oochymp 2,393 Posted January 17, 2013 The problem is Flacco wants to be paid like Tom Brady or Drew Brees. The Ravens need to make a decision. Is it worth it to overpay for a sub-elite quarterback? Or should they save their money and look elsewhere? the problem is who do you plug in immediately? there are no QBs that are gonna be free agents that I'd consider an improvement (here's a full list if you want to check: FA QBs the only guy I would even consider giving a shot to start is Jason Campbell, and I'd have to be pretty hard pressed for a QB to consider that) Alex Smith is still under contract with SF for two more years, you might be able to trade for him (perhaps at a Harbaugh discount?) but that adds other costs and is really just a lateral move at best in terms of QB play IMO, though it would leave Baltimore with more cap room since Smith is due $7.5M next year under his current deal, but it's largely dependent on how much you have to give SF for him, and it's pretty well accepted that the draft class is ridiculously weak, so I don't know that Baltimore really has much of an option Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
seanbrock 1,684 Posted January 17, 2013 613 yards, 5 TD's, and O interceptions later...... The 0 INT's is a bit misleading to me. I've said it before, Flacco has made some big time clutch throws but he's also been erratic and made some flat out awful throws. I don't think even you can deny this. To me it's only a matter of time before it costs him and we see him throw 2 or 3 picks in a game. God willing it doesn't happen this week. The Ravens are in a tough spot here though. Flacco clearly isn't on the level of the elite QB's and I'm not talking top ten,top ten isn't elite imo. Top 4 or 5 yes but top 10, no. Anyway, Flacco seems to think he IS on that level and if the Ravens don't pay him what he wants there's a pretty good chance that somebody will. I mean, look at what Kolb got. Problem is QB's are hard to replace and the the guys the Ravens had before Flacco all sucked. Ultimately the Ravens are going to have to pay him what he wants. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Omerta+ 1,206 Posted January 17, 2013 The 0 INT's is a bit misleading to me. I've said it before, Flacco has made some big time clutch throws but he's also been erratic and made some flat out awful throws. I don't think even you can deny this. To me it's only a matter of time before it costs him and we see him throw 2 or 3 picks in a game. God willing it doesn't happen this week. The Ravens are in a tough spot here though. Flacco clearly isn't on the level of the elite QB's and I'm not talking top ten,top ten isn't elite imo. Top 4 or 5 yes but top 10, no. Anyway, Flacco seems to think he IS on that level and if the Ravens don't pay him what he wants there's a pretty good chance that somebody will. I mean, look at what Kolb got. Problem is QB's are hard to replace and the the guys the Ravens had before Flacco all sucked. Ultimately the Ravens are going to have to pay him what he wants. I don't think the 0 ints are misleading for the playoffs, the dude has just balled out in the playoffs. no if ands or buts about it imo. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SteVo+ 3,702 Posted January 17, 2013 This is a topic I find somewhat fascinating so I apologize for the rambling thoughts here... I think the Ravens have to stick it out with Flacco and pay him whatever he wants. Yes, they need to use all the leverage they have so they're not paying him Drew Brees money, but you also don't want to play hardball and develop some animosity between your quarterback and your front office a la Alex Smith--and Baltimore doesn't have anybody like Colin Kaepernick on their roster. The heart of this whole thing is finding the quarterback and the head coach to win a Super Bowl. I think the Ravens certainly have the head coach, so the question becomes: can they win a Super Bowl with Joe Flacco? Well, they've been to 3 AFC Championship Games in the last 5 seasons, and Lee Evans dropped their Super Bowl ticket last year. But who knows? Maybe Harbaugh/Flacco becomes the Reid/McNabb of the AFC for the next 5 years. The heart of this debate is with Flacco. Sean's analysis was spot on when he mentioned the difference between a top 5 and a top 10 quarterback. You look at the last 10-ish Super Bowl winning quarterbacks and you see top 5 names, with the exception of guys who won with defenses back in an era where you could win Super Bowls with defense. Such days no longer exist. In fact, the only person in this category not in the uppermost "elite" tier of quarterbacks is Eli Manning, though he certainly was elite the years the Giants won it all. So let's look at the quarterbacks in the NFL. You've got your elite tier of Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. You can throw Drew Brees and Peyton Manning in there if you like, or put them in the next tier down along with Matt Ryan, Eli Manning, and Ben Roethlisberger. These are the guys you can win Super Bowls with. So then the attention turns to that next level down: guys like Flacco, Matt Schaub, Tony Romo. Can you win Super Bowls with these guys? I think the Ravens can point to somebody like Eli Manning and say yes. Manning was known as inconsistent and perhaps even mediocre before the Giants caught fire and won the Super Bowl. He had a lot of help around him, but so does Flacco. For now, anyway. It's up to Baltimore to keep the talent around him, because I think only Ravens homers would think Flacco could win it all by himself. And as oochymp touched on, what's the alternative? Historically speaking, finding a Super Bowl caliber quarterback is incredibly difficult. Hell, finding a starting quarterback is tough business. The Ravens almost have to re-sign Flacco, if for nothing else but continuity. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oochymp 2,393 Posted January 18, 2013 Sean's analysis was spot on when he mentioned the difference between a top 5 and a top 10 quarterback. You look at the last 10-ish Super Bowl winning quarterbacks and you see top 5 names, with the exception of guys who won with defenses back in an era where you could win Super Bowls with defense. Such days no longer exist. In fact, the only person in this category not in the uppermost "elite" tier of quarterbacks is Eli Manning, though he certainly was elite the years the Giants won it all. circular arguments FTW, until we stop calling a QB elite as soon as he wins a Super Bowl (or say he was elite that year, whatever the fuck that means) I will refuse to listen to the argument that you have to have an elite QB to win a Super Bowl Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Favre4Ever+ 4,476 Posted January 18, 2013 He doesn't deserve the money he wants no matter what ends up happening... Fortunately for him, I think he is going to get what he wants, or close to it. The Ravens are going to be in the Super Bowl, and that alone may give him enough leverage. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Omerta+ 1,206 Posted January 18, 2013 If Eli Manning is elite....you could make an argument for Flacco. So I guess SB titles sway you to elite and you don't have to play like it. Eli is so overrated it is embarrassing. I will not call Flacco elite if he wins the SB like so many pundits will (some already are). If he wins If he wins the SB then he will be what he has been for some time an average QB in the regular season and then a hero in the playoffs. It is so skewed it is not funny. I would not dare pay him elite money but have a sneaky suspicion we get shafted into doing it...which is bullshit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
