For the first time since 2008 the Ravens are experiencing life without Joe Flacco. Their franchise quarterback tore his ACL against the Rams earlier this season. Flacco has a long recovery in front of him but there may be more on Flacco’s docket than physical healing.
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Flacco has possibly the strongest arm in professional football. He can have touch on his passes and he can fit the ball in some pretty tight windows. But other times Flacco’s passes are flat and lacking. The reason for this inconsistent delivery is that he often throws off his back foot; a behavior that has increased in the past couple seasons.
I was talking football with my best friend when he came up with an interesting theory. Maybe Flacco’s failure to step into his throws is a physical manifestation of a lack of confidence. The theory that my friend so astutely realized is that Flacco got almost shell shocked in 2013 behind a horrible offensive line. Flacco has always thrown it off his back foot from time to time but it does seem like it became a bad habit in the 2013 season.
This is a real opportunity for the Super Bowl XLVII MVP to reinvigorate himself and develop more confidence. Perhaps he can take what made him so successful to this point and build on top of that.
When Flacco is on his game he can shred any defense apart. I think rhythm is very important to Flacco; he needs to be in the zone and not be stuck in his head. It’s hard to build a rhythm when you are throwing incomplete passes due to poor mechanics.
Maybe with more confidence Flacco will step into his throws. Maybe he will play sharper and develop more nuance to his game. So it is important that the Ravens make sure he is on the right track mentally not just physically.
The Ravens should tailor the offense towards Flacco’s strengths. He is an aggressive quarterback not a dink and dunker. He needs to play with rhythm and he needs to have a strong running game to support him. The point is that Ravens need to find out how to get the best out of Flacco consistently. When Flacco is feeling it, he plays some pretty special football.
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At this point in his career Flacco is who he is. We’re going to see frustrating interceptions from time to time. But mechanics can be corrected with proper coaching. If a lack of confidence or comfort in the pocket is preventing him from stepping into his throws, than the mental and emotional healing of Flacco is just as important as healing from his injury.