs to think. And there will come a time in the playoffs, if we make it, where the QB will have to think.

 

Good series of plays to watch from last weeks game. After the Webb interception on second and third Joe had all day to find someone. He couldn't and danced in place until sacked both times. On the Miami drive that followed at one point the Ravens rushed 3 (maybe 4) and while no one was initially open Henne stayed in the pocket and found an open receiver. Joe is probably better than Henne overall but I don't see Joe doing that.

 

I do think its funny how Boller could do no right, after a bad game most of the blame from most of the fans was put right on him. Now after a loss most fans point fingers anywhere but Flacco. And I wish I didnt see him as a problem, I really do, but I do.

[ForceEight]

I do think its funny how Boller could do no right, after a bad game most of the blame from most of the fans was put right on him. Now after a loss most fans point fingers anywhere but Flacco. And I wish I didnt see him as a problem, I really do, but I do.

Because (and let's remember, I was Boller's biggest supporter) Boller made mistakes regularly. Flacco doesn't. He's just not risky with the ball; he's a game manager's game manager. The only reason that's a problem is because our defense needs more than that, now.

 

If Flacco had been on the 2003-2006 teams, we'd be looking at a trophy case full of Lombardis, because the defense was that good. Even in 2008, a rookie QB was able to take us to the championship game, because he didn't make mistakes and let the dominant defense stay off the field and make the big plays when they needed to.

 

Now, the defense is becoming average (at best). Flacco's better than his rookie year, but not better enough to compensate for how much the other side of the ball has dropped off. If you expect him to become Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, or even Matt Ryan for that matter, it's not going to happen. Joe Flacco isn't that good, and it'd be foolish of any of us to ever expect him to be.

 

But right now, he's the leader of the better side of the ball on this Ravens team, and that's all we'll get.

[Spen]

Flacco makes plenty of mistakes, just not as many or as bad as Boller. He can be risky too, forcing the ball and throwing into double coverage. Flacco also has superior weapons, at least this season and last, than Boller had.

 

But I do think he better than Boller, I am just amused that pretty much from day one the fans have been behind him. I am not complaining, its a good thing.

[ForceEight]

I know you're not complaining, and I'm not really arguing you. You're absolutely right.

 

Especially among the more casual/uneducated fans, he's always been the greatest since Johnny, simply because he's somewhat better than average. We haven't had better than average since 1997. He's a likable guy, and he's had a ton of success in his first two seasons. Whether that's attributed to him is the issue.

 

His mistakes are those of caution, not of forcing. He's horrified of throwing to the middle of the field, and is almost ALWAYS late and overthrowing whenever he does decide to throw over the middle (hence why Heap is regularly freight trained). He forces sideline passes to minimize risk. He checks down way too early and way too often. He holds onto the ball way too often and for too long.

 

He's a game manager, like I said earlier. He is horrified of being the goat and you can't blame him. He's been playing with a great defense for two years. Now, that defense isn't what it used to be, and the offensive weapons he's accumulated on his side of the ball haven't made up for that.

[deeshopper]

Since the Ravens played on Thursday, you may use this thread to post about all of the other games being played today.

[deeshopper]

Dan Marino is a doucebag. He just said the Ravens lost because Flacco couldn't finish against the Falcons. What a moron.

[deeshopper]

"The Ravens had the lead in the fourth quarter and Flacco couldn't finish". What a turd.

[Guest BallTMore]

Dan Marino is a doucebag. He just said the Ravens lost because Flacco couldn't finish against the Falcons. What a moron.

 

 

Just getting ready to post the same thing. I said, "What the fuck are you talking about?" Then changed the channel. Beyond stupid

[deeshopper]

Batman and Robin not walking out together.

 

So, who are we rooting for? Bengals and Patriots?

[Guest BallTMore]

Yeah. Add the Brownies. They look very solid as of late.

[Guest BallTMore]

Damn. McCoy had him.

[Guest BallTMore]

Pennington hurt already.