Mike Preston grades the Ravens' 25-15 win over the Cleveland Browns
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Quarterback: C
Joe Flacco started out strong, but went cold in the second half along with the rest of the offense. Flacco threw well when he had the time, but struggled to connect with Torrey Smith on deep passes.
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Comments (31)
Add / View comments | Discussion FAQWhat scares me is that Flacco seems to be going backwards instead of forward. His rookie year, he was rated 22nd in the league. Then he moved up to 13th the following year and even up to seventh after that. But last year he was the 18th rated QB and this year, he stands at 19th in the league. Not the mark of a good, consistent QB. Even if you average all of that out, it comes to about 16th. Now that is just plain average. How can any of you argue that? All of Flacco's stats point to an average, inconsistent QB with above average raw talent who shows signs of breaking out every now and then but just doesn't seem to have the "stuff" to pull it all together.
The question should be "is Flacco an Eli Manning or a Tony Romo?" One just needed time to develop; the other was a flop after high expectations and flashes of talent (though team ownership refused to see their error).
If Joe wants to be among the elite QB's he has to use two BASIC techniques- the pump fake and occasionally roll out or scramble. The pump fake throws off defenders while the roll out extends the play. When used effectively they should result in more completions and thwarts the pass rush. Joe is too mechanical, holds the ball too long in the pocket and often misses open receivers. Big Ben uses the pump fake well and scrambles effectively. Take a lesson Joe- these QB techniques are obviously missing from your arsenal.
