78 replies to this topic

[DMH_in_WA]

We've discussed it before and this doesn't tell the whole story. You'd need some hardcore stat-head to classify the drops based on importance to the game, but people keep bringing up our drops as if we are way out of whack with the rest of the league in drops. Here are the straight rankings by drop (#1 worst / #32 best):

To give a better look, I've figured out the number of passing attempts per drop using the drops and total passing attempts by team and re-ranked them (#1 best / #32 worst) - Play off Teams highlighted:

Average in the NFL this year was about 20.3 passes before a drop (Jets were dead on the average). While we're not great, we are within a small percentage of most of the rest of the league on both in either direction.

-D

[Greatness]

We just don't have clutch players. We have talented people, but no one has that 'seal the deal' X-factor. It's quite pathetic and sad when you think about. To end the season that way two years in a row.

*sighs*

[rubberslinky]

In my opinion there is no room for a dropped pass in a game. If the qb gets the ball to your hands it should be caught.

[ryanpatt28]

How about getting the figures on dropped ravens passes in the PLAYOFFS

[DMH_in_WA]

rubberslinky, on 28 January 2012 - 12:06 AM, said:

In my opinion there is no room for a dropped pass in a game. If the qb gets the ball to your hands it should be caught.

There's no room for defensive players not to wrap when they tackle, but it happens. The fact that the team with the fewest dropped passes for the year still had more than 1 dropped pass per game says that's something that's not going away.

ryanpatt28, on 28 January 2012 - 12:10 AM, said:

How about getting the figures on dropped ravens passes in the PLAYOFFS

Wish I could find those. Funny part is, what most Ravens' fans will consider the worst drop (Lee Evans) is probably not going to be counted as a dropped pass. It will be seen as a defensive play on the ball and not a drop.

[Sizzlebshu]

I mean a rookie wide out and essentially rookie tight ends (first year starters) and a very weird year for boldin contributed to the drops heavily (him droppin the ball like that seems out of whack for him especially since he worked on timing with Flacco in the off season). I'm not too concerned about it this year, but if it continues next season, I'm gonna start to wonder what the deal is.

Edited by Sizzlebshu, 28 January 2012 - 12:56 AM.

[DMH_in_WA]

Sizzlebshu, on 28 January 2012 - 12:55 AM, said:

I mean a rookie wide out and essentially rookie tight ends (first year starters) and a very weird year for boldin contributed to the drops heavily (him droppin the ball like that seems out of whack for him especially since he worked on timing with Flacco in the off season). I'm not too concerned about it this year, but if it continues next season, I'm gonna start to wonder what the deal is.

Rice and Q are responsible for almost half of the Ravens' dropped passes this year (7 each). Those really don't worry me, at least not on their end. It seemed to me that a good percentage of Ray's drops came on passes that were kind of down or away. But like you, if it continues next year then something is wrong.

Of course, we could have Roddy White and his 15 drops all by himself this year. O.o

[Sizzlebshu]

DMH_in_WA, on 28 January 2012 - 01:02 AM, said:

Rice and Q are responsible for almost half of the Ravens' dropped passes this year (7 each). Those really don't worry me, at least not on their end. It seemed to me that a good percentage of Ray's drops came on passes that were kind of down or away. But like you, if it continues next year then something is wrong.

Of course, we could have Roddy White and his 15 drops all by himself this year. O.o

eh Roddy White has been on an off with that. Some years are just better than others for him. Boldin has never really had that problem and the fact that its coming up now worries me. I hope its just a result of the shortened off season, but if its not im worried.

[Radinho84]

rubberslinky, on 28 January 2012 - 12:06 AM, said:

In my opinion there is no room for a dropped pass in a game. If the qb gets the ball to your hands it should be caught.

especially when you think about the big money those guys get paid to just catch a ball. they should be able to do so. the drop by evans was a joke. he should have held on to the ball. but hey, that is history.

but the coaches better adjust those things in the off season and stop telling the fans that we had a damn good offense this year!!!

[Alexir]

Green Bay is worse off? But didn't Rodgers throw for 4600 yards and 45 tds with a 68% completion. How come he didn't have worse numbers? How come it's a legit excuse when Flacco underperforms its because of dropped balls. Is there a way to calculate drop balls with completion percentage to see what the difference would of been if Joes receivers hadn't dropped a ball. Just curious.

[DMH_in_WA]

Alexir, on 28 January 2012 - 02:49 AM, said:

Green Bay is worse off? But didn't Rodgers throw for 4600 yards and 45 tds with a 68% completion. How come he didn't have worse numbers? How come it's a legit excuse when Flacco underperforms its because of dropped balls. Is there a way to calculate drop balls with completion percentage to see what the difference would of been if Joes receivers hadn't dropped a ball. Just curious.

Yup and yup to the questions. And that's kind of the point I've been getting at. Ravens had dropped balls, but well within the norm for an NFL team this year. There's other things going on besides the drops. For more idea of the real impact though, you'd probably need down, distance and initial yards lost by drop to really tell impact.

I can tell you what the completion percentage would have been without the drops for those two:

Flacco: 312/542 for 57.6% completion with drops - 343/542 for 63.3% completion if there were no drops
(Both Rice and Tyrod were 1/1 on passes, so assuming all drops were on Flacco)

Rodgers: 343/502 for 68.3% completion with drops - 375/502 for 74.7% completion if there were no drops
(There were 49 attempts by Flynn and 1 attempt by Cobb for Green Bay - don't know if any drops occured for them, so just put them all on Rodgers)

[Alexir]

bump. because Im sick of people putting all of Flaccoa's inaccuracy on drops....

[Greatness]

Alexir, on 08 February 2012 - 11:58 PM, said:

bump. because Im sick of people putting all of Flaccoa's inaccuracy on drops....

I think his inaccuracy is from. again, drops, play-calling and above all...personnel. But why such a dip in accuracy? Everyone seems to know why it isn't drops, etc, but can someone explain what the problem is?

[Militant X 1]

we need WRs with hands that can....and want to make crucial plays!

~Mili

[Greatness]

Militant X 1, on 09 February 2012 - 03:03 AM, said:

we need WRs with hands that can....and want to make crucial plays!

~Mili

Bingo. It really is that simple.

[arnie_uk]

Flacco threw the ball forty more times than Rodgers?

[izvoodoo]

Alexir, on 28 January 2012 - 02:49 AM, said:

Green Bay is worse off? But didn't Rodgers throw for 4600 yards and 45 tds with a 68% completion. How come he didn't have worse numbers? How come it's a legit excuse when Flacco underperforms its because of dropped balls. Is there a way to calculate drop balls with completion percentage to see what the difference would of been if Joes receivers hadn't dropped a ball. Just curious.

I hate to call you out on this, but Rodgers team is stacked and your point is mute. By and large Green bay's receivers were so talented and wide open that even if a ball was under thrown they could still get to it. Where as with Flacco he's hitting much tighter windows.

What people fail to remember with Flacco is that he's relatively a better quarterback than his pass catchers are pass catchers. In other words He's a top 10-12 quarterback at least where as Boldin, Torrey, Dickson and Pitta are all outside the top 15 in terms of relative talent and the Tackle play on the team is poor. So basically the only strength on the offense is the interior line, which even then I think averaged under only 4 yards a carry running behind. Now Torrey, Dickson and Pitta will all improve and help the offense, but as they improve so will Flacco's standing in the NFL and we won't have to senselessly debate flacco's quality as a qb even though he's the least of our worries outside only RB, FB and RG.

[SideStep77]

Just let our younger guys practice this full off-season to get on the same page as Joe. We saw how close Pitta and Flacco are off the field. I heard Dickson say once I believe "I'm going to be their third wheel this off-season". Let them all develop before we all say "off with their heads"

[Alexir]

izvoodoo, on 09 February 2012 - 08:01 AM, said:

I hate to call you out on this, but Rodgers team is stacked and your point is mute. By and large Green bay's receivers were so talented and wide open that even if a ball was under thrown they could still get to it. Where as with Flacco he's hitting much tighter windows. What people fail to remember with Flacco is that he's relatively a better quarterback than his pass catchers are pass catchers. In other words He's a top 10-12 quarterback at least where as Boldin, Torrey, Dickson and Pitta are all outside the top 15 in terms of relative talent and the Tackle play on the team is poor. So basically the only strength on the offense is the interior line, which even then I think averaged under only 4 yards a carry running behind. Now Torrey, Dickson and Pitta will all improve and help the offense, but as they improve so will Flacco's standing in the NFL and we won't have to senselessly debate flacco's quality as a qb even though he's the least of our worries outside only RB, FB and RG.

I'll give you Greg Jennings and Finley but driver is basically Mason, James JOnes has tons of drops and Jordy Nelson wouldn't fair to well on another team. It may be a system, but it surely isn't all the talent.

[CapoRocky]

SideStep77, on 09 February 2012 - 09:58 AM, said:

Just let our younger guys practice this full off-season to get on the same page as Joe. We saw how close Pitta and Flacco are off the field. I heard Dickson say once I believe "I'm going to be their third wheel this off-season". Let them all develop before we all say "off with their heads"

No more off-season workouts at Towson University. If I were Joe, then I would get the young receivers together at the castle early in the Spring and throw passes to them. Timing is essential for completions. Doss needs to prove himself so he doesn't end up cut in late August. Williams is further along in his development than Doss and has become an important part of the special teams with D. Reed hurt.