Tweet
Don't overemphasize his slump
By John Clayton
ESPN.com
Joe Flacco is an elite quarterback. There, I've said it again, and I'm ready for the barrage of criticism.
The timing of this question couldn't be worse, though. Supporting Flacco during the worst throwing slump of his career makes me feel like a slow-footed receiver trying to go out and succeed on (Darrelle) Revis Island. After the Ravens' opening victory over the Steelers, Flacco went on a five-game slump in which he completed only 44 percent of his passes, and his poor first half against the Cardinals on Sunday had Ravens fans ready to run Flacco out of town.
Flacco came back using shotgun formation and spread throwing sets that enabled him to lead the greatest comeback in Ravens history, overcoming a 24-3 deficit in what turned out to be a thrilling 30-27 victory. What first turned me on to Flacco was a 2009 game in which he got into a throwing duel with Brett Favre, then a member of the Minnesota Vikings.
In Minnesota, Flacco generated three fourth-quarter touchdown drives. That forced Favre to counter with a field goal drive that gave the Vikings a lead. Flacco marched the Ravens back into field goal range, but Steven Hauschka missed what should have been the game winner.
To be an elite quarterback, you need to generate fourth-quarter drives. Flacco has that ability. His poor five-game stretch dropped his completion percentage below his usual 60-plus percent range. It will be interesting to see what offensive coordinator Cam Cameron does now.
During the offseason and in training camp, Cameron talked about turning the offense over to Flacco the way the Steelers turned Ben Roethlisberger into more of a passing quarterback. The Ravens have serious offensive line problems, and using Flacco in shotgun might help.
One criticism of Flacco is that he holds on to the ball too long, but part of that is a wide receiver issue. I've seen games in which the Bengals matched up in man coverage against the Ravens' older group of wide receivers. Against that type of coverage, Flacco had to stand in the pocket and watch receivers not separating from defenders, and then wait until RB Ray Rice or a tight end got open.
General manager Ozzie Newsome tried to help that by trading for Lee Evans and drafting Torrey Smith. Unfortunately for Flacco, Evans has missed most of the season with an ankle injury, and all Smith can do at the moment is run go routes down the sidelines. Against man teams, Flacco doesn't get much help.
The start of Flacco's season may not have been elite, but I'll still stand by him.
[url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/hot?id=7178216"]http://espn.go.com/nfl/hot?id=7178216[/url]
By John Clayton
ESPN.com
Joe Flacco is an elite quarterback. There, I've said it again, and I'm ready for the barrage of criticism.
The timing of this question couldn't be worse, though. Supporting Flacco during the worst throwing slump of his career makes me feel like a slow-footed receiver trying to go out and succeed on (Darrelle) Revis Island. After the Ravens' opening victory over the Steelers, Flacco went on a five-game slump in which he completed only 44 percent of his passes, and his poor first half against the Cardinals on Sunday had Ravens fans ready to run Flacco out of town.
Flacco came back using shotgun formation and spread throwing sets that enabled him to lead the greatest comeback in Ravens history, overcoming a 24-3 deficit in what turned out to be a thrilling 30-27 victory. What first turned me on to Flacco was a 2009 game in which he got into a throwing duel with Brett Favre, then a member of the Minnesota Vikings.
In Minnesota, Flacco generated three fourth-quarter touchdown drives. That forced Favre to counter with a field goal drive that gave the Vikings a lead. Flacco marched the Ravens back into field goal range, but Steven Hauschka missed what should have been the game winner.
To be an elite quarterback, you need to generate fourth-quarter drives. Flacco has that ability. His poor five-game stretch dropped his completion percentage below his usual 60-plus percent range. It will be interesting to see what offensive coordinator Cam Cameron does now.
During the offseason and in training camp, Cameron talked about turning the offense over to Flacco the way the Steelers turned Ben Roethlisberger into more of a passing quarterback. The Ravens have serious offensive line problems, and using Flacco in shotgun might help.
One criticism of Flacco is that he holds on to the ball too long, but part of that is a wide receiver issue. I've seen games in which the Bengals matched up in man coverage against the Ravens' older group of wide receivers. Against that type of coverage, Flacco had to stand in the pocket and watch receivers not separating from defenders, and then wait until RB Ray Rice or a tight end got open.
General manager Ozzie Newsome tried to help that by trading for Lee Evans and drafting Torrey Smith. Unfortunately for Flacco, Evans has missed most of the season with an ankle injury, and all Smith can do at the moment is run go routes down the sidelines. Against man teams, Flacco doesn't get much help.
The start of Flacco's season may not have been elite, but I'll still stand by him.
[url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/hot?id=7178216"]http://espn.go.com/nfl/hot?id=7178216[/url]
Comment