Could We Make The Playoffs Without Flacco?

[varaven]

If Joe Flacco were to get hurt and out for the season early in the year, would we still have a chance to get into the playoffs?

[Ngata92NT]

With Troy Smith? It's unlikely I think but there's always a chance when you have Ray Rice and Ray Lewis on the same team; we have a great running game and a dominant defense. If we get some defensive studs in the draft I don't see why we could make it to the playoffs.

We could also decide to trade for a QB if it came to it: Ray, Ed, Derrick, Pryce, and Gregg don't have many years left, we need to pursue every chance we get.

[demi &ravens]

i believe we would limp in

[varaven]

think about it though, troy is not as bad as you think he is, hes actually pretty decent, and with boldin mason and stallworth starting at WR, it is very possible we would still get by in the passing game.

[Ed_Reed20]

[quote name='varaven' date='18 April 2010 - 02:57 PM' timestamp='1271617067' post='392162']
think about it though, troy is not as bad as you think he is, hes actually pretty decent, and with boldin mason and stallworth starting at WR, it is very possible we would still get by in the passing game.
[/quote]

Yes, its possible but not very likely. With weapons like Rice, McGahee, Boldin. Mason, Heap and Stallworth, I'm sure Troy could move the football. However, he's still an average at-best QB and the team would struggle to make the play-offs with him starting.

[AZravensfan]

[quote name='varaven' date='18 April 2010 - 11:57 AM' timestamp='1271617067' post='392162']
think about it though, troy is not as bad as you think he is, hes actually pretty decent, and with boldin mason and stallworth starting at WR, it is very possible we would still get by in the passing game.
[/quote]

I still don't see where this comes from honestly. Where has he proven anything in the NFL? I don't think he would move the ball well at all, if we were to make playoffs in that situation it would be because of the D and the running game. Then we would run into the same problem we have had for a while and thats not putting points up in the playoffs. Flacco is way better than Smith so if he goes down I think we might limp into the playoffs but would be done shortly after that.

[Milton145]

This is just a question, I'm not trying to dog on Flacco but:

I've watched some stuff from Troy Smith and he isn't as bad as people make him out to be. His style of play could extend the play (sort of like a Ben Roelthlisberger) and has an arm and good accuracy. With a little bit of development and experience he could be good, maybe great. Plus the only reason he isn't starting for us now is because of an illness he got.

I think people go down on him because he wants to make a name for himself in the NFL so he would love to be traded from our favorite team. People seem to take that negatively. But I have watched some highlights of Smith and he doesn't seem too bad.

People call him average at best well Flacco has cost us some plays and thrown some questionable interceptions and thrown some bad balls as well. But people seem to let it slide.

Anyway can someone just explain that to me?

[3-4ravdef509]

Because while flacco has made some mistakes, most qbs in their first 2 years will make many more mistakes, and not many have been quite as successful as him. He and Sanchez has the record for most playoff games won in a rookie year, and the only other Qbs to make it to the playoffs in their rookie year that I know of are Rothlisberger and Shaun King, but neither made it as far as Flacco. Sanchez...well that's a discussion for another thread.
I like troy smith as a back-up. I think he could even start for some teams. He has the skill set, but he hasn't proved himself able to actually lead the team as Flacco has, and also he's a tad short. It's hard for him to just see over the offensive line at times to find open recievers. He's a good asset, but there are legitimate reasons why he doesn't start 16 games a year for us.

[Ed_Reed20]

[quote name='Milton145' date='18 April 2010 - 05:39 PM' timestamp='1271626771' post='392217']
This is just a question, I'm not trying to dog on Flacco but:

I've watched some stuff from Troy Smith and he isn't as bad as people make him out to be. His style of play could extend the play (sort of like a Ben Roelthlisberger) and has an arm and good accuracy. With a little bit of development and experience he could be good, maybe great. Plus the only reason he isn't starting for us now is because of an illness he got.

I think people go down on him because he wants to make a name for himself in the NFL so he would love to be traded from our favorite team. People seem to take that negatively. But I have watched some highlights of Smith and he doesn't seem too bad.

People call him average at best well Flacco has cost us some plays and thrown some questionable interceptions and thrown some bad balls as well. But people seem to let it slide.

Anyway can someone just explain that to me?
[/quote]

The majority of the mistakes Flacco has made in his two seasons have come from inexperience. The injuries he suffered last year affected his mechanics too.

I don't think people have let his problems "slide" but considering how many good games he's had, I'd say he has earned enough leeway with the fans.

As for Smith, we simply haven't seen enough of him to make any conclusions about him as a player. Even to say he has potential is a stretch in my opinion because he has barely played during his career.

Fact is, if any team felt he was a player worth developing, they wouldve come after him. The fact that no one has says all I need to know about Troy.

[AwakenTheDemon]

[quote name='Milton145' date='18 April 2010 - 04:39 PM' timestamp='1271626771' post='392217']
This is just a question, I'm not trying to dog on Flacco but:

I've watched some stuff from Troy Smith and he isn't as bad as people make him out to be. His style of play could extend the play (sort of like a Ben Roelthlisberger) and has an arm and good accuracy. With a little bit of development and experience he could be good, maybe great. Plus the only reason he isn't starting for us now is because of an illness he got.

I think people go down on him because he wants to make a name for himself in the NFL so he would love to be traded from our favorite team. People seem to take that negatively. But I have watched some highlights of Smith and he doesn't seem too bad.

People call him average at best well Flacco has cost us some plays and thrown some questionable interceptions and thrown some bad balls as well. But people seem to let it slide.

Anyway can someone just explain that to me?
[/quote]

Smith isn't "too bad", but he isn't great either. Sure, he's been serviceable, but he's a back-up at best. Ben extended plays due to his size, he'll throw the ball even with defenders hanging onto him. Smith cannot due that. For Smith to extend the play, it'd have to be with his speed. However, it's much harder to do that in the pro's than it is in college. If I remember correctly from watching Smith play, he isn't that great passing on the run. Not to mention, his accuracy wavers, he's smaller (no, I'm not knocking on him for his size). I don't subscribe to the train of thought that smaller quarterbacks can't succeed (Drew Brees says hi), but our offensive line is rather large, so either Smith would have to fall further back to see his receivers well, or stay in the pocket longer.

Smith is a great back-up, and I feel good having him second behind Joe. Before Joe's rookie season, I was all for Smith starting... until I saw Flacco play. You talk about Joe making bad decisions, but you have to realize, Joe is still young. It's his third year, no matter how great he played his first two seasons, he's still transitioning to the pro level. Not to mention, EVERY quarterback makes some bad throws and some "questionable interceptions". Joe's still young and has tremendous upside. Smith's upside isn't anywhere near his.

Flacco got us to the AFC Championship his first year in a system with limited weapons on offense. Truth is if Smith were our quarterback, I don't think we would have gotten that far.

[PSU RAVEN]

If Beck is the QB , then yes I think we make the playoffs.

IMO I think Beck will emerge from preseason as the #2 QB over Smith.

[AwakenTheDemon]

Beck? Seriously? Sure, we've seen less of Beck throughout his career than Smith. However, his play when he started those few games in Miami was not even average. I'm sorry, but there's no way the Ravens make the playoffs with Beck at quarterback. Not if they have to rely on him to air it out over the running game. Smith is head and shoulders above Beck, in my opinion. Beck was a pick of Cam's in Miami, so I'd imagine if he had some talent (and with Cam's influence) wouldn't he have already been second on the depth chart? Unless he's made huge strides since his days in Miami, there's no way Beck will outperform Smith for the back-up job.

[D-Rey]

I believe we would make it to the play offs with Troy. I watch him when he was with Ohio St., I've always liked him. He has good pocket awareness, strong arm, mobility, and pretty good accuracy. That was in college though, so who knows if he would be a good starting quarterback. I personally think he would be, that's just my opinion though. But just like we haven't seen him enough to know if he would be good or great, we also haven't seen him enough to know if he would be average or bad.

[RedFire]

[quote name='AwakenTheDemon' date='18 April 2010 - 05:00 PM' timestamp='1271628042' post='392228']
Smith isn't "too bad", but he isn't great either. Sure, he's been serviceable, but he's a back-up at best. Ben extended plays due to his size, he'll throw the ball even with defenders hanging onto him. Smith cannot due that. For Smith to extend the play, it'd have to be with his speed. However, it's much harder to do that in the pro's than it is in college. If I remember correctly from watching Smith play, he isn't that great passing on the run. Not to mention, his accuracy wavers, he's smaller (no, I'm not knocking on him for his size). I don't subscribe to the train of thought that smaller quarterbacks can't succeed (Drew Brees says hi), but our offensive line is rather large, so either Smith would have to fall further back to see his receivers well, or stay in the pocket longer.

Smith is a great back-up, and I feel good having him second behind Joe. Before Joe's rookie season, I was all for Smith starting... until I saw Flacco play. You talk about Joe making bad decisions, but you have to realize, Joe is still young. It's his third year, no matter how great he played his first two seasons, he's still transitioning to the pro level. Not to mention, EVERY quarterback makes some bad throws and some "questionable interceptions". Joe's still young and has tremendous upside. Smith's upside isn't anywhere near his.

Flacco got us to the AFC Championship his first year in a system with limited weapons on offense. Truth is if Smith were our quarterback, I don't think we would have gotten that far.
[/quote]


eh...troy smith is young too. he only has one more year in the league than flaco....but less game experince. smith looked decent at the end of the debacled 07 season...but obvi harbaugh and them know something cuz they drafted flacco when smith was in the wings of kyle boller.

[AwakenTheDemon]

I know Smith is young as well. But even in the time he played, he didn't show the poise or skill Flacco showed. And, just like you said, Flacco is only a year behind Smith. Also like you said, Smith looked "decent", not good, not great, decent.

[kash96ravenstotalfan]

[quote name='Milton145' date='18 April 2010 - 05:39 PM' timestamp='1271626771' post='392217']
This is just a question, I'm not trying to dog on Flacco but:

I've watched some stuff from Troy Smith and he isn't as bad as people make him out to be. His style of play could extend the play (sort of like a Ben Roelthlisberger) and has an arm and good accuracy. With a little bit of development and experience he could be good, maybe great. Plus the only reason he isn't starting for us now is because of an illness he got.

I think people go down on him because he wants to make a name for himself in the NFL so he would love to be traded from our favorite team. People seem to take that negatively. But I have watched some highlights of Smith and he doesn't seem too bad.

People call him average at best well Flacco has cost us some plays and thrown some questionable interceptions and thrown some bad balls as well. But people seem to let it slide.

Anyway can someone just explain that to me?
[/quote]
Your comparison of Troy Smith to Ben Rothlisberger is ludicrous. What has Troy shown us in the NFL? Maybe 4 starts? Passer rating of 79 +/-. Flacco is light years ahead of Troy. A Heisman Trophy winner drafted in the 5th round - that speaks volumns about his ability. C'MON Man!

[D-Rey]

[quote name='kash96ravenstotalfan' date='18 April 2010 - 08:23 PM' timestamp='1271632986' post='392262']
Your comparison of Troy Smith to Ben Rothlisberger is ludicrous. What has Troy shown us in the NFL? Maybe 4 starts? Passer rating of 79 +/-. Flacco is light years ahead of Troy. A Heisman Trophy winner drafted in the 5th round - that speaks volumns about his ability. C'MON Man!
[/quote]
He was just saying he can extend the play like Ben, and he probably can with his mobility. Wasn't Tom Brady drafted in the 6th, he turned out to be pretty good. Just because a player is drafted in a certain round doesn't meant they are bad or good.

[AwakenTheDemon]

I doubt Smith can effectively extend the play with his mobility. He's struggled passing accurately on the run in the pro's. Not to mention, linebackers and defensive ends are getting faster and more mobile.

[kash96ravenstotalfan]

[quote name='D-Rey' date='18 April 2010 - 07:27 PM' timestamp='1271633227' post='392265']
He was just saying he can extend the play like Ben, and he probably can with his mobility. Wasn't Tom Brady drafted in the 6th, he turned out to be pretty good. Just because a player is drafted in a certain round doesn't meant they are bad or good.
[/quote]
Agree, but if Troy is so talented, gifted, mobile, etc - Why has no team offered to pick him up?

[MagicianCamille]

Quite simply, no.

[sandwich]

i'd say with flacco we could win 13 games legit. Without 9 or ten. Troy smith is pretty sick. The last 2 games of 07 he stepped in and looked very poised with the same dudes that boller had. Plus Ray Rice put up some faulk/tomlinson numbers last year. Willis McGahee on any other team would be a feature back and he is a bull. He could probably get 25-30 carries a game alone if rice got hurt. We are deep everywhere. Anyone could go down and we are still great everywhere.

[D-Rey]

[quote name='kash96ravenstotalfan' date='18 April 2010 - 08:33 PM' timestamp='1271633620' post='392268']
Agree, but if Troy is so talented, gifted, mobile, etc - Why has no team offered to pick him up?
[/quote]
I have no idea why a team that have no good quarterbacks won't offer up a 5th rounder for him. Maybe him not having much playing time is a risk to them, but I would think a 5th round pick is not that much of a risk. Maybe I'm wrong, but non of us will truly know until he gets a shot.

[Ed_Reed20]

[quote name='D-Rey' date='18 April 2010 - 08:03 PM' timestamp='1271635421' post='392280']
I have no idea why a team that have no good quarterbacks won't offer up a 5th rounder for him. Maybe him not having much playing time is a risk to them, but I would think a 5th round pick is not that much of a risk. Maybe I'm wrong, but non of us will truly know until he gets a shot.
[/quote]

Troy simply didn't show enough in the games he played to warrant interest.

Even though its "just" a 5th round pick, a team likes to know they'll get a return on their investment. Troy hasn't shown ability that's worth investing in.

[D-Rey]

[quote name='Ed_Reed20' date='18 April 2010 - 09:09 PM' timestamp='1271635783' post='392282']
Troy simply didn't show enough in the games he played to warrant interest.

Even though its "just" a 5th round pick, a team likes to know they'll get a return on their investment. Troy hasn't shown ability that's worth investing in.
[/quote]
True, nobody knows if he is good or bad and we may never know. I'll be happy if we trade him for a pick, but I'll be just as happy if we keep him.

[DocMartin]

[quote name='varaven' date='18 April 2010 - 01:36 PM' timestamp='1271615770' post='392152']
If Joe Flacco were to get hurt and out for the season early in the year, would we still have a chance to get into the playoffs?
[/quote]
Good question. Yes, we would, because we would bring either Jeff Garcia or Vinny Testaverde back from retirement!?
Maybe Trent Dilfer would quit his job to join the Ravens, huh?

[darklight1216]

I would guess not, but let's hope we don't have to find out until Flacco retires.

[varaven]

[quote name='DocMartin' date='18 April 2010 - 08:18 PM' timestamp='1271636281' post='392284']
Good question. Yes, we would, because we would bring either Jeff Garcia or Vinny Testaverde back from retirement!?
[/quote]
wouldn't that be interesting seeing garcia play for us. i always thought he deserved another shot!

[Raveman]

Good thing he won't get hurt....

[CorvusCorax]

[quote name='varaven' date='18 April 2010 - 02:36 PM' timestamp='1271615770' post='392152']
If Joe Flacco were to get hurt and out for the season early in the year, would we still have a chance to get into the playoffs?
[/quote]

Maybe. Who knows...

Actually I don't want to find out. Not this way at least.

[Ravens549]

No.