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The Baltimore Ravens have a Joe Flacco problem

By Chris Schisler

BALTIMORE, MD - OCTOBER 01: Quarterback Joe Flacco #5 of the Baltimore Ravens passes against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first quarter of play at M&T Bank Stadium on October 1, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - OCTOBER 01: Quarterback Joe Flacco #5 of the Baltimore Ravens passes against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first quarter of play at M&T Bank Stadium on October 1, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images) /
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The Baltimore Ravens have a Joe Flacco problem. He isn’t elite, in fact he has been the complete opposite:

The Baltimore Ravens have a problem. There have been few fans who have defended Joe Flacco more than I have. Whatever you think about Flacco, he has been one of the most instrumental figures in Ravens history. The problem is that Flacco’s performance has consistently been underwhelming since the Super Bowl magic. Since getting paid, Flacco’s level of play has taken a nose dive.

Flacco has thrown an interception in 10 straight games. Against the Steelers he averaged less than five yards per pass and was picked twice. In London he had 28 passing yards. He got a pass for his less than stellar week 1 performance because he missed the entire preseason. After that, the excuses end. Flacco is making 24 million bucks this season and he’s getting out performed by quarterbacks all across the league.

Throwing away money:

According to overthecap.com Flacco takes up 15 percent of the Ravens salary cap this season. Over the course of his contract, Flacco is guaranteed $44 million dollars. This basically means the Ravens are stuck paying the man, even if they move on. That’s the biggest problem. It’s not inconceivable that the Ravens could spend a 2018 first round pick on a quarterback.

The Ravens are stuck. It’s hard to blame them for paying Flacco. After all, he did take them to the playoffs five straight seasons. He did win a Super Bowl and his market value was ridiculously high. If the Ravens let him go, it would have been crazy. At that point in time, Flacco was a Super Bowl winning, franchise quarterback. The Ravens got caught in a trap. They couldn’t win either way, and searching for a new franchise quarterback was out of the question.

Related Story: The loss to Pittsburgh proves London game was no fluke

Flacco has clearly not lived up to the contract he signed. There isn’t one single measurable way to determine Flacco is a good quarterback. Right now, he is a bad one. 2014 was a mirage. Joe Flacco had 27 touchdowns in the 2014 season but Gary Kubiak was his offensive coordinator. Kubiak made Matt Schaub look good for half a decade in Houston. Kubiak has made many players look better than they ever were. Flacco was average in 2013. He was mediocre in 2015. He was tragically inefficient in 2016 and right now he is downright bad.

No escape plan:

The Ravens have a Joe Flacco problem. They are financially tied to him and he is clearly not the quarterback of the future. In a perfect world the Ravens could thank him for the good times (of which there were many) and move on next year. That’s probably not going to happen because as Flacco’s back foot interceptions prove, it is not a perfect world.

Next: 3 reasons to fire Marty Mornhinweg

The Ravens are slowly making their way through quick sand. The more they hope Flacco can snap out of it, the faster the team sinks. The Ravens had to pay their franchise quarterback, but now they really might be wishing they had an escape plan.

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