Joe Flacco Quietly Sets Record, Lardarius Webb in Poor Shape?
By Brett Foote
Sep 28, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) looks to pass against the Carolina Panthers at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
Welcome to Lunchtime Links, where we round up all the latest Ravens news from around the web for your convenient consumption. Today, we find out that Joe Flacco very quietly set a record on Sunday against the Panthers, look at the driving force behind the Raven’s offensive success, and wonder whether Lardarius Webb might just be in poor shape.
Joe Flacco quietly sets record
Joe Flacco had one heck of a day Sunday against the Panthers, and it turns out he broke a record in the process. Not only did he make his 100th consecutive start, which is the third longest current active streak for NFL quarterbacks, but his 137.4 quarterback rating set the Raven’s franchise record.
It was an incredibly efficient performance for the sixth year pro and one that proves his ability to really shine in an offense that some though he wouldn’t be able to adjust to. Flacco has spent the majority of his career as a downfield passer, yet on Sunday he was spreading the ball around and finding the open guy all day long. He has improved with each game and it’s exciting to see how much better he will get as the season progresses.
Offensive line and Gary Kubiak setting tone for success
It’s amazing to think just how far the offense, especially the offensive line, has come since last season. What was a bottom 5 unit last season in both run and pass blocking has made an immediate and dramatic shift into a top 5 unit this season. Clifton Brown at CSN Baltimore explores this incredible improvement in the video below.
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Gary Kubiak was a well publicized but still underrated addition to the team, and has installed a system that fits the players rather than trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. The Ravens offense scored 38 points on Sunday in dominant fashion, which is even more incredible considering they only scored 30 points once all of last season in a game where 14 of those points came from the defense.
Ladarius Webb in poor shape?
Lardarius Webb’s ever changing status has been incredibly frustrating for the Ravens and fans alike. Just when he seems to be getting better and closer to actually logging some snaps, he continues to have setbacks. Jamison Hensley at ESPN thinks that Webb no longer has to prove that he is over his injury, but that he simply in shape.
Webb was indeed a healthy scratch against the Panthers, and it is realistic to think that he needs to improve his conditioning after missing the entire offseason program. But this guy is making good money to be the team’s number one, or at the very least, number two corner. It’s time for him to get into shape so that he can live up to expectations and keep the safeties out of the nickle position, where they have struggled.