Boller !!??? When did he look brilliant...please tell me???

You have lost some credibility w/ that statement.
----------------------------------------------
Cereal,
You have to be fair ... if you want specific games, No. 14 & 15 against GB and Minn in 2005. I said occasionally, more often competent.
-- Bill O.

I agree. I have liked Boller for several reasons, some you mentioned. When you review the number of coaches he has had (and I'm sure some of the advice was at odds with some of his primary coach) he did the best he could, particularly with a weak to a nothing offensive line. He really didn't have receivers who didn't think one had to stretch their arms to catch a ball and often dropped the one that landed in their arms. In short, he gave his all only to be booed by our Ravens faithful. I wish him good luck and hope to see him succeed with another team.

I think I overheard Brian Billick saying, "Man, I wouldn't want to be coach of that team right now. Not for $15 million over the next 3 seasons!" Err, wait, maybe I made up that last part...or the whole thing.
-----------------------------------------
Alex,
Funny stuff.
-- Bill O.

Boller, like the Oreioles daniel cabrera, has been 5 years of fustration. Please, get them both out of town!

Boller may have been technically the QB on the roster, with the most experience and perhaps the best arm. But, that does not make him the "best" QB on the team. It's not just a case of happy feet. Boller has proven that he is not a starting NFL QB. In my mind, that disqualifies him as the "best", even if he has some strong physical attributes. Troy Smith has a better pocket presence and is quicker. Perhaps with the Ravens offensive line, Smith's attributes make him the "best" QB for the job. Now that Smith is out for a few weeks, Flacco has a chance to show signs of growing. I think you'll agree, at this point, it is probably futile to examine who is the "best" QB, and to examine whether the team improves throughout the season.

Good bye Kyle (if this is indeed goodbye)...this team/fans didn't deserve someone with your heart! Thanks for the passes, the heart, the toughness, never throwing your line or receivers or coaches under the bus. You are a class act and i hope you land on a team that can capitalize on your strengths and will appreciate you. You will be missed.

In the best way I can describe how I feel about this article I must say.. You must be out your Mind!!!
------------------------------------------
Bob,
As I said at the outset, there will be some who feel as you do.
-- Bill O.

This has to be the dumbest thing I've ever read. Boller should have been gone about 4 years ago. Both Flacco and Smith have far more talent than Boller will ever dream of. Thank goodness we'll never have to suffer through another game with him as the QB.

I agree and I'm sorry we don't get to see Kyle play this year. I think coach Harbaugh has finally put together the makings of a good O Line and Kyle won't be able to benefit. Imagine one game with out Mike Flynn getting knocked into Boller's lap or stepping on his feet. He is a gutsy kid, I wish him the best.

Well, you're right about one thing: many Ravens fans will not agree, including this one.

Harry Truman once asked how many times you need to get hammered over the head before you wonder who is doing the hammering?

After five years, I think we get the gist as to Kyle's abilities. Yes, he is a hard worker and a class act and a wonderful guy - he really is - but his inadequacies on the football field are starting to take on legendary status in this town, something we don't need.

Simply stated, Boller has no feel for the game and will never be a successful NFL starting QB.

Are you crazy? Kyle Boller could not beat out a second year player and a rookie, and somehow he is the best quarteback on the team. I will take potential over, the same repeated mistakes anyday.

Boller is the best back up in the NFL.

Boller was our "best" option only because our front office didn't secure better options -- such as going after Brett Farve or Chad Pennington or Byron Leftwich. But Kyle wasn't leading anyone anywhere except to the bar for some drown-our-sorrows beers and shots. The kid doesn't have it and never will.

Wow, who hired you honestly? At least the sun paper by including you on their payroll continues in its status of being consistently terrible with the exception of mike preston.

Boller may indeed have been the best quarterback at the moment, but that don't matter if he kept turning the ball over. I just as well have someone who won't turn the ball over because it's harder to sustain drives and score if you can't hold onto the ball.

Well said

Boller still made rookie mistakes but sometimes he was really good. Personally I think he was clutch sometimes. He was the best option to start but I think Flacco is really mature and can handle being a QB.

Boller will need to go to another team in order to fulfill whatever potential he may have. Based off his playing experience with Ravens compared to Flacco and Smith, yes I agree he is the best QB, however Flacco is a rookie and Smith's only in his 2nd season, so Boller being considered the best isn't saying much.
---------------------------------------
Troy,
No argument ... I said best current.
-- Bill O.

I wouldn't have a problem with re-signing Boller to be a long-term backup for Flacco in the future. He's good enough that you don't lose your mind if he has to come in, but inconsistent enough that you won't have any hair left by the end of the season if he were the starter all year.

To all of you who think that Troy Smith is the better choice, you are full of *&%^. Troy Smith is by far the worst (a complete idiot, and has no idea how to run an offense). Flacco is the future QB of our franchise (best QB in the draft bar NONE). Boller however was our best choice. I still think this team, if mostly healthy, could still contend in the AFC North

I will always admire Boller's guts and toughness. The guy has taken some wicked beatings over his 42 career starts.
He should have never been pressed into starting when Chris Redman ( at that point and time ) was very capable of being the starter.
Now , it's Flacco's turn. As much as I believe all of us would have liked to have seen him learn from the sidelines, he's getting his chance to learn directly on the the true training ground.
He made significant progress from the 1st half of the Rams game and into the Falcons game. He said it best , that he's better at learning on the job than watching from afar.
I agree and he truly does give us the best chance to win. Now and in the future.
Look at Matt Ryan's performance against our Defense. Flacco has seen that everyday , for over a month now.
If he can manage the team like Roethlisberger managed the Steelers Offense, in his Rookie campaign.....the Kid should be OK.

This town never gave Kyle Boller a fighting chance and the Baltimore Ravens, sad to say, never gave him a real chance, either. I have always said, and continue to maintain, that some day we will all be in awe watching Kyle Boller be a huge success on some other team. Best of luck, Kyle.

Thanks for all you gave to the team Kyle...even though you never had a competent offensive coord to work with. Yes its easy to say you were not any good.....I question how may qb's would have been under the circumstances you had to work under. Thanks again Kyle and best of luck.

Their best QB? what are you smoking?

Pray, tell me - what year did Boller ever lead this team to the playoffs? Never is the right answer. And I can just imagine him in a playoff game - he would bumble and stumble the game away in the first 5 minutes.

I liked Boller and pulled for him, but he is like John Unitas' total opposite and he played that way.

I will bet ANYONE even Mike Preston and his overpaid salary (sarcasm Mike) that Kyle will succeed in the right system on the right team (see Derek Anderson). No offense here but Tom Brady or Manning wouldn't stand a chance under center here in Baltimore. It sucks cause we're going to see Kyle succeed somewhere like SF, Detroit, or St Louis.

Sorry but I strongly disagree! Kyle is not an NFL QB and never will be. He may be better than Flacco at this point in time but just barely. Troy Smith showed me more pro football skills and natural ability/savvy in 2 games than Boller did in 42+.

All this bunk about being "rushed into action" by BB and then in the same breath, "he never got a chance"; really makes no sense! Which is it? The guy does not have the necessary mentality to pull it all together over the long haul. He can sure take a big hit (some he could have avoided), but he can not win tough games in an adverse environment whether it be field conditions or situation related.

I saw him beat (well destroy) the Packers one cold night a few years ago when everything went just right for him, but unfortunately that was an aberration. Good luck to him though.

I'm happy that someone at the Sun paper knows something about football & how to judge players . Losing Kyle Boller is a major loss to this organization. Those of us that have spent big bucks to attend games will miss him. Good Luck Kyle.

He never was an NFL quarterback and he never will be..no matter how much so many of you loved his pretty face,,,and he has about as much chance of another team picking him up as a backup as Billick does getting another coaching job ...slim and none..... they both sucked and the reason so many of you are so symphathetic to both them is plainly obvious ...the more things change the more they stay the same.They're will never be a black Kyle Boller who does not progress and is allowed to stay on the team for 5 or 6 years.Doug Willams won a superbowl in record fashion and was released the nex year....Warren Moon had to go to canada before finally getting a chance to play in the NFL... and you people are pineing over Kyle shoulda been a fireman Boller.You need to start watching soap operas so you can fall in love with your heartthrobs and leave the sports to the people who are concerned about winning regardless of the players skin color.

I hope "IF" Kyle signs with another team he shuts alot of folks up.

Boller was rushed too soon in his rookie year, never had more than a journeyman corp of receivers as a whole, always lacked a legitimate deep threat, worked under several different O coordinators. That being said, it was the inconsistency that bothered you the most. He did have moments when he looked brilliant...he also stumbled over his own feet at times and looked more like one of the keystone cops than an NFL QB. You can't question his toughness. I remember more than one downfield block. I wish him well and hope he lives up to all that promise even if it is in another uniform.

For all his "experience", Boller has been a "bust" since Billick tried to "thread a camel through the eye of a needle"! He never had the three most important innate instinctive traits of pocket awareness, poise and accuracy that all successful NFL QBs have. Could/would he be a serviceable backup? In as much as most of them aren't very good, the answer is, "yes"! But, to suggest that he was the best QB on the Ravens is a bit disingenuous; in fact, he has NEVER been the best QB on the Ravens! That being said, it's time for him to move on and I wish him nothing but good luck....

O, by the way, you just lost all credibility.

"...before Boller got hurt, he was possessed of enormous arm strength, a great deal of courage and and the experience of 42 NFL starts..."

The only advantage that Boller has is his experience, and judging from the way he plays, that is a non-factor. His "arm strength" is comparable to Joe Flacco's. I would even give Flacco the edge on arm strength. Remember when he blew scouts away on ESPN's QB Challenge? On throws where Flacco merely flicks his wrist, Boller has to drop back, wind up, and step into the throw. Not to mention, Boller rarely looks down field 15+ yards. And where did you get the 'courage' part from??? Have you watched a game the past 5 years? Please dig up some old game tapes and watch Kyle stand in the pocket.

Bill, you must really be out of material to write about or you've been hitting to bourbon.
---------------------------------------
Dave,
Too early in the day for the bourbon right now but we'll see about eight weeks into this season. But back to Boller. You have seen the kid take some shots behind pretty shakey offensive line play. As great as P. Manning is, even he let his O-line have it occasionally in public comments. Boller never did that nor did he use the O-coordinator situation as an excuse. And he certainly would have been justified in doing the latter. I think the guy has shown both physical courage and public restraint but that's why we have this debate.
-- Bill O.

I know one poster's comments has alluded to this, but...

I don't know how true, but I've heard so many times that the definition of insanity is "performing the same act over and over while expecting different results"

I guess the question here is how many times (or chances) should Boller get before this definition applies to all of the Boller fans?

I agree Boller was the Ravens best QB to start this yr and he was completing 70% of his passes and having a good camp even while surrounded by less than stellar talent at any other offensive position. And that by the way is why he also got injured cause the OL couldn't block. It would have been very interesting see what he could have done in Cam's offensive system. Now, if he needs offseason surgery, doubtful he will even be in the league next yr with the hatchet job the media and some fans have done on him. Ask Culpepper ,Simms and Harrington how hot they are? Next yr Losman will also be a FA. The Flacco era begins and there is no sense looking back.
----------------------------------------------
Harry,
Assuming he has surgery soon, he will have nearly seven months before free agency starts so he could be ready by next season. But I'm certainly not a medical person.
-- Bill O.

Week 14 & 15 of 2005 is exactly what I was thinking while reading your article. That's about it though. Week 16 he went back to his inconsistent self and we lost.
--------------------------------------------------
Kevin,
Two games that sum up Boller are Game 14 in 2005 against Green Bay and just the week before against Denver. He was a Pro Bowler against the Packers and kicked away a chance at an upset against a pretty good Broncos team with two horrible interceptions and a lost fumble. I do understand the frustrations, I can go through the games for you. Having said that, I still believe he would have been the best option this year. Stay safe.
-- Bill O.

Bill,

Couldn't agree with you more.

I'm excited to see Flacco in a real NFL game, but I think the Ravens would be best suited to keep Boller long term rather than stick with Smith.

On a side note, I'm surprised no-one is writing about all of the injuries sustained since Harbaugh took over...and these are not just bumps and bruises but in some of the cases they are pretty serious/season ending. Guess there is something to be said for "camp cream puff".

-Mike
--------------------------------------------
Mike,
I think the number of serious injuries around the league is alarming. I realize every injury is individual and in the Ravens' case, the breadth of them seems to be cumulative including minicamps.
-- Bill O.

In my humble opinion, we haven't lost the ravens best QB, but we haven't lost its worst either. I've watch Kyle Boller play since he was drafted in 2003, and there were times when he looked, just as you said Bill, "brillant."
But more often than not he just looked "nervous." you could see it in the way that he managed the pocket during a game and when he gave interviews. The jitteriness improved with the years but never totally left and was more of a problem than some would like to admit. I always liked Kyle Boller and really wanted to see him do well. Even in the latest QB battle, I wanted to see him pick up on some lost peice of information that he missed while under Brian Billicks guidence and take off in Cam Camerons new offensive system, but it never happened.
I understand what you mean Bill, when you say "that we lost our best Quarterback in Boller."
If experience makes the player, than your right, we have lost out.
But, what we need to notice is that Kyle Boller never took advantage of all that experience. He always made the same heart breaking mistakes over and over again.
Troy Smith on the other hand, in his second year and with limited playing time has pretty much kept pace with Boller and sometimes even out shined him. When a second year player like Smith, basically gets the nod over a six year veteran player, something is wrong.
Had Smith been able to play against St. Louis, chances are that he would have been named the starter. Instinctivly, Smith is just a better player. He plays smarter and has better ball management skills than Boller does.
Flacco may have been named the starter for now, but when Smith regains his voice, he'll be inserted into the offense.
Boller was on his way out, the shoulder injury just hastened the inevitable.

Thanks Bill.

It'll be more entertaining to watch Flacco. He has inspiring potential.

I hope Flacco gets to play a few games so we can see what he can do. You don't need 42 games to discover a Baltimore QB is less than you want. How many games did it take Unitas to show his potential was far greater than that shown by Shaw, an excellent QB, but no Unitas.

the more things change the more they stay the same.They're will never be a black Kyle Boller who does not progress and is allowed to stay on the team for 5 or 6 years.Doug Willams won a superbowl in record fashion and was released the nex year....Warren Moon had to go to canada before finally getting a chance to play in the NFL..

>>>get off the soap opera racial thing...thats not the discussion

If you seriously believe what you wrote you have no business commenting on anything football related. Boller possibly has the worst poise of any NFL QB I have seen over the past 40 years. His arm strength is not only totally negated by that but his accuracy is below average. Good riddance.

i agree, boller will be a solid backup next year for the team he chooses.

He is better then any backup qb, and with a real OL and time to throw to real wide receivers he may start again.

Perfect for NE Patriots.

Mark my words, he will be back. Ravens screwed his career by forcing him in there when he wasnt ready.

new team = new player

I agree that Boller deserves to be wished luck. I would hope to see him successful with another team.......ANY OTHER team but ours.

If Boller comes back in 2009 at >85% of his physical abilities he will START and thrive ELSEWHERE and go deep into the playoffs for a worthy team within two years.

Bill

I could not have said it better. I am curious to know your thoughts on something else: Are we better off with Flacco starting right now or Bouman? Also, was Bouman the best QB to have chosen instead of Joey Harrington or (Chris) Simms? Was his 11 years of relative experience the biggest factor in that decision in your opinion?
--------------------------------------------------------
Drew,
The Ravens are far better off with Flacco just because he knows the playbook better than Bouman. I can imagine that with Bouman, you'd have to reduce the play selection to a fraction of what Flacco would be able to handle. As far as Bouman is concerned, from what I can tell he's a quick study with a coach mentality. He's also a good athlete and can do some extra things, such as hold for place kicks. I think the signing of Bouman says volumes about either the fitness or abilities of Simms and Harrington.
-- Bill O.

I like Kyle, and I wish him well, but Steve McNair played behind the same bad Ol with the same bad WR and won thirteen games.

You don't know a whole lot about football if you think that the guy with the strongest arm is the best quarterback. The 42 starts without getting better is not a good thing Bill. Smith and Flacco both have very strong arms. I think Smith is the best we have when he is healthy because he marches the Ravens up and down the field and doesn't turn the ball over every other series like Boller does. Why would you ever publicly make yourself look like a moron by writing this?

"...the Ravens lost their best current quarterback and probably any chance -- albeit a mighty slim one -- to contend for the playoffs." Bill Ordine, September 2008.

Bill - I'm not sure what you have been doing that allowed you to think that Baltimore (with or without Boller) could even win more than 7 games this season, let alone think about the playoffs. As a Ravens fan, I would reaaaaaaly like to know.

I would like to know because whatever it is that you have, I want it as well!

I want to have that same optimism that can look in the face of reality (how many games did we win last season?) and say, “hey, I know our offense is weakish [sic], our QB is so inconsistent that his interception rating will probably be higher than his TD ratio (I mean Boller if he was still playing), our defense is aging and on the way out, and the best we have is our special teams!” and still have think that we are going to be any good this year.

Seriously – please don’t mention the Ravens and the word “playoff.” I’m still smarting from Miami last season and don’t need to be reminded that we are in a serious rebuilding stage. In fact, the more I think about it I’m glad that Boller is out and Flacco gets a start – Baltimore needs to grow right now and “they” say that whatever doesn’t kill you, only makes you stronger.
-----------------------------------------------
Shawn,
That's why I said, a mighty slim one ... at this point, seven wins looks optimistic ... my point was that if the Ravens had any chance of winning, say, nine and somehow slipping into the playoffs, it would have to be with Boller. Did I think that was likely ... absolutely not.
-- Bill O.

I don't know if I've ever seen a QB have so many chances as Kyle Boller did here in Baltimore. I like him personally and so do Ravens fans. But let's face it, he just didn't get the job done and he had many opportunities.

This article was the polar opposite of Mike Preston's piece and written just as poorly. Boller may have been the most experienced QB in camp but certainly not the best. However, I do wish him well and he needs to calm down to be successful with another team.

Okay, Ravens fans. Lets be honest. Kyle Boller never got a chance to show what he can do and I for one will be one of his biggest fans when he comes back, whoever he plays for, even if its against us. He deserved that much. And for the person that mentioned that Mc Nair won 13 games behind that O-Line, failed to mention that Mc Nair got injured SEVERAL times behind the same O-Line a year later. Also, we all know that a majority of the issues with the Ravens QB play was in the play calling. How many times did we watch Magahee run for 5-7 yards on 1st only to watch 2 and sometimes 3 unnesacary passed after. Unless I'm mistaken, one way to "improve" your QB is with a competent running game. The Ravens had that, but seemingly refused to use it. I hope coach Harbaugh realizes this. But Kyle, if you do end up as an opponent, I will be cheering for you to succeed, but ultimately lose that game. no offense (no pun intended).