Baltimore Ravens: is Joe Flacco holding the team back?
By Dustin Cox
After losing their last two games, many fans are wondering if it is time to move on from the Ravens franchise quarterback Joe Flacco. Is he holding this team back?
Like many people have pointed out, a team’s quarterback can either get too much credit for a win or too much of the blame for a loss. The Ravens have a very talented defense this year, but the offense is beyond inept. Is this purely Joe Flacco’s fault? Let’s delve a little deeper into why Flacco’s play has been sub-par so far this year.
The offensive problems start with the line.
What many common fans don’t understand is just how important the offensive line is. Teams should be built in the trenches, and well, the Ravens just seem to have a lot of injured soldiers in theirs. Starting left guard Alex Lewis and backup guard Nico Siragusa were lost to season-ending injuries in training camp. Potential starting center John Urschel suddenly retired on the first day of training camp. This meant the team was down three capable starters on the line before the season even began. To make everything much worse, in Week 2 against the Cleveland Browns, Pro Bowl guard Marshal Yanda suffered a season-ending leg injury. Yanda was not only the best player by far on the line, but he was also the leader.
The offensive line was already a point of potential weakness before any of these injuries even occurred. I would kill to have that starting lineup now though. The Ravens have three formerly undrafted players starting on the line. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley is really the only reliable player, and even his play has suffered so far. Joe Flacco has been hit way too many times so far this year. No quarterback is successful when being sacked, hit, or hurried almost every other play.
All of this has caused Flacco to panic and make bad decisions by trying to force the ball out and into a bad spot. He also seems to be scared that the pocket is collapsing before it even is and this can lead to a sack. Flacco cannot be very confident in this line. With all of the speedy receivers the Ravens have, Flacco must have time in the pocket to let them get downfield for any deep shots to be taken. The thought of suffering just one more injury on this line really scares me.