This is really ackward coming from the Sun, how long before you are pressured to remove this and go back trying to be edgy and sparking unwanted discussions and not look at things from a logical standpoint.

I give it a day.
--------------------------------------------
Have I just been accused of a lapsing into logic? You'll be hearing from my lawyer. Just kidding.
-- Bill O.

Finally someone gives Boller a chance, I hope he succeeds. Just a quick question for all the experts; How many quaterbacks have succeeded in this offensive system?

I hav been one of the people who's backed Boller from the start. I realized he had problems with playing too fast, and made some bad decisions on passes, but he rarely had decent pass protection and had one dependable receiver. Even so, he improved each season he was the starter.

With McNair to learn from, he's ben a much better QB in 2006 and this season. He can lead this team to sufficient points to win games, if he gets decent protection. Billick has to take advantage of what Boller does well (throwing deep, and his mobility, which means using rollouts), while not abandoning the running game. Boller gives all he has when he plays (how many other QBs make blocks downfield on running plays), always credits his teammates when we win, and takes all blame when we lose. He didn't complain when McNair was brought in to take his job, as many QBs would, and, despite the grief he's taken over the years, he signed for another year, expecting to be the backup again, because he loves Baltimore (that alone should earn him support.)

I agree that these seven games, considering the opposition, may not be a fair audition, but if Kyle plays well against those teams, that proves he can win for us.

I'm praying to the football gods that they smile on him.

Because of the strength of the remaining schedule, the lack of playing time with the first unit, and problems with the offensive line, I agree that a fair decision on whether Boller is a genuine playoff-caliber quarterback should wait until the end of 2008.

I agree Bill. I think it is also pretty absurd that a week ago the same people blaming Billick for this team's implosion now think it is fair to judge Boller on his performance over the rest of the season. It just makes no sense to claim, on the one hand, that the offensive system under Billick has and never will be effective, and then on the other hand suggest that Boller could never be a legitimate QB because he fails to perform well under that very system. (Mike P.) Will this kid ever get a fair shake?
------------------------------------------------
Johnny,
I will admit to being old-school in that I believe in sticking with a QB for a while. The type of success that Roethlisberger and Young had so quickly has skewed the grading curve I suppose. But QBs are sooo hard to find that if you have one that has some tools and some heart, I just think it's foolish to give up on him and try to start over.
-- Bill O.

Because of the strength of the remaining schedule, the lack of playing time with the first unit, and problems with the offensive line, I agree that a fair decision on whether Boller is a genuine playoff-caliber quarterback should wait until the end of 2008.

Nice piece, Bill. The only thing I'd toss out is that there are several QBs that will be in the 2008 draft that could qualify as potential franchise QBs:

Woodson
Brohm
Ryan
Brennan

And then there's the matter of: "What's going to happen with Derek Anderson?" (that would just be too ironic, even for me)

So there is a sense of urgency to get the QB situation settled as quickly as possible. But I think the bigger issue is whether or not ANY QB -- and I mean ANY, including Johnny U in his prime -- could function in Brian Billick's torture chamber of an excuse for an offensive system. And until he's gone, it's really a moot point even beginning to try to assess a Ravens QB's performance.
-------------------------------------------------------
I will admit that I'm intrigued by Brennan but I also admit that probably has more to do with the fact that I've been tracking him and his outrageous stats than any real appreciation of his skills... All those guys can be good and lest we not forget the lesson of Mr. Brady, there could be someone none of us has ever heard of (and there probably will be). But right now, none of this group really jumps out at me like, say, Leinart did as a college player and who knows how that will work out for Arizona? I know your position on Billick ... I just hope for the fans' sakes that the QB can make a difference.
-- Bill O.

I could not agree with you anymore. A+ for this article.
--------------------------------------
Thanks for the kind words ... I'm sure I'll get a few Fs as well.
-- Bill O.

Sorry, looks like you had already addressed the issues that I raised. Also I believe that Boller was still injured during the Denver game.
----------------------------------------
Brian,
That could be and perhaps that was a mitigating factor ... I just don't want folks to think that I completely dismiss the problems that Boller has had. But in weighing both sides, I think he should be the guy and that the next seven games, unless he completely implodes, should not necessarily be the sole determining factor.
-- Bill O.

I am certainly guilty of writing Boller off as the future QB of this team, especially after the Buffalo game where he still struggled with the touch passes. However, I also know that he got very little time to pass in that game due to our inexperienced offensive line, underachieving receivers and poor game plan. Lately, I have had the feeling that Peyton Manning and Tom Brady would have difficulty performing well with this offense. We need an offensive scheme that plays to the strength of our players, not a scheme that needs the right players to execute them. You will never achieve the latter because you will rarely get all the perfect players in place. With that said, Boller may very well be more than adequate if we can find someone to design an offense which lets him do the things he does well (i.e., the bullet pass through coverage and the deep pass down the middle vs. the touch and timing passes). The same goes for our blocking schemes and pass patterns, we have to make the most with what we have. If we do that and Boller still doesn't succeed then we need a new quarterback. For now, I think we need an entirely new approach to our offense and the person to design it is not with the Ravens now. Here's hoping for a new offense next year.
---------------------------------------------------
Cam Mac,
You know, I've stayed out of the Billick fray pretty much because I like to be absolutely convinced that my POV is at least denfensible. That's why I was finally moved to write something unambivalent about Boller. This is the beginning of my thoughts on Billick and the offense. He showed last year that he was capable of making a significant change in how the offense was being run, and it worked well enough. Now, as this team struggles terribly on offense, I am interested in seeing whether he can adapt now or certainly during the offseason ... or perhaps be encouraged to adapt, if you get my meaning.
-- Bill O.

I dont agree with the number of franchise QBs in this year's draft. Most of the college QB sure hits, are nothing more than duds.

I dont think it makes much of a difference with the Raven's offense who the QB is. BB is still calling the plays. The play book has not changed. It is what is.
------------------------------------------
History certainly teaches us about the unpredictability of star college QBs in the NFL but it's a starting point. Other readers have said they think the current group is okay ... I just don't see it as good as '05, meaning how '05 looked four to six months before the draft.
-- Bill O.

Bill:
Thank you for the great article. I have always wanted to see Kyle Boller become our long-term answer at quarterback. He genuinely seems to be a nice young man and will make a great role model for our youth. Often I cringe to see the NFL jerseys that fathers and sons wear of convicted criminals and I wonder about what kind of message that really implies. I think that football is more than what you do on the field, its about how you carry yourself off of it. Despite tremendous criticism Boller has never complained or become insulting and has carried himself with the responsibility that someone in such a position should. He deserves a fair chance to prove his athletic ability and I think that he will.
Thanks,
Richard
-----------------------------------------------
Richard,
You bring up an underappreciated quality in Boller or any athlete like him. I realize this is pro sports and it's all about producing and winning. But the difference in winning for these guys, where the talent difference is so slight, is often what's inside of them. If Boller's determination and perserverance can somehow make a difference in his performance, than hopefully that translates into wins.
-- Bill O.

All that the fans need to look at to realize Boller's potential is to look at the team's PPG during his playing time and the teams' PPG during McNair's playing time.

Anyone who watched in the preseason would have seen that Troy Smith has less touch on his short passes than Boller does.

Mr. Ordine, I was wondering if we have the actual number of 3 and 4TD passing games Boller has had in his games starting for the Ravens. Then, let us compare that to McNairs amount in his games here and every other Ravens QB's amount since the 2000 season. I would really appreciate it if you could somehow get that those two stats(the 3TD passing games and the 4) on here for all of the Boller Bashers to see. That despite the poor protection, recievers dropping passes, injuries and all, he is the best potential at QB that this team has had in this entire decade(I will hold out to give Anderson more time before I comment on him).
-------------------------------------------------
Doug,
Funny you should mention that ... I was just looking at some of those stats. Here's the breakdown. First, we'll just count games with 18 attempts or more and look at multiple TD pass games (two or more).
In Boller's first two seasons, he was in 25 qualifying games and had 4 multiple TD pass games. In his last three seasons, in 14 qualifying games, he has had six multiple TD pass games.
For McNair, in his two seasons here, he has had 20 games that qualify and four multiple-TD pass games.
So your instincts are correct. Boller has a better ratio in recent seasons.
-- Bill O.

They always said back in the day that it took five years for an NFL quarterback to develop. Sure there are exceptions, but most of them (Elway, Marino) end up in the HOF. I just looked up Terry Bradshaw's stats. After 5 years he had 48 TDs, 81 interceptions and a completion ratio under 50%. He capped off the end of his 5th years as Pitt won their first SB over the Vikings. Rich Gannon - there's a guy who finally got good in his 30s. You give up too soon on these guys and you pay later. The best thing about Boller is his attitude. It would be great to see the team win and for Boller to lead the way. As for coach, let Ryan take over and see what we do. Let Neuheisel call the plays. Make Ray Lewis def coordinator (just kidding - maybe not - nobody prepares better). Cut Rolle, Flynn, Ogden and McNair prior to next season. One more thing about Boller - that should put mark Clayton back into the offense.
-----------------------------------------------
Tom,
Good points. You mentioned about paying later for giving up on a QB too soon. You know who comes to mind? Steve Young. In Tampa Bay, 11 TDs, 21 Ints. In San Francisco, Hall of Fame.
-- Bill O.

Bill,

Great article. I've been a Boller fan from the beginning and couldn't agree more that he should be given a fair chance with a decent line and receivers before he is judged. As for the upcoming draft and the crop of receivers goes, we can draft for a franchise quarterback AND still hope that Boller could be that Quarterback. The Ravens could only hope to be in the position at Quarterback that the Browns now find themselves in and that the Chargers were once in with Brees and Phillips.
--------------------------------------------
Jeff,
Excellent point. As I've already said, Roethlisberger and Young have developed quickly but even a good young QB could take three or four years before he's ready.
-- Bill O.

I agree with this article, however i would say the organization should still investigate any/all possibilities to address the need with coaching/ offensive system changes in mind to give whom comes in to play a legimate chance to succeed. The major focus should be to get a modern system that works and provides more thrills than spills/chills to this very frustrated/loyal fan base. When you look the disgruntled faces of the players projected on National TV year after year you not only feel for the fans, you must admit you have sympathy for those who continue to keep playing hard, maybe not as wise. And Boller heads that List !!!
--------------------------------------------
Cornell,
Thanks for writing. We haven't talked much about it but it's not far-fetched to think that the front office might force a change on the offensive side.
-- Bill O.

Kyle is a class act, He will have many Bmore Ravens fans going..WOW it was a great call when they signed him to an extention......NOW can we get him signed long term? Kyle will rock and shock Ravens fans the rest of the way through the '07 season.....P.S. Kyle, start stuffing some extra $100 in your offensive lines shoes before each game, It can't hurt...Good Luck - You're gonna do just fine !
----------------------------------------
Hitman,
Hmmm, as long as you're suggesting Boller hand out C-notes, why stop at the O-line. Just kidding. Thanks for writing.
-- Bill O.

what a great, well written and truthful article.
i agree 100%.
thank you for a rational piece on boller.
----------------------------------------
David,
Thanks for the kind words. That was my lucid moment for the week. Now back to the nonsense.
-- Bill O.

Bill, really nice article! I just wanted to tell you that I appreciate your responding to so many of the readers' comments, unlike everyone else with a blog on this website. It's refreshing to see a reporter so committed to his readers.
---------------------------------------------
Sasan,
Well, it's impossible to respond to everyone and not always appropriate either. Sometimes I think the readers should have the last word. But if folks take the time to write and a response can add something, I try to do it.
-- Bill O.

Thanks Bill for giving your support to Kyle (rocket arm) Boller! I agree that he can be our qb of the future, I was at that game in denver in 2005 and I believe that play calling had way more to do with that loss than anything else. Brian Billick should read this and remember these words, when you get near the goaline POUND THE ROCK! We have the best D in the league so take advantage or turn the team over to Rex!
----------------------------------------------------
Drew,
Hopefully, the first Cincinnati game and Buffalo made that point clear ... meaning running in short yardage.
-- Bill O.

All this talk of drafting a quarterback is nonsense unless BB and his offense is scraped. And then, there will be a 2 - 3 year development period. The Ravens have a solid neculus to build around but the current make up of the team needs an effective QB now, not 2 years from now.

Boller has all the ingredients for success except the essential, innate ones, i.e., poise, pocket presence and most of all accuracy!!! Unfortunately, none of these are coachable or teachable, being instinctive in nature. But, you're certainly entitled to your opinion. Of the two QBs who will face each other on Sunday, Derek Anderson has the "intangibles", Boller does not!
-------------------------------------------------
Jerry,
Thanks for writing. Opposite opinions are welcomed. We agree on this ... Sunday will be interesting.
-- Bill O.

Bill

I posted this the other day on one of the other blogs (sorry to cut out on you but my opinion is in demand everywhere :-)).

Just wanted to show I'm with you...
***************************************
Look, the chances of finding an 'elite' QB in the draft are slim...many 'can't miss' guys have come into the NFL and fallen flat on their faces or, like Boller, are mediocre so far.

Leftwich, Smith, Couch...anybody even remember Ryan Leaf?

So, you build a team around a defense, an ADEQUATE QB and a versatile offense.

Boller can at least stretch the field...that should open up some medium routes. I think he can be at least adequate but not if he's put in bad situations by poor play calling and/or poor offensive line work.

He's had to try and overcome both in his career and prior to now hasn't shown the savvy that McNair did last year in handling them.

But, he is one tough kid...anybody notice the downfield block he threw on McGahee's TD run in Buffalo?

McNair couldn't throw 15 yards anymore, so defenses packed in tighter and took away the medium passes leaving him nothing but dink and dunk. The Colts did the same thing last year to him and the same thing happens in the red zone because there is so little of the field to cover. Down there, they even take away the dink and dunks.

Boller still lacks touch on short passes, the kind that McNair seemed to be limited to throwing this year. But his ability and willingness to throw downfield makes the defenses stretch out some...especially if he completes a few.

And he may be able to strike from longer range, thus keeping the Ravens from having to score in the red zone.

That would be one way to beat that problem.

But, the bottom line remains that the entire offensive game plan week after week lacks any imagination or sophistication and that's a worse problem than who's the QB.

The old Packers used to be able to get away with that, but that was because Lombardi made them execute through practice, practice, practice.

With them, you could know the sweep was coming and still not stop it...but Billick ain't no Lombardi.

In many games...win or lose...the Ravens look like they all just met in the locker room before the game.
*************************************
I believe the Ravens can win with Boller...hell, they won with Dilfer and I think Boller has more talent than Dilfer did.

Peyton Manning showed Sunday night what not believing in your O-Line can do to even the best QB, and I think that has had a lot to do with Boller's 'happy feet'.

The Ravens defense is still above average and McGahee looks like a winner at RB, especially if Billick keeps him in the game for more than 3 straight plays.

Let the kid play...
--------------------------------------------------
Ed,
Thanks for the contribution.
-- Bill O.

I have always backed Boller. I would like to see him get one true oppertunity behind a decent line. Teams build their offenses around a quarterback, or at least they used to. I believe Boller was the youngest starting quarter back for 2 years and then the 3rd he was like the second. They asked Boller to be explosive, when the line was built to run. You let a 21 year old take shot after shot from 350 lb line men running under 4.7 40's the man is going to make bad decisions. I would love to see Billick (employ) a Viking style offense of old (long ball with a mobile quarterback) and see what Boller can do with it. I also like to see that many people give Boller his points for not lashing back at his skeptics when they did nothing but torment and doubt.

boller not thrown in fire had premeir defense @running game @ u cant teach poise job given 2 him @ never forced 2get better with a coach who force fed him 2 team as starter

the thing about DA that people aren't really talking about, is that he's fortunate enough to have landed in a good situation...the Offensive Line of the Browns has really been a strength for them, and up until recently, it was a completely healthy group...Anderson has stud receiving options around him in Braylon and Kellen, and the players have all been raving about the latest system on offense since it was implemented...i'm not saying he's a bad QB, but this is also a guy that barely beat out Charlie Frye for a starint job just a few months ago, so i'm still in a wait-and-see mode...good for him though, if it continues to work out, i don't hold anything against him.

however, how can we be so sure he'd be successful here?? everyone just wants to assume this, but DA sure as hell would not be benefitting from the playcalling, OL and receiving that he has right now, if he were with us...what if he had struggled? how would he have handled it?

bill i am not trying to rip apart your article, it was nice to read something about boller. but come on, he has been in the league for five years and does not have"it" and you know what...he never will. let TROY SMITH play!!!
-------------------------------------------------
Kevin,
I sure didn't think everyone would agree with me and I've seen the same games you have so I understand your reservations. We'll see how it goes. Thanks for taking the time to write.
-- Bill O.

this is hilarious. Boller is INACCURATE!!! no amount of blocking, change in offensive system, or mitigating circumstances has anything to do with that. Steve Young, Rothlisberger, or any other QB you name is ACCURATE. While it is true that it is a crap shoot about drafting another elite QB, it is not a crap shoot that Boller will over throw wide open receivers-repeatedly. Do you want to go 9-7 for the rest of his career, or do you want to risk going 4-12 a couple times to take the risk of getting a QB who can win a super bowl, because Boller, NEVER, I repeat, NEVER will win a superbowl.

hey Bill I'm in agreement with your article about Kyle being our quarterback of the now and future. I'm not sold on Troy Smith yet, I don't think he's NFL ready. I do believe that it's time to give Kyle Boller a legitimate chance at being the starting quarterback for the remainer of this season. I've been a fan of Steve McNair as a quarterback since his Alcorn St. days, but he's done, and it's time to move on. Right now I believe Boller gives us the best chance to at least be competitve and possibly win some games.So I'm pulling for the kid because I know that he really wants to be an NFL Quarterback! God bless him

We've had enough critics of this guy, from the time that he was a rookie.

After about 5 games, I read that in the SUN that a 21 year old guy would NEVER be a good quarterback in this league. Every success was dismissed and every flaw was exaggerated.

No ifs, ands, buts, he's our quarterback now. I'll be out there supporting him and the rest of our Ravens on Sunday.

Wanted to jump on the bandwagon and applaud Kyle for his professionalism in dealing with the situation here in baltimore. We fans have bashed and maligned him for years, when he has never been put into a position to succeed. He is a long ball QB, asked to perform in an outdated west coast offense, behind a O line that struggles picking up extra rushers up the middle, playing for a coach who refuses to change his offense to match his talent. I hope he is given the chance to play in a system that actually attacks a defense at multiple levels in the passing game for a play caller with a good feel for the flow of the game and can not try to outsmart the opponent to the point of just looking ridiculous.

ditto on your article; well done Bill. Finally an honest, objective article on Boller!
-----------------------------------------
Dave,
Thanks for the kind words. As I've said to a few other folks ... I just thought it was time to present an unambivalent argument on the quarterback situation. Here's hoping for the fans that he can be successful.
-- Bill O.

If you wanted to compare the success of the steelers offense under cowher and the ravens offense under billick, please note: Cowher had at least 3 offensive coordinators at the end of his tenure, Kevin Gilbride, Mike Mularkey, and Bruce Arians. When one of the systems became stale, by coach, or personnel to run them, the steelers did not hesitate to FIRE their offensive coordinator and try another.

They only had 2 losing seasons since 2000. I think Billick is a good head coach, but the team, perhaps Ozzie, should hire a new play calling OC and implement a new system - and have Billick stay away from interfering.
-------------------------------------------------
Doug,
If things don't improve considerably, no one should be shocked of some move in that direction.
-- Bill O.

Bill O,
Thank you for the great article about Kyle Boller. I have always been a fan of Kyle but I don't think he was ever given a fair chance.I feel he was just thrown to lions most of the time.Either we were three touchdowns behind or most of the starting offense was hurt or we had no one who could catch a ball.Through all of that Kyle has been ultimate team player. Even when his team mates wouldn't supported him and the fans wanted to hang him he still came out and gave it his all.He had a chance to leave town and go to another team but he decided to stay with this team and be a back up.That is rare today.What other quarterback the ravens have had over the Billick years has done much better than he has with this system.He does deserve a chance to be the starting quarterback and not just until the end of this year.Kyle Boller has earned his dues with this team and it is time that everyone gives him thier full support.

Well for the most part it looks as though people are going to give Boller a chance but I am not su e if he is getting it this year either. Billick has got to change his play calling to include his quarterback's strengths. Do you think it is going to happen? If it doesn't I hope Boller gets the oppurtunity to play for another team.
----------------------------------------
Aaron,
Do I think the play calling will change? Somewhat, because Boller can clearly do what McNair could not. Just as importantly, I think Boller will make different decsions within the system and within the framework of the play calling because he's comfortable doing certain things that McNair may not have been equally confident about.
That may seem like a change in play calling to observers but will really be the QB making different reads and throws.
-- Bill O.

If Boller has any success it won't be under Billick. No Raven QB under Billick has had any success. Billick keeps claiming it's execution when it's obvious it's his system and his play calling. I don't think Boller will get a fair assessment until he plays under another coach. Anderson with the Browns is a good example, he wasn't good enough for the Ravens but he's playing well with the Browns.

Bill

Boller looked good and would have looked even better had the offensive line not taken much of the game off.

Center Flynn, guards Brown and Chester and tackle Terry would have problems pass-blocking me at age 56 and in the first half, they simply didn't block anybody at all.

Boller's pick for the TD in the 3rd quarter was due to Flynn double-teaming someone instead of picking up the blitz.

Otherwise, I thought Boller, McGahee and Darling were the Ravens' stars and only bone-headed play calling at the end by Brian the Brain allowed Cleveland to tie and eventually win, thus depriving Boller of standing in the limelight and having people talk about what a great comeback he led.
------------------------------------
Ed,
The second half was encouraging as well as 23 offensive points.
-- Bill O.