| Randolph Charlotin. 4th September, 2008 - 1:21 pm
 “This is what I wanted all along.”
--Baltimore Ravens' QB Joe Flacco on starting week one
It could also be the last words of a cliff diver just before his first ever jump.
Unfortunately, the Ravens have no other option right now. Kyle Boller has a sore shoulder, and Troy Smith is suffering from infected tonsils. Neither will be available for the season opener, most likely. Baltimore worked out a few free agent passers, but that would be for depth.
Baltimore wants Flacco to be their quarterback of the future. Except the Ravens feel they have no choice but to start him now because Boller and Smith are unavailable. Wrong! The Ravens have a choice. Sign a free agent and let him get pummeled for three hours while Flacco keeps a constant conversation with quarterbacks' Coach Hue Jackson. Boller can learn valuable lessons without taking a beating.
I could understand the decision if Flacco lit it up during the preseason, but he didn’t. The rookie out of Delaware completed 52 percent of his passes for 284 yards and one touchdown. If Flacco had such a hard time in the preseason, then he’s not ready for the regular season. Baltimore should stick with their original plan of developing him slowly because fast-tracking a franchise QB didn’t work the first time.
Flacco’s career is starting just like Boller’s. Baltimore traded up in the first round for both of them. Boller was the 19th pick overall in 2003; Flacco 18th overall this past April. And like Boller, Flacco is on pace to start the first game of the season.
After that, please Baltimore, change the direction of Flacco’s development. Don’t risk turning Flacco into a second Boller.
Boller was 5-4 as a starter in his rookie year, but the Ravens won in spite of Boller. He was in over his head from day one. The mistake was leaving Boller in the starting lineup even though he wasn’t improving:
Comp-att/pct/yds/TD-Int/Sack
22-43/51.2/152/1-1/2
7-17/41.2/78/0-1/3
12-21/57.1/98/1-1/1
15-26/57.7/140/0-3/3
9-18/50.0/75/0-0/1
15-27/55.6/302/2-1/3
15-27/55.6/137/1-0/2
10-23/43.5/156/1-1/0
10-21/ 47.6/112/1-1/2
By week eleven, Boller was out of the starting lineup, but the damage had been done. Boller is yet to show the promise he displayed as a California Golden Bear and is considered a bust.
Some quarterbacks are able to start from day one and flourish down the road. Troy Aikman, formerly of the Dallas Cowboys, and current Indianapolis Colt Peyton Manning took their lumps as rookies. Aikman turned out just fine, winning three Super Bowls while Manning is in the process of re-writing the NFL record books. Types like Aikman and Peyton are rare.
Otherwise, a slow approach for a rookie under center has produced solid results. Cincinnati’s Carson Palmer sat his rookie year and is now one of the best in the league. Steve McNair played sparingly for Houston in 1995, but became a league MVP eight years later for Tennessee. Hell, some of the best passers today (Dallas’ Tony Romo, New England’s Tom Brady, Kurt Warner during his St. Louis days, and Trent Green’s first stint as a Kansas City Chief) collected splinters on the bench for at least a year before injury opened the door or they climbed the depth chart.
For Flacco, patience should be exercised because he was drafted out of a non-D1 program. The level of competition difference from college to the pros is even more dramatic for him.
The good news for Flacco is his first opponent is Cincinnati, a porous defensive team that is going through a system change. The Ravens have a chance if winning doesn’t fall on Flacco’s shoulders. Good defense, a productive running game, and time in the pocket would allow Flacco to just manage the game. It’s a formula that helped make Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger into the player he is today.
If Flacco holds his own, it’s safe to leave him in as long as the team continues to support the former Blue Hen. But if he struggles, let Joe sit behind the first healthy veteran ready to play. Flacco doesn’t have to look far to see an example of being pushed too quickly.
To read more by Randolph Charlotin, visit his Patriots blog at http://www.newenglandpatriotsnews.com/randolphc/weblog/ |
