Baltimore Ravens year in review: Joe Flacco
Joe Flacco had an up and down year for the Baltimore Ravens. One thing is for sure, this isn’t what the Ravens paid for:
The Baltimore Ravens didn’t get much out of Joe Flacco in the beginning of the 2017 season. He went 9-17 passing in the season opener for 121 yards, a touchdown and an interception. In the game in London, the Jacksonville Jaguars held Flacco to 28 yards passing. A quarterback who makes over $20 million in a season should never have a game like that. In the first eight games, Flacco had less than 200 yards passing five times. Flacco did not throw for over 300 yards in a game this season. That is an absolutely horrific fact about this past season.
Flacco heated up in the second half of the season. He had several games where he was sharp and efficient and just under the 300 yard mark. In the second half of the season he looked more comfortable and believe it or not, he stepped up into the pocket and into his throws. He threw for nine touchdowns and just five interceptions from week 9 to the end of the year. Flacco finished the season with 3,141 yards with 18 touchdowns and 13 picks.
More excuses, even if we don’t care about them:
While the Ravens Flock may be tired of giving Flacco excuses, the veteran quarterback had plenty of them in 2017. He had to throw the football to a star-free group of wide receivers. He didn’t have great production from the tight end position either. Flacco came into the season with a back injury. Flacco looked timid and played with poor mechanics (even more poor than usual) in the beginning of the year. When Flacco came out of his shell, he still didn’t have a lot to work with.
Jeremy Maclin was supposed to be a number one receiver and that obviously isn’t what he was. Breshad Perriman was supposed to have a break out year…nope, he’s a bust. The Ravens ignored their offense and told Flacco to make it work. Thanks to a more balanced offense, with a good running game, there were times when it did come together. It is worth noting that the Ravens beat up on some bad teams and that inflated a lacking stats sheet.
Moving Forward:
The Ravens didn’t really give themselves an escape clause when it comes to Flacco’s contract. This means that whether you like it or not, Flacco is the quarterback next year and probably the year after that. The Ravens are stuck with Flacco and unless they can restructure his contract (without getting stuck with him longer) they’re going to be dramatically over paying him.
Next: Baltimore Ravens: 5 questions that must be answered this offseason
There has been a lot of talk that the Ravens could look for the quarterback of the future in the NFL Draft. Unless Ozzie Newsome takes a quarterback in the first round, it likely won’t impact the 2018 season. That being said, it is clearly time to look past the Flacco era.