Grading Flacco's Performance

[I AM LEGEND]

I know I have been tough on Flacco...some of you may even believe I don't like him..but with so many of you guys preaching about his youth and how he's still developing I feel maybe a game by game breakdown will help serve as historical context that we can look back on.

With that said..Joe got another W last night but let's look at some specifics..

First off I must say I expected Joe to struggle..he did better then I anticipated.

Only negatives I can really see were:

- still a slight tendency to hold on to long ( that's what got him hammered on the opening play) he also had another play late which he held it to long but got rid of it just in time. To be fair he rebounded well after that opening fumble

- he is still underthrowing on the deep balls..now a lot of times it works bc our receivers see the ball first and get to go back for the ball before the CB. But he's gotta get better at putting the ball in front of the receivers..

- calm down in the redzone..no reason to over throw McClain on that Goalline series

Besides that I'm very pleased with Flacco last night..the Oline helped by being drastically prepared for those blitzes.. Flacco made some big throws , stopped depending on the check down and more importantly he just "looked" more in tune with the offense..like he was ready to lead

I still feel the offense was leaning on the work of the defense...something that we've seen all to much as Ravens fans but at least we for the Win

Overall I think I'm gonna go with a grade of a B..hopefully he can continue to build off of this

See guys...I don't hate Flacco

[1/28/01]

[quote name='I AM LEGEND' timestamp='1284487380' post='476839']
I know I have been tough on Flacco...some of you may even believe I don't like him..but with so many of you guys preaching about his youth and how he's still developing I feel maybe a game by game breakdown will help serve as historical context that we can look back on.

With that said..Joe got another W last night but let's look at some specifics..

First off I must say I expected Joe to struggle..he did better then I anticipated.

Only negatives I can really see were:

- still a slight tendency to hold on to long ( that's what got him hammered on the opening play) he also had another play late which he held it to long but got rid of it just in time. To be fair he rebounded well after that opening fumble

- he is still underthrowing on the deep balls..now a lot of times it works bc our receivers see the ball first and get to go back for the ball before the CB. But he's gotta get better at putting the ball in front of the receivers..

- calm down in the redzone..no reason to over throw McClain on that Goalline series

Besides that I'm very pleased with Flacco last night..the Oline helped by being drastically prepared for those blitzes.. Flacco made some big throws , stopped depending on the check down and more importantly he just "looked" more in tune with the offense..like he was ready to lead

I still feel the offense was leaning on the work of the defense...something that we've seen all to much as Ravens fans but at least we for the Win

Overall I think I'm gonna go with a grade of a B..hopefully he can continue to build off of this

See guys...I don't hate Flacco
[/quote]
YES!!!!! I agree with all of that!!! Im so happy!!

[Runnin Raven]

Actually before I read a single word of your post I thought "I'd give him a B". So, dude, we are in agreement. He missed some throws but made some pretty difficult ones also in an incredibly hostile environment.

BTW, Philip Rivers missed a wide open receiver TWICE in the end zone on the same series at the end of the game, and we all have heard that Rivers is considered an "elite' QB. So it happens.

[bmorefan444]

I totally agree with you! What i liked was how Flacco rebounded after near decapitation. He was throwing a little behind the recievers outside the numbers. He got a lottt of help from Heap and Boldin making some tough catches. Overall, I liked what I saw against last years #1 defense.

[1/28/01]

[quote name='Runnin Raven' timestamp='1284487790' post='476849']
Actually before I read a single word of your post I thought "I'd give him a B". So, dude, we are in agreement. He missed some throws but made some pretty difficult ones also in an incredibly hostile environment.

BTW, Philip Rivers missed a wide open receiver TWICE in the end zone on the same series at the end of the game, and we all have heard that Rivers is considered an "elite' QB. So it happens.
[/quote]
Very rarely will I EVER defend Rivers, but both plays the WR fell down/slipped.....either way, GO JOE!!

[Ed_Reed20]

I think his deep is inconsistent. As Mike Preston said on the radio, Joe hasn't yet figured when to step into deep balls or take some off them. His deep balls to Heap(which was dropped) and Q were perfect but he led Mason a bit too much on one and did the same to Heap late in the game but Todd made a spectacular grab to reel it in.

Regardless, his poise on third down was very impressive as were some of his other throws.

He's still learning but you can see improvement.

[PWNEDbyDEANO]

A generally impressive game against last years top D with a few errors (opening play, missing McClain in the endzone, the int)

Would definitely go with a B+ and I think we will be seeing better things further down the road this season. (Not that his performance was poor, but he will definitely make large strides)

[1/28/01]

[quote name='Ed_Reed20' timestamp='1284487947' post='476854']
I think his deep is inconsistent. As Mike Preston said on the radio, Joe hasn't yet figured when to step into deep balls or take some off them. His deep balls to Heap(which was dropped) and Q were perfect but he led Mason a bit too much on one and did the same to Heap late in the game but Todd made a spectacular grab to reel it in.

Regardless, his poise on third down was very impressive as were some of his other throws.

He's still learning but you can see improvement.
[/quote]
agreed for the most part, except had the deep one to Q not been underthrown it would have gone for 6. Q had to just about stop to grab it...nevertheless, he'll get it down!!

[Ed_Reed20]

[quote name='1/28/01' timestamp='1284488294' post='476857']
agreed for the most part, except had the deep one to Q not been underthrown it would have gone for 6. Q had to just about stop to grab it...nevertheless, he'll get it down!!
[/quote]

True dat.

[The King]

I thought the missed pass deep to Mason was a catchable ball that Mason should have brought in. I definitely agree that he needs to work on throwing the deep ball, especially since we now have a receiving corps that can pull off a deep pass. Now that it's a real option, it needs to be one we can use well.

The pick was a good play by Cromartie. Though we can all question it in hindsight, he had Heap and Mason in the area, both of whom are physical receivers who tend to come down with the tough catches. It wasn't too bad a throw. The return that Cromartie made was a product of excellent blocking by the Jets D.

I'd go B-, but I do tend to be a bit harsher than necessary.

[12th man]

I'm so glad we won but i was getting worried. Joe was better but i thought after a slow start we would have tried to go no huddle, or pic up the pace a little like we did in 3rd preseason game.Jet D was a beast so going no huddle would get Joe into a rhythm and throw Jet's D off.First game gotta give joe a break but still needs to pic up pace,get rid of ball faster. But Cam is partly responsible for sending in the play or guiding the offense so going no huddle would have to be his call. A Win is a Win!!! Loved the time of position just need to score in the red zone!! Next week!!

[Ed_Reed20]

[quote name='The King' timestamp='1284488952' post='476866']
I thought the missed pass deep to Mason was a catchable ball that Mason should have brought in. I definitely agree that he needs to work on throwing the deep ball, especially since we now have a receiving corps that can pull off a deep pass. Now that it's a real option, it needs to be one we can use well.
[b]
The pick was a good play by Cromartie. Though we can all question it in hindsight, he had Heap and Mason in the area, both of whom are physical receivers who tend to come down with the tough catches. It wasn't too bad a throw. The return that Cromartie made was a product of excellent blocking by the Jets D.
[/b]
I'd go B-, but I do tend to be a bit harsher than necessary.
[/quote]

Q was actually the WR in the area. Ron Jaworski suggested Q should have ran a post route but ran a deep out allowing Cromartie to break on the ball that looked intended for Heap in my opinion.

[JoeCool#5]

With more games, Flacco will develop better timing with new additions. I love the faith Cam had in Flacco and the receiving core, to keep attacking Wilson and Coumartie even after the interception. When Joe finally got settled, he started making some throws especially on 3rd down. The team looked great when they had some decent field position and didnt have to run 3 straight plays. I gave Joe C+ for coming back from adversity (3 turnovers, dropped TD passes and no running game). Joe will learn from this experience and should grow from it. The WRs and TEs took alot of pressure off Flacco breaking free from coverage and making great plays on the ball. The running game will come around and make the passing game even more lethal with the play action. I see nothing but good things.

[SaVaGe]

I may be incorrect but is Flacco the first person to throw for over 250 yards against the new Rex Ryan D? Best case scenario instead of PI flags Flacco would have had a 3td 1 int night. And possibly over 300 yards. Even without those stats he still dominated the Jets defense and just like the Broncos last season we have given a blueprint to beating the Jets this season.

[1/28/01]

[quote name='SaVaGe' timestamp='1284489404' post='476875']
I may be [b][u]incorrect[/u][/b] but is Flacco the first person to throw for over 250 yards against the new Rex Ryan D? Best case scenario instead of PI flags Flacco would have had a 3td 1 int night. And possibly over 300 yards. Even without those stats he still dominated the Jets defense and just like the Broncos last season we have given a blueprint to beating the Jets this season.
[/quote]
why yes, yes you are

he threw for just [i]under[/i] 250

[SnOoPy]

Games like these will only make Flacco better! Can't wait till Sunday..

[SaVaGe]

[quote name='1/28/01' timestamp='1284489814' post='476884']
why yes, yes you are

he threw for just [i]under[/i] 250
[/quote]

Flacco gets an F for not getting 2 yards more. Seriously though I would give him a B+ just because many other QB's would have continued to make costly mistakes in his position after throwing an INT and Fumbling.

[Ravensfan23]

What i liked most about Joe last night was that in a big game on a big stage, he didn't just rely on Mason and Rice, who were his favorite targets last year.

In Joe's first 2 seasons he would appear to play a bit timid, weather it was his play or just Cam's play calling, he would just seem reluctant to make plays down field against the better defenses. Well there aren't too many defenses that play to the level of the Jets, maybe the Steelers, but i feel Flacco handle that defense very well. Front to back we probably won't see a more complete defense the reminder of the season so for Joe to play that well is a great sign.

All offseason we've heard about how there are no excuses for Joe and this offense anymore. However there were a few things that this Ravens team could have allowed to get in the way of them winning this game, no running game, a new WR that has only been here for the offseason, another WR who has only been here for a week, this was Joe's first real game action with those guys, emergency RT, poor turnover to open the game, boneheaded turnover by McGahee, drive killing Int, but with it all the Ravens just stayed focused and proved to be the better team.

There are many things that the Ravens could have allowed to get in there way last night but they didn't. If the Jets had played the Colts last night, everyone would be praising the reslove of Manning, well allow me to do the same for Flacco. He didn't play flawless, but the kid is on his way to doing something special imo.

[flynismo]

[quote name='I AM LEGEND' timestamp='1284487380' post='476839']<br />I know I have been tough on Flacco...some of you may even believe I don't like him..but with so many of you guys preaching about his youth and how he's still developing I feel maybe a game by game breakdown will help serve as historical context that we can look back on.<br /><br />With that said..Joe got another W last night but let's look at some specifics..<br /><br />First off I must say I expected Joe to struggle..he did better then I anticipated.<br /><br />Only negatives I can really see were: <br /><br />- still a slight tendency to hold on to long ( that's what got him hammered on the opening play) he also had another play late which he held it to long but got rid of it just in time. To be fair he rebounded well after that opening fumble <br /><br />- he is still underthrowing on the deep balls..now a lot of times it works bc our receivers see the ball first and get to go back for the ball before the CB. But he's gotta get better at putting the ball in front of the receivers..<br /><br />- calm down in the redzone..no reason to over throw McClain on that Goalline series <br /><br />Besides that I'm very pleased with Flacco last night..the Oline helped by being drastically prepared for those blitzes.. Flacco made some big throws , stopped depending on the check down and more importantly he just &quot;looked&quot; more in tune with the offense..like he was ready to lead <br /><br />I still feel the offense was leaning on the work of the defense...something that we've seen all to much as Ravens fans but at least we for the Win<br /><br />Overall I think I'm gonna go with a grade of a B..hopefully he can continue to build off of this <br /><br />See guys...I don't hate Flacco<br />[/quote]


i think you gave a pretty fair assessment. I dont disagree with anything you said, other than the grade itself.
I'd give him a B-

my initial grade was a C+, but then i took into consideration what an amazing job he did on third down.

I'll admit, I've been a bit of a homer when it comes to Flacco. I've followed him since his college days, and always had the feeling he'd be a great nfl player some day.
Well the time has come for Flacco. He has two full seasons, including 5 playoff games under his belt. He has more weapons at his disposal than any other qb in the league. A top 3, if not better defense.
I am extremely pleased with his development in his time here so far, make no mistake about that. But now is the time that we are going to find out what we truly have in Flacco, because he has no excuses (not that he has ever made any) not to make his mark on this team and the league right now.

Either he takes that next step and establishes himself into the second teir of nfl qbs (the guys just below manning, brady, brees and roethlisberger) this year, or if not, then maybe he isnt going to be the guy a lot of us thought he would. Not to say he would ever be a bust, because i just dont see that ever happening, but maybe our expectations were just too high, if that were to happen.

All that said, i saw enough from flacco lastt night to believe that he is on his way. I just would have liked to see more of an improvement in his ability to handle the rush and to scan the field quicker, but those are things that can only come with time.

[I AM LEGEND]

I must say I was ready to log onto this forum and rip him a new one after that first fumble....I mean it was a designed three step quick pass..what he was thinking when he held on to the ball for 10 secs ill never know..but like some of you said...that would have been a perfect time to run and quiver and resort to the checkdown "i want no parts of this game" Flacco that I'VE seen in certain big games.

but he kept his composure and rebounded well..

I'm not that upset with the interception...it ended up near two of our Wrs but Cromartie is a freak talent when going to get balls..so I'm not that upset..against many other CBs in this league that may end up being a TD for us

however I must say...I'm still not drinking the Flacco juice fully...but am pleased with what I saw. As I stated before my beef with Flacco has been him increasing his numbers in Big games against Big teams and more specificly playoff games.

[Ed_Reed20]

Was anyone else excited after Joe's back-shoulder throw to Q in the third quarter? Back-shoulder throws are something we rarely saw from Flacco last year. I anticipate a lot more this season with big targets like Q and T.J. now on the team.

[1/28/01]

[quote name='I AM LEGEND' timestamp='1284490905' post='476906']
I must say I was ready to log onto this forum and rip him a new one after that first fumble....I mean it was a designed three step quick pass..what he was thinking when he held on to the ball for 10 secs ill never know..but like some of you said...that would have been a perfect time to run and quiver and resort to the checkdown "i want no parts of this game" Flacco that I'VE seen in certain big games.

but he kept his composure and rebounded well..

[b]I'm not that upset with the interception...it ended up near two of our Wrs but Cromartie is a freak talent when going to get balls..so I'm not that upset..against many other CBs in this league that may end up being a TD for us [/b]
however I must say...I'm still not drinking the Flacco juice fully...but am pleased with what I saw. As I stated before my beef with Flacco has been him increasing his numbers in Big games against Big teams and more specificly playoff games.
[/quote]
Joe just wanted a defensive stat....tackle baby!!!!

[JohnJohnson]

[quote name='1/28/01' timestamp='1284487923' post='476853']
Very rarely will I EVER defend Rivers, but both plays the WR fell down/slipped.....either way, GO JOE!!
[/quote]

Not true, Rivers lofted a pass way over a receiver's head, he was wide open in the end zone. He tried to jump for the ball, but it was waaaaay too high. A little touch on that ball and the game was going to OT.

[Jamal]

I'd give him an A-. I always knew Flacco can be a good QB, but he showed yesterday, that hes perfect for the Ravens. He got beat up pretty badly early, but instead of getting scared, he became more and more aggressive as the game went on.

Going in to New York against the #1 D, and having a very bad start, would be disastrous for most QB's. If he can stand up to this team, no team in the NFL will intimidate this guy.

[the color urple]

[quote name='Ed_Reed20' timestamp='1284487947' post='476854']
His deep balls to Heap(which was dropped) and Q were perfect but he led Mason a bit too much on one and did the same to Heap late in the game but Todd made a spectacular grab to reel it in.
[/quote]

If you watch the replay, the ball went right through Mason's hands. If he had been underneath the ball instead of on the sides, he would have reeled that in. I was frustrated with Mason on that play. But you are totally right about the throw to Heap.

Flacco's got something that Sanchez will never have: confidence in himself and the ability to stay calm and not self-destruct. You can't coach that, and Rexy is going to learn that the hard way.

[the color urple]

[quote name='Ed_Reed20' timestamp='1284491005' post='476908']
Was anyone else excited after Joe's back-shoulder throw to Q in the third quarter? Back-shoulder throws are something we rarely saw from Flacco last year. I anticipate a lot more this season with big targets like Q and T.J. now on the team.
[/quote]

Loved that throw.

[JohnJohnson]

[quote name='I AM LEGEND' timestamp='1284490905' post='476906']
I must say I was ready to log onto this forum and rip him a new one after that first fumble....I mean it was a designed three step quick pass..what he was thinking when he held on to the ball for 10 secs ill never know..but like some of you said...that would have been a perfect time to run and quiver and resort to the checkdown "i want no parts of this game" Flacco that I'VE seen in certain big games.

but he kept his composure and rebounded well..

I'm not that upset with the interception...it ended up near two of our Wrs but Cromartie is a freak talent when going to get balls..so I'm not that upset..against many other CBs in this league that may end up being a TD for us

however I must say...I'm still not drinking the Flacco juice fully...but am pleased with what I saw. As I stated before my beef with Flacco has been him increasing his numbers in Big games against Big teams and more specificly playoff games.
[/quote]

I've gotta say, from someone who understands both football and statistics, your judgments are way too harsh for such small sample sizes. Flacco has had good games against good teams, and has had solid games in the playoffs. People can talk all they want about excuses, but we didn't have the adequate weapons last season to beat the likes of the Colts or the Saints, and that's just a fact. When you look at Flacco in a more general way, you can really start to appreciate his strengths. All he's done since he got his shot as a junior at D-2 Delaware is improve, consistently. Every year, you see a significant jump, and there's no reason to think it won't continue. The way he got up from that hit and led us down the field, he basically threw a TD strike to Heap. He's got what it takes, believe it.

[flynismo]

[quote name='I AM LEGEND' timestamp='1284490905' post='476906']As I stated before my beef with Flacco has been him increasing his numbers in Big games against Big teams and more specificly playoff games.<br />[/quote]


That's my only gripe I have. Although I think he did fine last night, I know that he is capable of more than just 'fine'. Expecting him to carry this team in his first or second year, especially with the lack of weapons, would be asking a lot. But his time is now...I just wanted to see a couple more big plays or less mistakes. You cant expect perfection against a defense like that, but ideally, i wanted to see just a little more.

[Alexir]

Lombardi of Ravens 24x7 summed it up pretty well.

"Joe Flacco looked like a deer in headlights..."

He improved in the second half but some of his throws and the late releases made him look like a rookie. The whole offense minus Q and Heap weren't that great though and thats including Cam Cameron.

I can honestly say I could have made that pass to Leron McClain!

However,

He just played against the best Defense in the league and threw for 250 yards and only one pick. That is very promising!

I will give him a grade of a[b] C. [/b]

[I AM LEGEND]

Actually the more I think about it..I kinda wanna drop his grade to a B-

Im thinking back to the game...and The Oline did such a great job of protecting Joe..so I kinda gotta take some of Flaccos credit away and just redistribute it