Baltimore Ravens: is Joe Flacco holding the team back?
By Dustin Cox
The Ravens lack reliable playmakers on offense to help Joe.
Has anyone seen the Ravens 2015 first round draft pick Breshad Perriman? Me neither. What about any tight end not named Benjamin Watson? Jeremy Maclin has scored two touchdowns and Mike Wallace scored one last week, but the reality is that none of these wide receivers have really helped Flacco like they are capable of. This could be because of play calling or simply lack of execution.
Flacco deserves a lot of the blame too though. Last week he missed a wide open Breshad Perriman for what would have been an easy touchdown. Flacco had time in the pocket and still overshot him. On an earlier play though, Mike Wallace dropped an easy 30-yard pass. Flacco’s most reliable target by far has been 36-year-old tight end Benjamin Watson, who just returned from an Achilles injury.
Breshad Perriman was hyped up for a big year all offseason, yet, so far he’s been a non-factor. He cannot catch to save his life it seems, or even consistently get open for that matter. Ozzie Newsome has never drafted a true No. 1 receiver for his franchise quarterback. Instead, he opts to stack the defense and give Flacco little help on his side of the ball. Especially this offseason. Flacco needs a supporting cast around him, and it just hasn’t been there lately.