Ravens Can't Justify Benching Flacco

[BrownsFan]

[quote name='theFRANCHISE' post='64079' date='Sep 7 2008, 09:50 PM']I understand that this [i]could[/i] be seen as an emotional response to [i]one[/i] game -- but this [i]one[/i] game happened to hold much significance for this team and its rookie head coach. And ultimately, this [i]one[/i] game [i]could[/i] change the complexion of this entire season.

Thoughts?[/quote]

My take on this; there are only two ways that Flacco does *not* remain the starter for the Ravens:

1.) Injury.
2.) Losing record, a bad one.

Whether or not it was the decision he really wanted to make, Harbaugh made it and made Flacco the starter. It's not like he had a lot of choice but perhaps in the back of his head he really wanted to start Flacco? Either way it's his show now and I'd say the leash is pretty long.

One of the best football quotes I've ever heard in my opinion is such a true statement, "Winning breeds confidence; losing breeds doubt." I think this runs true as much for players as it does for coaches. I don't see Harbaugh pulling Flacco at any point unless it gets REALLY bad. Sometimes a guy like Flacco is what your team needs; even if it's mediocre play it's enough to keep your team confident that they CAN win.

Just my two cents.

[I*Bleed*Purple]

[quote name='BrownsFan' post='64997' date='Sep 9 2008, 06:45 PM']My take on this; there are only two ways that Flacco does *not* remain the starter for the Ravens:

1.) Injury.
2.) Losing record, a bad one.

Whether or not it was the decision he really wanted to make, Harbaugh made it and made Flacco the starter. It's not like he had a lot of choice but perhaps in the back of his head he really wanted to start Flacco? Either way it's his show now and I'd say the leash is pretty long.

One of the best football quotes I've ever heard in my opinion is such a true statement, "Winning breeds confidence; losing breeds doubt." I think this runs true as much for players as it does for coaches. I don't see Harbaugh pulling Flacco at any point unless it gets REALLY bad. Sometimes a guy like Flacco is what your team needs; even if it's mediocre play it's enough to keep your team confident that they CAN win.

Just my two cents.[/quote]

Good post!......for a Browns fan!

[Marc2k6]

Flacco is the MAN right now and that is all that matter's. The coaching staff is not looking to replace him, they are looking to help him along with every player on the team including T. Smith to get better and better each week and win game. United we must stand and united we must fall.




[size=7][b][font="Arial Black"]LET'S GO FLACCO![/font][/b][/size]

[PIG 20]

It's Flacco's job to lose at this point. The 17-10 score didn't really tell the full tale of Joe Flacco in game one. Joe had a touchdown dropped by Todd Heap and many other passes that were dropped which in turn "killed" drives. IMO, Ray Rice may have dropped a touchdown pass in the middle of the field because if he catches it, he could have went all the way. If not, it would have put us at least at mid field.

Anyway, Joe played like a vet. He took advantage of defensive mistakes and didn't put the team in a position to lose. He also kept the defense rested by extending drives on 3rd down completions. Oh and our running game was totally exceptional in every way.

But we all have to remember that he will be tested this season by some of the best teams in the NFL. He will get smacked around and we will lose games. Lets hope that during those times, Joe can rebound like a vet as well.

[SickBoy]

[size=2]I would really luv to see if Troy Smith played the same exact game Joe Flacco played would there be a "Ravens Can't Justify Benching Smith" thread here. Open your eyes, Joe Flacco didn't do anything to win the game. I give the defense all the credit for not allowing us to lose the game. I still believe Troy Smith gives us a better chance to win, week by week, because of his ability improvise. AND did we 4get that Troy Smith and Kyle Boller eliminated Flacco from the starting quarterback race??? The thought that you can't lose a starting job to injury died with Tom Brady and Drew Bledsoe. Stoney Case or Chris Redman could have won that game sunday but at the same time Vinny Testeverde and Tony Banks would have lost that game.[/size]

[PIG 20]

[quote name='SickBoy' post='65019' date='Sep 9 2008, 08:02 PM'][size=2]I would really luv to see if Troy Smith played the same exact game Joe Flacco played would there be a "Ravens Can't Justify Benching Smith" thread here. Open your eyes, Joe Flacco didn't do anything to win the game. I give the defense all the credit for not allowing us to lose the game. I still believe Troy Smith gives us a better chance to win, week by week, because of his ability improvise. AND did we 4get that Troy Smith and Kyle Boller eliminated Flacco from the starting quarterback race??? The thought that you can't lose a starting job to injury died with Tom Brady and Drew Bledsoe. Stoney Case or Chris Redman could have won that game sunday but at the same time Vinny Testeverde and Tony Banks would have lost that game.[/size][/quote]

Improvise? really, you don't think Joe Flacco improvised the play where he ran in for the touchdown? Listen to the interviews. He improvised that touchdown on a busted play.

Joe did a lot to help this team win. He kept the defense off the field. Look at the time of possession. We dominated! We ran and he made great passes. Not to mention that Tood Heap dropped a touchdown pass.

The only reason Flacco was eliminated from the QB race was because the Ravens had no intention of starting Flacco from the day he was drafted. But by circumstance, he was thrown into the fire and he has performed so far.

I'm not going to say that we won't see Troy at some point this season. Nothing in the NFL is a garuntee. But Joe has done nothing but excel and at this point he is the Ravens QB. Troy had a very unfortunate circumstance. Unfortunately life isn't always fair.

[PuRock]

[quote name='SickBoy' post='65019' date='Sep 9 2008, 08:02 PM'][size=2]I would really luv to see if Troy Smith played the same exact game Joe Flacco played would there be a "Ravens Can't Justify Benching Smith" thread here. Open your eyes, Joe Flacco didn't do anything to win the game. I give the defense all the credit for not allowing us to lose the game. I still believe Troy Smith gives us a better chance to win, week by week, because of his ability improvise. AND did we 4get that Troy Smith and Kyle Boller eliminated Flacco from the starting quarterback race??? The thought that you can't lose a starting job to injury died with Tom Brady and Drew Bledsoe. Stoney Case or Chris Redman could have won that game sunday but at the same time Vinny Testeverde and Tony Banks would have lost that game.[/size][/quote]

The only problem is Troy Smith and Flacco will never get to play the same game, be at the same point in their careers, or have the same situation. Hence the reason why this debate between Smith & Flacco fans can never be answered.

I support Flacco & I support Smith. The way the cards fell, Flacco got his chance and we won our first game. That justifies his start going into game 2. Smith caught a bad break with the virus. That's the NFL. Next week Flacco could throw for 70 yards and 3 interceptions, than the conversation changes. "Should we start Smith" would be the next topic.

I'm for winning, and I think most of us are. Flacco in game 1 didn't do anything great. But he did not throw any interceptions. He made great reads on blitzes. Never got sacked. And helped on many of the third down conversions. That's was nice to see in Baltimore.

[FerrariFan87]

Let's not forget the 3 or 4 drops by our receivers (one by Heap in the end zone and one by Rice where he would have ran another 30 yards at least)... so let's recap: Heap makes the TD catch Flacco would be 16-29 134 and a TD. If Rice makes that catch, he would be 17-29 for approx. 170 yards and a TD. Factor in the other drops and he may have had close to 200 yards on 19 or 20 out of 29 attempts. That's pretty awesome if you ask me for a Rookie in his first career start.

[Ravens52]

If Flacco does well the next few games then I'm sure there is no way that we will bench him in favor of Smith. Come on, would you bench a QB that is winning games in favor of a unproven QB? No. If Ravens continue winning then it will help build Joe's confidence level which is great for the future.

[Marc2k6]

[quote name='FerrariFan87' post='65029' date='Sep 9 2008, 09:18 PM']Let's not forget the 3 or 4 drops by our receivers (one by Heap in the end zone and one by Rice where he would have ran another 30 yards at least)... so let's recap: Heap makes the TD catch Flacco would be 16-29 134 and a TD. If Rice makes that catch, he would be 17-29 for approx. 170 yards and a TD. Factor in the other drops and he may have had close to 200 yards on 19 or 20 out of 29 attempts. That's pretty awesome if you ask me for a Rookie in his first career start.[/quote]
You are right! This is where we have to improve catching the ball and holding on to the ball. This game should have been a total blow out. But a win is exactly what it is, so I'm not going to complain!

[SickBoy]

[size=2]I'ma have to watch the game with y'all one day. I was in the house dancing when Joe ran for that touchdown. That wasn't improvising, that was the star alignment and the goodluck we have been waiting for the last two years. With the help of terrible defense and wonderful blocking. Joe had all the time in the world to make every throw he attempted. I don't recall who he threw to but on one 3rd and short he missed a guy wide open on a 4 or 5 yard pass. Not to mention him almost getting Derrick Mason killed early in the game. Long drives are the product of running the football effectively but if we want to give Flacco credit for time of possession when Laron McClain was running up the gut, be my guest, lol.[/size]

[PIG 20]

[quote name='SickBoy' post='65038' date='Sep 9 2008, 09:28 PM'][size=2]I'ma have to watch the game with y'all one day. I was in the house dancing when Joe ran for that touchdown. That wasn't improvising, that was the star alignment and the goodluck we have been waiting for the last two years. With the help of terrible defense and wonderful blocking. Joe had all the time in the world to make every throw he attempted. I don't recall who he threw to but on one 3rd and short he missed a guy wide open on a 4 or 5 yard pass. Not to mention him almost getting Derrick Mason killed early in the game. Long drives are the product of running the football effectively but if we want to give Flacco credit for time of possession when Laron McClain was running up the gut, be my guest, lol.[/size][/quote]

Sorry but yes, it was improvising. The play was busted and he ran with the ball. Thats called improvising. The play was changed but not everyone was on the same page. In turn Flacco had to improvise on the play. I have this strange feeling that if Troy would have doen the same play, you would have thought it was the greatest play of the game.

Wow, you picked one play where he may have missed a guy. How about when Heap dropped his touchdown, a first down, and Rice dropped another first down for major yardage. There were some MAJOR dropped balls in this game!!

Regardless of what you may think, it was a product of running and QB play that controlled the clock. I don't think anyone hear will say that it was all Flacco. But he had a lot to do with it as well.

Like I said, we may see Troy one day this year but I wouldn't keep holding your breath for any time soon.

[I*Bleed*Purple]

There were 5 dropped passes in the game. Two to Heap (one of which a TD), and one each to Mason, Clayton and Rice. If you discount that freak fumble return the Bengals had, the game should have been AT LEAST 24-3, and maybe even worse due to a few of the dropped passes being on 3rd downs. One has to think that we would have gotten at least a field goal or two from sustained drives had those 5 passes not been dropped. So, 30-3 is more realistic. But hey, it ended up 17-10. Still a win.

[Ravens52]

[quote name='I*Bleed*Purple' post='65064' date='Sep 9 2008, 09:53 PM']There were 5 dropped passes in the game. Two to Heap (one of which a TD), and one each to Mason, Clayton and Rice. If you discount that freak fumble return the Bengals had, the game should have been AT LEAST 24-3, and maybe even worse due to a few of the dropped passes being on 3rd downs. One has to think that we would have gotten at least a field goal or two from sustained drives had those 5 passes not been dropped. So, 30-3 is more realistic. But hey, it ended up 17-10. Still a win.[/quote]

You can't forget the questionable penalty on Walker during the Figurs TD, also id Ray Rice caught that pass in the open field it could have lead to at least a FG or even a TD. So with all that, 34-3, just a little bit of rust prevented that from happening

[I*Bleed*Purple]

[quote name='SickBoy' post='65038' date='Sep 9 2008, 08:28 PM'][size=2]I don't recall who he threw to but on one 3rd and short he missed a guy wide open on a 4 or 5 yard pass.[/size][/quote]

You're right! You know come to think of it, I've seen Jerry Rice drop 2 passes. They should have benched him and put it a 3rd or 4th WR to show him how it's done!

[I*Bleed*Purple]

[quote name='Ravens52' post='65066' date='Sep 9 2008, 08:55 PM']You can't forget the questionable penalty on Walker during the Figurs TD, also id Ray Rice caught that pass in the open field it could have lead to at least a FG or even a TD. So with all that, 34-3, just a little bit of rust prevented that from happening[/quote]
Walker clearly shoved that guy on his left shoulder p a d. Block from behind. The score should have been 37-3.

Uhhh, why is the word "p a d" censored?

[raven2131]

The kid is talented enough to play -- no doubt in my mind. He should stay the starter unless he's hurt, regardless of what the record is.

If he starts to struggle, let him work through it. He cant learn to overcome adversity if they pull him as soon as he starts playing poorly.

[Ravens52]

[quote name='I*Bleed*Purple' post='65069' date='Sep 9 2008, 09:58 PM']Walker clearly shoved that guy on his left shoulder p a d. Block from behind. The score should have been 37-3.

Uhhh, why is the word "p a d" censored?[/quote]

I don't know, looked questionable too me

But it's Walker..

[I*Bleed*Purple]

[quote name='raven2131' post='65073' date='Sep 9 2008, 08:05 PM']He cant learn to overcome adversity if they pull him as soon as he starts playing poorly.[/quote]

Exactly, otherwise we would never know who Troy Aikman was, who Peyton Manning is, etc. But it is hard to let him overcome adversity when we go 19-0

[mpplaya07]

haha i dont know that is kinda of funny... But that walker block was clean, i think the ref got a bad angle on that call... if only we could challenge those type of calls... GO FLACCO, Ravens will go 2-0

[I*Bleed*Purple]

[quote name='mpplaya07' post='65078' date='Sep 9 2008, 08:10 PM']if only we could challenge those type of calls...[/quote]

OK, so you can't challenge judgement calls? Like pass interference, block in the back, etc? Those are GAME CHANGING calls!!! I've been saying for quite some time that ANY call should be challengable. How so? A panel of 3 officials upstairs review the play when the flag is thrown and majority rules. I think there are too many BS calls throughout the season that can really change the tempo or outcome of a game and/or a season.

[Marc2k6]

[quote name='I*Bleed*Purple' post='65069' date='Sep 9 2008, 09:58 PM']Walker clearly shoved that guy on his left shoulder p a d. Block from behind. The score should have been 37-3.

Uhhh, why is the word "p a d" censored?[/quote]


Yeah! That call was a bunch of Bull! I do not know where these ref's come from but I think they need a 3 a day 6 month training camp!