Flacco believes he's overlooked in Ravens' success

[BLUE 1,026]

By Dan Hanzus | NFL.com

 

We all have our insecurities, and for Joe Flacco, it's apparently not being seen as the modern-day answer to Trent Dilfer.

 

Flacco understands why the Ravens' defense receives the lion's share of credit when the team wins, but the fourth-year quarterback doesn't believe he deserves to be an afterthought, either.

 

"I'm sure if we win, I'll have nothing to do with why we won, according to you guys," a smirking Flacco said Wednesday, according to The Baltimore Sun. "It is what it is. We're going to do our best to try to win it, and it doesn't really matter what the reason is."

 

This isn't the first time Flacco has been outspoken this season about perceived disrespect. Back in November, he said he was "baffled" by the media fawning over Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, citing the relatively muted coverage -- in Flacco's opinion -- that accompanied the Ravens' huge AFC North win over the Steelers in Week 9.

 

Flacco led the Ravens on a 92-yard touchdown drive to steal that Nov. 6 game from their division rivals, the type of clutch performance that turns doubters into believers. But some still perceive the QB as a supporting character a notch or two below the elite at his position.

 

Flacco said the makeup of his team -- namely the presence of All-Pro running back Ray Rice -- dictates he could never be in the same discussion as the NFL's top passers.

 

"You guys want everybody to be Aaron Rodgers and be Tom Brady, but you guys do realize, those guys' (teams) don't run the ball?" Flacco asked rhetorically. "If we try to do that, the criticism that we'd take around here would be ridiculous. ... You guys want an elite quarterback. You have to stop complaining when we go out there and throw the ball 60 times a game."

 

The Sun reported that Flacco was good-natured throughout his candid conversation with the media, but it's clear he'll have something to prove when the Ravens host the Texans in Sunday's divisional playoffs.

 

Flacco is the only quarterback in NFL history to qualify for the postseason in each of his first four seasons in the league. He can dip into valleys that match his peaks, but veteran linebacker Ray Lewis believes Flacco absolutely is capable of leading Baltimore to its first Super Bowl since the 2000 season.

 

"There's something about Joe I've liked from Day 1," Lewis said Wednesday, according to The Associated Press. "You have to appreciate a young kid who comes out with that much talent, and now you see where his talent is going. Now he's more of a mentor, getting the offense to understand him. You see his composure and how he's settling in to really control this offense. Now where we are, why wouldn't it be Joe to lead us to a Super Bowl?"

 

Flacco has more doubters than perhaps Lewis realizes. Luckily for the QB, he can use the next month to alter his reputation for good.

 

Source: NFL.com

[Shotgun 442]

Flacco said the makeup of his team -- namely the presence of All-Pro running back Ray Rice -- dictates he could never be in the same discussion as the NFL's top passers.

 

"You guys want everybody to be Aaron Rodgers and be Tom Brady, but you guys do realize, those guys' (teams) don't run the ball?" Flacco asked rhetorically. "If we try to do that, the criticism that we'd take around here would be ridiculous. ... You guys want an elite quarterback. You have to stop complaining when we go out there and throw the ball 60 times a game."

 

lolwut.

[KiLaSix9+ 398]

Flacco, stfu.

 

The Ravens success will come from pounding it with Ray Rice and stout defense. You just manage the game and dont turn the ball over. Maybe you could win a SB ring.

[RazorStar 4,025]

"You guys want everybody to be Aaron Rodgers and be Tom Brady, but you guys do realize, those guys' (teams) don't run the ball?" Flacco asked rhetorically. "If we try to do that, the criticism that we'd take around here would be ridiculous. ... You guys want an elite quarterback. You have to stop complaining when we go out there and throw the ball 60 times a game."

 

People complain when you thrown the ball more than 60 (Really 40) times a game because you lose when it happens, you suck at putting the team on your back, and you scarcely pull off the victory when that happens. The exceptions were St. Louis (With all those DB injuries, it's justified to pick on that D with the pass) and Pittsburgh 2 (Good show, that.) The Rest of the heavy passing games were real struggles. Arizona (comeback win), Seattle (loss) and Jacksonville (38 throws, still lost). Baltimore wins giving Ray Rice the ball.

[ATL_Predator+ 1,196]

He's overlooked because when your TD/INT ratio is 20/12, It tells me you beat the bad teams, and fail against the good teams. I know nobody said he's elite by a stretch here...but I'm just saying elite QB's do not turn the ball over like he does...even most average QB's don't either.

[baltimoreravens 19]

He's overlooked because when your TD/INT ratio is 20/12, It tells me you beat the bad teams, and fail against the good teams. I know nobody said he's elite by a stretch here...but I'm just saying elite QB's do not turn the ball over like he does...even most average QB's don't either.

 

But this year it's been just the opposite. We've beaten the good teams, and our only loses were to Jacksonville, Seattle, Tenneessee, and San Diego. Although Jacksonville is the only truly awful team on that list, it seems odd that we lost to those teams. And I don't think he turns the ball over that often, he just needs all the help he can get in terms of offensive weapons.

[baltimoreravens 19]

People complain when you thrown the ball more than 60 (Really 40) times a game because you lose when it happens, you suck at putting the team on your back, and you scarcely pull off the victory when that happens. The exceptions were St. Louis (With all those DB injuries, it's justified to pick on that D with the pass) and Pittsburgh 2 (Good show, that.) The Rest of the heavy passing games were real struggles. Arizona (comeback win), Seattle (loss) and Jacksonville (38 throws, still lost). Baltimore wins giving Ray Rice the ball.

 

This is the truth right here. Flacco wants more respect and whatnot, and he does deserve some, however, it's clear that when Cam Cameron's game plan was to let Joe throw it, we haven't been successful. Most of these situations were on the road when we got behind early and Cam didn't bother having the running game even get off the ground.

 

Ray Rice is a beast and should be involved in every single game, regardless of whether or not we get behind early. That's just the team we are.

 

Joe is a middle of the road, but capable quarterback. I won't blame the lack of growth and production all on him. He has new weapons this year in Smith and Evans, and Pitta and Dickson didn't play much behind Heap last year. There have been a decent number of dropped passes recently and the receivers aren't getting the neccesary separation especially against a stout defense, and I think Joe's done a pretty good job trying to get the ball where it should be. It's easy to blame the QB because it's not easy to tell on television when a receiver runs the wrong route or isn't getting any separation from the corners.

 

I think Joe can bring Baltimore a superbowl, and he just needs to stop thinking about the media. (Though his remarks about Tebow are spot-on.) Just get on the field and show us that you deserve respect. It wouldn't hurt to audible at times either, though I know Cam doesn't really like that.

[housemd 338]

But this year it's been just the opposite. We've beaten the good teams, and our only loses were to Jacksonville, Seattle, Tenneessee, and San Diego. Although Jacksonville is the only truly awful team on that list, it seems odd that we lost to those teams.

It's not odd that you lost to those teams...Rice had 13 carries against Titans,8 against Jags,5 against Seahawks and 10 against Chargers..I mean,giving only 5 touches to a RB of that caliber is a big mistake by your O coordinator...

[Bay 2,003]

Oh the poor baby doesn't like being called a game manager. Boo fucking hoo. I used to like Flacco but I'm starting to get tired of his bitching. I like the Ravens btw lol

[Zack_of_Steel+ 3,014]

Flacco is a fucking goober. His voice just screams "I would love nothing more than to eat jam out of a man's ass and then go play Dungeons and Dragons." You're a shit QB. Stop crying and put up elite numbers if you want people to stop criticizing you.

[baltimoreravens 19]

Flacco is a fucking goober. His voice just screams "I would love nothing more than to eat jam out of a man's ass and then go play Dungeons and Dragons." You're a shit QB. Stop crying and put up elite numbers if you want people to stop criticizing you.

 

But Ray Rice is the basis of our offense. All the Ravens want him to do is be a game manager, essentially. He thinks he can be better, but he takes orders from Cam Cameron, who clearly doesn't get along with him.

[FIDDYDEUCE 81]

Diclaimer: This was written with 2 hours of sleep. Excuse the rambling lol

 

Flacco is a fucking goober. His voice just screams "I would love nothing more than to eat jam out of a man's ass and then go play Dungeons and Dragons.

 

Have you ever heard Cam Cameron talk... :ghey:

 

You're a shit QB. Stop crying and put up elite numbers if you want people to stop criticizing you.

 

I'm not totally disagreeing with you on this on Zack. As a Ravens fan I would want nothing more than for him to put up consistent numbers because he is very capable of throwing for 300+ w/ no INTs, he just isn't consistent in the offense to do it game in and game out. But here's the issue I have with your statement, Joe isn't so much complaining about the criticism as a whole, rather it's the idea that he's expected to be Brady-esque when he is not it's terrible but when he is ... he's still terrible, and to me at least that is a fair complaint. The media is quick to pile on QBs for not being elite; if you're not throwing for 400+ on any given Sunday then you're just not that good. (Big Ben gets the nod on this because, well, he's Big Ben.) It's actually quite strange and I've mentioned it on this site many times, when Flacco does his usual everyone points the finger at him and say things along the line of: "Flacco sucks" or "The defense won the game!!!!1". I'm not challenging those statements but when Flacco actually does very well, even surpassing expectations not a soul gives him credit.

 

"I'm sure if we win, I'll have nothing to do with why we won, according to you guys,"

 

The media expects the guy to be elite but when Cam Cameron calls for a pass happy game everyone (including myself) goes berserk because it's just not working most of the time, but when it's working I'm the only one cheering while I'll the critics are finding something to pick at. Look at the last Steelers game and the comeback drive, that was ALL Flacco yet no one really gave a shit it was him. The media found it a much better idea to talk about how the Steelers defense wasn't great and how Tim Tebow has an underwear deal... dude, if the was Brady, Rodgers or Ben against the Ravens it would have been tremendous.

 

"You guys want everybody to be Aaron Rodgers and be Tom Brady, but you guys do realize, those guys' (teams) don't run the ball?" Flacco asked rhetorically. "If we try to do that, the criticism that we'd take around here would be ridiculous. ... You guys want an elite quarterback. You have to stop complaining when we go out there and throw the ball 60 times a game."

 

Same thing here. Although I will say Flacco will have to realize throwing that much isn't his forte.

 

 

Is Flacco bitching, yes. Does he have some points, yes. Should he and the Ravens just shut the fuck up and feed Ray Rice the ball, yes. Done.

[SteVo+ 3,702]

Flacco is a fucking goober. His voice just screams "I would love nothing more than to eat jam out of a man's ass and then go play Dungeons and Dragons."

 

:rofl:

[baltimoreravens 19]

Diclaimer: This was written with 2 hours of sleep. Excuse the rambling lol

 

 

 

Have you ever heard Cam Cameron talk... :ghey:

 

 

 

I'm not totally disagreeing with you on this on Zack. As a Ravens fan I would want nothing more than for him to put up consistent numbers because he is very capable of throwing for 300+ w/ no INTs, he just isn't consistent in the offense to do it game in and game out. But here's the issue I have with your statement, Joe isn't so much complaining about the criticism as a whole, rather it's the idea that he's expected to be Brady-esque when he is not it's terrible but when he is ... he's still terrible, and to me at least that is a fair complaint. The media is quick to pile on QBs for not being elite; if you're not throwing for 400+ on any given Sunday then you're just not that good. (Big Ben gets the nod on this because, well, he's Big Ben.) It's actually quite strange and I've mentioned it on this site many times, when Flacco does his usual everyone points the finger at him and say things along the line of: "Flacco sucks" or "The defense won the game!!!!1". I'm not challenging those statements but when Flacco actually does very well, even surpassing expectations not a soul gives him credit.

 

"I'm sure if we win, I'll have nothing to do with why we won, according to you guys,"

 

The media expects the guy to be elite but when Cam Cameron calls for a pass happy game everyone (including myself) goes berserk because it's just not working most of the time, but when it's working I'm the only one cheering while I'll the critics are finding something to pick at. Look at the last Steelers game and the comeback drive, that was ALL Flacco yet no one really gave a shit it was him. The media found it a much better idea to talk about how the Steelers defense wasn't great and how Tim Tebow has an underwear deal... dude, if the was Brady, Rodgers or Ben against the Ravens it would have been tremendous.

 

"You guys want everybody to be Aaron Rodgers and be Tom Brady, but you guys do realize, those guys' (teams) don't run the ball?" Flacco asked rhetorically. "If we try to do that, the criticism that we'd take around here would be ridiculous. ... You guys want an elite quarterback. You have to stop complaining when we go out there and throw the ball 60 times a game."

 

Same thing here. Although I will say Flacco will have to realize throwing that much isn't his forte.

 

 

Is Flacco bitching, yes. Does he have some points, yes. Should he and the Ravens just shut the fuck up and feed Ray Rice the ball, yes. Done.

 

I agree with all of this. Let's just state a fact right now: Flacco will never be Brady, Brees, Rogers or Peyton Manning. Never. Does that means he sucks? No. There are plenty of middle-of-the-pack Super Bowl winning QBs. If Flacco wants more respect, winning a Super Bowl is a huge step there. Most of his detractors say we'll never win a Super Bowl with his as QB. He can at least shut them up.

 

Also to anyone who says we should get rid of Flacco or give Tyrod Taylor a chance: it's not happening. This organization 100% believes in Flacco and will continue to even if he crashes and burns in the playoffs a few more years. Everyone says we need to get over that hump of dissolving in the playoffs, and I agree, but even if Flacco is completely at fault for a playoff loss for us, he won't be going anywhere.

[KiLaSix9+ 398]

Diclaimer: This was written with 2 hours of sleep. Excuse the rambling lol

 

 

 

Have you ever heard Cam Cameron talk... :ghey:

Thanatos, you been tried son!

[badgers 380]

Flacco is a fucking goober. His voice just screams "I would love nothing more than to eat jam out of a man's ass and then go play Dungeons and Dragons." You're a shit QB. Stop crying and put up elite numbers if you want people to stop criticizing you.

 

I'm a goofy goober...yeah. lol

[baltimoreravens 19]

Well today he earned absolutely no respect. He looked like shit, and there's really no way around it. I have my doubts, but I think he'll look a lot better against a weaker defense next week.

[BwareDWare94 723]

Can we just call Flacco a good quarterback and that's that? I mean, let's get real for a second. He's not great, but he doesn't suck. He's more than competent, but not quite spectacular. He's in the above average to good spectrum of QB quality.

[Turry 755]

he is a game manager.

[Milla4Prez63 678]

Can we just call Flacco a good quarterback and that's that? I mean, let's get real for a second. He's not great, but he doesn't suck. He's more than competent, but not quite spectacular. He's in the above average to good spectrum of QB quality.

 

Agreed. Flacco is a quality starting QB, he isn't the kind to put the team on his back, but he'll have a long career in the NFL. He's just solid.

[SteVo+ 3,702]

Can we just call Flacco a good quarterback and that's that? I mean, let's get real for a second. He's not great, but he doesn't suck. He's more than competent, but not quite spectacular. He's in the above average to good spectrum of QB quality.

 

At this point I'd be willing to say he is a slightly above average quarterback, because he can make some very nice throws on occasion. Obviously I'm interested to see what he does against New England.

[Zack_of_Steel+ 3,014]

Can we just call Flacco a good quarterback and that's that? I mean, let's get real for a second. He's not great, but he doesn't suck. He's more than competent, but not quite spectacular. He's in the above average to good spectrum of QB quality.

 

No. If there are 15-18 QBs I/others would take over a QB, they pretty much suck.

[BwareDWare94 723]

No. If there are 15-18 QBs I/others would take over a QB, they pretty much suck.

 

Well see, the problem is is that he doesn't suck. He had more TDs than your QB this year, for one thing and he's never had a terrible TD-INT ratio, except for a 14:12 in his rookie year. Since then, he's had at least 20 TDs and at most 12 INTs. Come up with 15-18 QBs you want ahead of him, and I about guarantee I'll call bullshit on at least two or three of them.

[SteelersNation36 128]

Well see, the problem is is that he doesn't suck. He had more TDs than your QB this year, for one thing and he's never had a terrible TD-INT ratio, except for a 14:12 in his rookie year. Since then, he's had at least 20 TDs and at most 12 INTs. Come up with 15-18 QBs you want ahead of him, and I about guarantee I'll call bullshit on at least two or three of them.

 

No he didnt, Ben had 21 and he also missed a game this year. So since we want to play the stats game Ben had 1 more TD 567 more Yards 63% completion percentage compared to Flacco's 57% in one less game played.

[ATL_Predator+ 1,196]

Flacco has a chance to prove his worth this week...Flacco can manage the game as well as he wants, but until I see him throwing the ball to his receivers with accuracy and confidence in big games, he will not be an elite QB...he has a chance to prove alot of people wrong this week against the Pats.