Posts tagged JoeFlacco at FanHouse

Flacco Named Starter For Rest of Season

Nobody really knew what to expect from the rookie quarterback coming into the 2008 season but I'm pretty sure this wasn't really the highest vote-getter of possibilities.

Joe Flacco, leading the Ravens to a respectable record of 2-2, was named the starter for the rest season by head coach John Harbaugh yesterday. Flacco has done exactly what the Ravens have needed from a quarterback the last few years, being consistent, not trying to play out of his ability and avoiding the big mistakes.

Obviously this news isn't the best for second year quarterback Troy Smith who was next in line to take the starting position for the Ravens before all hell broke loose with his immune system. Smith suffered a severe case of tonsillitis and had a blood clot in his neck that caused him to lose 20 pounds before the season started and stick the former Heisman Trophy winner on the bench. Now, with Flacco being the man, Smith will have to accept the role as backup quarterback for another season.
"That'll be [Smith's] role this year - possibly into a role where he can contribute playing quarterback for us down the road," Harbaugh said.

Titans Defense Beat the Ravens Defense, Improve to League Best 5-0


Two things were proven in yesterday's clash of defense-first football teams. The Titans might be better than we first thought and the Ravens might be a little more scrappy than initially projected.

Tennessee outlasted Baltimore yesterday 13-10 in a game that saw four interceptions, two quarterback ratings in the low 50s and no running back or receiver eclipsing the 100-yard mark. The Ravens did what they have been doing for years while the Titans are getting used to this "simplify the offense, let the defense strut their stuff" mentality that appears to be working to perfection.

Titans center Kevin Mawae, who said he is getting really sick of all the paparazzi outside his house on a daily basis, said after the game that it was all they really needed to continue their unbeaten streak.
"I think it shows the character of this team, from the young guys to the most veteran guys," Mawae said. "It wasn't pretty, but we made the plays when we needed to and we won the game."

John Harbaugh Learns About Coaching in the NFL: You Lose, You're Wrong. Always.

Somewhere last night, Marty Mornhinweg might have been watching Monday Night Football. And might have had a 'Nam-esque flashback.

Faced with the same decision coaches have been faced with thousands of times throughout NFL history, Mornhinwheg infamously opted to kick after winning a coin toss to start overtime as coach of the Lions, the disastrous cherry on top of an otherwise maligned tenure, and one that probably directly led to his dismissal. Oh, the Lions eventually lost that game in overtime, by the way. Yet there was Ron Jaworski during last night's game between the Steelers and Ravens, advocating Ravens coach John Harbaugh doing the same. He didn't. Oh, the Ravens lost the game in overtime as well, by the way.

Criticism for Mornhinwheg's decision was warranted; it was nearly unprecedented and wholly ridiculous. But those blaming Harbaugh's "conservative" choice to receive instead of kicking and playing the field position game for the Ravens loss (and there are more than a few out there) are further proof that people absolutely love to complain. I don't care that the Ravens' offense is lacking and the game was high on defense. If you can't trust your offense to get into field goal range to win the game (regardless of whether the cynicism is founded), something is clearly wrong.

Harbaugh didn't lose last night's game, he made an automatic choice. Those looking to blame have many more legitimate targets. Try Joe Flacco and his poor ball control, or the Republicans in Washington (that always seems to work).

Bottom Line, You Can't Sit on the Ball


The Ravens have obviously played over their heads this season. A 2-0 start with a hurricane bye week to boot has this Baltimore team we all thought would finish last in the AFC North on the top of their division, an awkward position considering the circumstances.

They were playing without their top two quarterbacks, the star running back was struggling with estranged injuries and the defense was aging faster than Blink-182. That is why, when facing what appears to be the cream of the crop in the AFC, no matter their injury struggles, you don't sit on the ball with 1:30 left in the 4th quarter with a chance to beat the defending division champions. You don't. You just don't.

What you need to do is give Joe Flacco a chance. The guy looks as awkward as a virgin in a strip club behind center, dumping off five yard check downs all night long against a Steelers defense with nothing but intensity and a little nastiness. The rookie quarterback from Delaware with nothing to hang his hat on needed a rack and this was the chance to give it to him. Win or lose, you're telling Flacco he is the quarterback you're putting your trust in and no matter if Troy Smith comes back in a week or two, this is your man right now. Running the ball in hopes of something positive happening in overtime isn't professional football and it definitely isn't taking advantage of what food is being served in front of you.

Looking at the NFL's Undefeated Teams

There are six NFL teams that have yet to lose a game this season. All are sitting at 3-0 (except the 2-0 Baltimore Ravens). Some of these teams entered the season with high expectations; Some are kind of surprising.

Here is a quick look at the undefeated teams and if they can keep it up.

Dallas Cowboys

Why they are here: They trot out the NFL's top offense. Tony Romo, Terrell Owens and Marion Barber have all been their usual dominant selves. Now they are getting production from guys like Felix Jones and Miles Austin. On the defensive side of things, they are quite stout but still aren't elite.

Why it could all go away: As scared people are that Sarah Palin would be a heartbeat away from the Presidency, Cowboys fans are scared that they are a Romo injury away from being the Houston Texans. Dallas' eggs are all in Romo's basket and they are trusting that massive offensive line can fully protect him. Also, Dallas plays in the brutal NFC East where anything can happen.

Outlook: Dallas will be in the playoffs and should be the odds-on favorite to get to the Super Bowl. The issue is the postseason, where history hasn't been on their side. Romo has yet to win a playoff game, Owens' teams haven't performed well in the postseason and the organization hasn't won in a decade. Despite how great Dallas could be during the season, people will stay skeptical when January rolls around.

The Once-Over: Week Four

With attention spans dwindling, we forego full game-by-game previews to give you the essentials you need to know about every contest this glorious NFL weekend. Click here to go back in time.

The 1s

Cleveland at Cincinnati: So here are a few fun facts heading into the showdown of Team Zeros. Carson Palmer has more fumbles in three games (2) than touchdown passes (1). If you added up both Derek Anderson and Palmer's quarterback ratings, the number would still fall behind Philip Rivers, Kurt Warner and Jay Cutler, and would be just three points ahead of J.T. O'Sullivan and Tony Romo. Anderson's five interceptions are tied for the most in the league. Needless to say, this might not be the game you DVR in hopes of showing your son the proper way to play quarterback.

Pick: Cincinnati

Houston at Jacksonville:
Is it fair to say that Houston is slowly taking the place of Arizona as "the team everyone picks as their preseason sleeper to the point that they're over-hyped and fall flat on their face?" The Texans limp in with the third worst quarterback in the league statistically and the third worst defense, going up against a Jacksonville team that just claimed their first victory in one of those "win or send all the ticket holders a free iPhone" games against the Colts. If there was ever a time for Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Jones to make some magic happen, it is at home against Houston who is giving up 170.5 yards a game on the ground. You know what they call what I just did? Blogger research. It's tough to come by so enjoy the smell.

Pick: Jacksonville


No Fine For Browns Eye Gouging of McGahee

Running back Willis McGahee and company might have thought the eye laceration during the win over the Browns was intentional, but the NFL thought otherwise.

Head coach John Harbaugh said that they thought the hit was intentional and were sending the video to the league for review after McGahee left the game with a badly cut eyelid. Harbaugh said he didn't feel like mentioning the player in question, but did give us the option of seeing ourselves.
"I don't think we should say," he said. "I wouldn't want to comment on it, but you can see it on the tape."

On a 7-yard carry to Cleveland's 1-yard line in the third quarter, McGahee came up bleeding after a tackle by Browns linebacker Andra Davis, who appeared to get his hand caught inside McGahee's visored helmet while being blocked to the ground by Ravens tackle Jared Gaither.

McGahee got up and immediately headed to the sideline with blood dripping down his face. His right eye is still swollen and he has been limited in practice this week as the Ravens prepare for a Monday night game against Pittsburgh.

McGahee's Eye Injury Questioned By Ravens

As Tom Brady will be happy to explain, 2008 might not be some people's year.

Willis McGahee can second that, as the eye injury he suffered in the Sunday win against the Cleveland Browns could keep him out of the Monday night game against the Steelers, his second major injury of the early '08 season.
"It still looks pretty bad to me," coach John Harbaugh said. "As long as he can see, he'll play. But if he can't, he's not going to be able to play. So, we'll have to try to get that swelling down."
We actually have a rule in our yearly family football game that no player is allowed to participate if they can't see. We Bacons have always felt that to be fair.

The crazy thing about the laceration to McGahee's right eyelid is that Harbaugh and company think the injury might have been intentional, which would be the first successful thing the Browns have done this season. The Ravens have submitted the tape of the injury to the NFL for review.
"We asked them for their opinion on what happened," Harbaugh said. "We're waiting to hear back on it."

Troy Smith Back At Practice After Dropping 20 Pounds From Tonsillitis, Blood Clot

You can go ahead and check 2008 as a year Troy Smith will be happy to forget.

The former Heisman Trophy winner from Ohio State was in line to be the next starting quarterback for the Ravens, taking over a position that Kyle Boller had struggled with and hopefully improve the team's weakest link. That plan hid the skids when Smith was diagnosed with a severe case of tonsillitis and had a blood clot in his neck to boot.
"This is extraordinarily unlucky," said Dr. Andrew Tucker, the Ravens' head physician. "It a rare complication of a very severe tonsil infection."
Now 20 pounds lighter, Smith has been cleared to practice with the team for the first time since August 22. The good news is it doesn't appear he will miss the entire season, which would make him the second quarterback to be placed in injured reserve for the Ravens after Boller.
Coach John Harbaugh indicated the Ravens don't plan to place Smith on injured reserve, which would end his season.

"We're pretty certain that he's going to be back playing for the bulk of the season," Harbaugh said.
Rookie Joe Flacco, who impressed in his first NFL start against the Bengals, will again be the main man against the Browns on Sunday. Todd Bouman and Casey Bramlet are both behind Flacco on the depth chart as of now for the Ravens.

The Once-Over: Week Two

With attention spans dwindling, we forego full game-by-game previews to give you the essentials you need to know about every contest this glorious NFL weekend. Click here to go back in time.

The 1s

Tennessee at Cincinnati: Well if this isn't the best matchup of crazy stories so far in the short NFL season I don't know what is. So far we've had a Bengals squad that showed next to zero life against the Ravens hosting a Titans team that upset the Jaguars last week. With Vince Young out two-to-four weeks, Kerry Collins will be the guy burdened with handing off to one of the hottest rookie running backs in the league, Chris Johnson (93 yards on the ground, 34 in the air with a TD). Hey, at least the Bengals announcers have learned they don't have to touch up on their Spanish!

Prediction: Titans

Green Bay at Detroit: Hey everyone, it's the Matt Millen Amusement Park Ride! Climb aboard, but we should tell you, the harness might fail and the ride hasn't been properly greased for eight years. No worries, the experience will most likely either start off strong and fail at the end, or not even get out of the gate. Yeah, tickets are high and the experience might stink, but if you don't get on the ride, you don't get to see the end result. Guys? Hey guys, where are you going?

Prediction: Packers
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