[News] Joe Flacco's Biggest Hurdle Remaining May Be Mental, Not Physical

[BR News]

The Ravens quarterback said he’s curious to see how he’ll react when there’s opposing pressure while stepping up and throwing.

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[fusuymada]

Joe had major issues with pressure in his face and falling onto his back foot and typically overthrowing his target. That was just when he was getting pressure and not getting hit. Now that he has been hit and injured, I also fear that Flacco will immediately revert to that scared approach to qbing. Not blaming Flacco, but if you go back and look for years, one of the biggest gripes on Flacco is throwing off his back foot. Injuring his knee isn't going to help that at all and could compound an already bad situation. If the front line can provide a modicum of protection in preseason and in the early games, that would go a long way to reviving Flacco's comfort in the pocket, but if the blockers or the protection schemes don't take this into consideration, and we are leaving Flacco with only 5 blockers to take on 7 rushers, then Flacco will be throwing a lot of interceptions as he throws off his back foot.

[Ravenous_Ravens]

Joe had major issues with pressure in his face and falling onto his back foot and typically overthrowing his target. That was just when he was getting pressure and not getting hit. Now that he has been hit and injured, I also fear that Flacco will immediately revert to that scared approach to qbing. Not blaming Flacco, but if you go back and look for years, one of the biggest gripes on Flacco is throwing off his back foot. Injuring his knee isn't going to help that at all and could compound an already bad situation. If the front line can provide a modicum of protection in preseason and in the early games, that would go a long way to reviving Flacco's comfort in the pocket, but if the blockers or the protection schemes don't take this into consideration, and we are leaving Flacco with only 5 blockers to take on 7 rushers, then Flacco will be throwing a lot of interceptions as he throws off his back foot.

OR it could have the opposite effect and make Joe deliver the ball more quickly. I mean that is the best way to negate the pass rush. That mostly relies on WR getting open though, throwing quick is worthless otherwise. Also when Joe has thrown off his back foot it is not due to mechanics, generally speaking, but rather lack of ability to step into the throw due to pressure in his face.

If throwing from his back foot was really a problem he would not have earned such a big contract in the first place, much less an extension.

[steelcityraven]

Joe as all of the skills but the biggest problem that he has exhibited from day 1 is: 1. He don't manage the pocket well. and 2. He panics under pressure. Tom Brady has gotten much better after his knee surgery at sliding in the pocket and manipulating the pocket.... (there is a lot to be said for experience at that position). I am hoping that Joe learns to move a little better in the pocket and negate some of the pressure with savvy QB play and experience instead of panic and turnovers. Outside of the there is little that Joe cannot do!

[stixfix69]

Without weapons teams had 8 in the box all day, now that we have legit WR's, TE's, and RB's who can catch, will make it easier...The key is he has to make them pay for doing so, then they won't be lining 8 in the box as much.....

[757RavensFan]

19 hours ago, steelcityraven said:

Joe as all of the skills but the biggest problem that he has exhibited from day 1 is: 1. He don't manage the pocket well. and 2. He panics under pressure. Tom Brady has gotten much better after his knee surgery at sliding in the pocket and manipulating the pocket.... (there is a lot to be said for experience at that position). I am hoping that Joe learns to move a little better in the pocket and negate some of the pressure with savvy QB play and experience instead of panic and turnovers. Outside of the there is little that Joe cannot do!

Joe is in his 9th year. He is what he is at this point.  If you're expecting a more mobile Joe coming off an ACL injury, you might be disappointed.

Edited June 21, 2016 by 757RavensFan

[RRRRRavens]

I like the realism in Joe's comments. He's not just handing out the usual rah rah baloney that he's doing great and he's going to have the greatest year ever. He's being candid both with us and himself. He doesn't know what the year will bring and he's brave enough to maintain the curiosity to find out. One thing I've always liked about Joe has been his basic character trait of being real.

[Ugly Ball]

I would like to see Joe make quicker transitions, from one to another receiver. Not staring down receivers and having more pocket awareness. This might go a long way twards keeping his knees safer in the future. I would also like to see Trestman dial up more quick strike pass plays, like Brady is able to throw, to keep from getting hit so often. Once we are able to complete more quick short receptions, this will open up some deep shots. Good to have some deep threats again.

[RavensBaltimore]

Joe as all of the skills but the biggest problem that he has exhibited from day 1 is: 1. He don't manage the pocket well. and 2. He panics under pressure. Tom Brady has gotten much better after his knee surgery at sliding in the pocket and manipulating the pocket.... (there is a lot to be said for experience at that position). I am hoping that Joe learns to move a little better in the pocket and negate some of the pressure with savvy QB play and experience instead of panic and turnovers. Outside of the there is little that Joe cannot do!

I disagree with both points, especially the one about him panicking under pressure. Flacco stands strong in the face of pressure as well as anyone. We have had years where he has no pass protection, yet he doesn't ever get rattled or skittish when he gets pressured. A good example is the game winning pass to Aiken in Pitts last year. He knew he was about to get smashed, but he stood in there and fired a strike to put us in FG range.

[trevorsteadman]

And meanwhile they talk about other players coming back from ACL injuries stronger than before....

[RaRaRavens]

Another excuse to crawl behind once the season starts and Flacco performs below par yet again? Don't get me wrong I like Joe, more and more with every year. But shortsighted fans need to face reality - Flacco is highly overrated.

Don't get me started about the 11-0 SB run, the team around Flacco at that point in time would have probably made Tebow or Sanchez look good. The fact is as much as Flacco has delivered some amazing stats and game winning drives, he has bounced right back from those highs with 5 INT games where he looks like a high school QB. 

By this point in his career he should have developed a lot more consistency. Now with second consecutive year with the same OC the excuses for his roller-coaster of a play quality are starting to dry up. What a convenience that another season of inconsistent playing can be covered up by the mental block arising from the rehabbed knee. In the meanwhile, QBs who have matured into consistently effective passers return from all kinds of injuries often times without missing a beat. 

So I'm sorry, but I will not swallow up this shallow excuse. With rejuvenated team around him, it's now truly up to Flacco to show if he is the consistent superstar QB we all wish him to be or if he's just an average game manager who can succeed with enough good quality supporting cast but can not be trusted to take the spotlight.  

[RavenzOz]

1 hour ago, RaRaRavens said:

Don't get me wrong I like Joe, more and more with every year. But shortsighted fans need to face reality - Flacco is highly overrated...

You're right, Flacco isn't the best there is, and I am sure there are some who over-rate him.  But I think most of us don't, we have a pretty realistic view of him as we watch him every week.  We know he has poor pocket awareness sometimes, takes forever on his reads sometimes, makes some bad decisions sometimes, and gets rattled after five or six sacks (just like that number 12 and every other QB haha).

Yeah he has those odd weeks where he'll throw 3 or 4 interceptions, but when you go and look at them, usually a couple of them will be the receiver's fault, not Joe's.  When he throws an interception at crucial times, it's because Flacco's one of those guys whose thinking "if this one sticks, we're gettin a W" rather than thinking "gosh if I get intercepted here, imagine the article about me on nfl.com, lets just settle for the close L".  The guy chances his arm, and I respect that.

You can talk down the 11-0 superbowl run performance as much as you want, and we all love Torrey, Q, Pitta and Jacoby, but come on they were hardly the best receiving corp in the league. Frankly Joe's never had that, maybe this year if everyone stays healthy and Perriman performs to his billing.

The thing that sticks most in my recent memory is the divisional playoff game against the patriots last year, we lost that one, but I think you could safely say Joe was about the only guy who planted a flag on Revis Island that season.  We call him January Joe for a reason, because he doesn't get carried to the Lombardy like several other QB's I could mention (cough that 70's guy in black and gold and every Broncos SB cough)

A guy at work once said to me "you'd trade him for Brady wouldncha" ... and gave me that look when I just looked him in the eye and said "nup"

 

 

[trevorsteadman]

1 hour ago, RavenzOz said:

You're right, Flacco isn't the best there is, and I am sure there are some who over-rate him.  But I think most of us don't, we have a pretty realistic view of him as we watch him every week.  We know he has poor pocket awareness sometimes, takes forever on his reads sometimes, makes some bad decisions sometimes, and gets rattled after five or six sacks (just like that number 12 and every other QB haha).

Yeah he has those odd weeks where he'll throw 3 or 4 interceptions, but when you go and look at them, usually a couple of them will be the receiver's fault, not Joe's.  When he throws an interception at crucial times, it's because Flacco's one of those guys whose thinking "if this one sticks, we're gettin a W" rather than thinking "gosh if I get intercepted here, imagine the article about me on nfl.com, lets just settle for the close L".  The guy chances his arm, and I respect that.

You can talk down the 11-0 superbowl run performance as much as you want, and we all love Torrey, Q, Pitta and Jacoby, but come on they were hardly the best receiving corp in the league. Frankly Joe's never had that, maybe this year if everyone stays healthy and Perriman performs to his billing.

The thing that sticks most in my recent memory is the divisional playoff game against the patriots last year, we lost that one, but I think you could safely say Joe was about the only guy who planted a flag on Revis Island that season.  We call him January Joe for a reason, because he doesn't get carried to the Lombardy like several other QB's I could mention (cough that 70's guy in black and gold and every Broncos SB cough)

A guy at work once said to me "you'd trade him for Brady wouldncha" ... and gave me that look when I just looked him in the eye and said "nup"

 

 

I agree Flacco makes mistakes like a lot of quarterbacks but in a quarterback driven league you need a franchise guy and we do. He is a durable and reliable guy in the games we need him to be. Sure once a year he has that game that he throws 3 or 4 interceptions and we scratch our heads but for the most part probably about half of his interceptions are the receiver's miscues and not him. Take for example the 2014 playoff game against the Patriots where instead of going up for the game winning touchdown or at least batting the ball away, Torrey Smith just pushes the New England DB (can't remember who) and he gets the interception.

He is not an Aaron Rodgers or Drew Brees that will put up the numbers. But that is because he isn't asked to. I would put him in that second tier with players like Rivers, Roethlisberger, Palmer, etc. and probably at the top of the list when it comes to how he plays in the playoffs. And after all the whole game of football is driven around super bowls. 31 teams are losers every single year but Flacco has proven he plays well when needed. 

[olescule24]

I think ]Joe will be fine, considering when he got rolled up on and that pain was acute, he still went out and played one or two more downs.

If he is confident in the procedure he had to repair the injury, all he has to do is think back when he got back under center despite the two 

ligament injuries.  Joe cool is also Joe tough.

[RRRRRavens]

The QB position is the last one I am worrying about this year. Joe will probably heal up fine. And if he takes longer than expected to rejoin the team on the field then Mallett's performance last season is reassuring.

[RavensBaltimore]

Another excuse to crawl behind once the season starts and Flacco performs below par yet again? Don't get me wrong I like Joe, more and more with every year. But shortsighted fans need to face reality - Flacco is highly overrated.

Don't get me started about the 11-0 SB run, the team around Flacco at that point in time would have probably made Tebow or Sanchez look good. The fact is as much as Flacco has delivered some amazing stats and game winning drives, he has bounced right back from those highs with 5 INT games where he looks like a high school QB. 

By this point in his career he should have developed a lot more consistency. Now with second consecutive year with the same OC the excuses for his roller-coaster of a play quality are starting to dry up. What a convenience that another season of inconsistent playing can be covered up by the mental block arising from the rehabbed knee. In the meanwhile, QBs who have matured into consistently effective passers return from all kinds of injuries often times without missing a beat. 

So I'm sorry, but I will not swallow up this shallow excuse. With rejuvenated team around him, it's now truly up to Flacco to show if he is the consistent superstar QB we all wish him to be or if he's just an average game manager who can succeed with enough good quality supporting cast but can not be trusted to take the spotlight.  

How is Flacco overrated? He set all kinds of records for winning and put up historically great playoff stats, and people always make up excuses not to give him credit for it. That's UNDERRATED. There is an example of that in your post. His team would have made Tebow look good? He didn't even have a legit #1 receiver. Manning had two #1 receivers for most of his career, and Brady has never put up big numbers without the most dominant pass catcher in the AFC, but you're discrediting Flacco because he had Boldin, Torrey, Jacoby, and Pitta? How logical is that? If Manning never came close to 11-0 with Wayne, Harrison, and Clark, and Brady never came close with Moss/Welker, Gronk/Edelman, how can an "average game manager who can not be trusted to take the spotlight" do what Flacco has done with much less talent to work with? Besides 2012, Flacco has mostly had aging veterans, late picks, and practice squad castoffs to work with.

The way people talk about Flacco's "inconsistency", you'd think none of the other great qbs have bad games. ALL qbs have a terrible game once in a while. Aaron Rodgers had several of them last year, but no one calls him inconsistent.

[letitgosometimes]

Joe: no worries, play your game. Watch Brady's receivers they do three things perfectly: one juke, cut to the ball; or one-two jukes, turn to the ball; receiver runs optional pattern in or out depending on what DB gives him, but the decision is quick. In all circumstances, the receivers are showing their hands to Brady and are ready for the ball. Ravens receiver patterns are traditionally sluggish at best. It is time for quick releases, and then zip the ball deep. All receivers must be ready for the ball, not just the one or two hot receivers. Lastly, slide if you have to run. The Ravens get into the playoffs only if you are healthy. The first half of the season you should be honing your quick releases and reads, you will need this strategy the second half of the season against the best teams in league. Say to your receivers, "Show me your hands and I will show you the football!"