Ravens' Flacco outshines Eagles' McNabb (OK, isn't nearly as awful)
Ravens rookie quarterback Joe Flacco had one of the worst 30 minutes of his brief pro career in the first half against the Eagles and stunningly, he still outplayed his opposition counterpart, veteran Donovan McNabb as the Ravens stumbled to a 10-7 halftime lead.
Flacco completed just five passes for 59 yards and on one drive in the second quarter, the Ravens lost 27 yards, mosty on two sacks. However, just before the end of the half, he completed a one-yard touchdown pass to tight end Daniel Wilcox Meanwhile, McNabb turned the ball over three times on two interceptions and fumble. One of McNabb's ill-advised throws was returned by Ravens safety Ed Reed to the Eagles' three-yard line and resulted in Flacco's TD pass to Wilcox with just under two minutes remaining in the half.
Donovan McNabb
8-18, 59 yards, 0 TD, 2 interceptions, 1 lost fumble, 2 sacks, four passing first downs, one delay of game
Joe Flacco
5-16, 59 yards, 1 TD, 0 interceptions, 0 lost fumbles, 2 sacks, 4 passing first downs, 1 delay of game
Comments
Bill,
The key so far with Flacco is that he hangs in there and doesn't seem to get flustered into making turnovers. Both starting QBs have played poorly but while McNabb has thrown 2 interceptions and added a fumble for three turnovers, Flacco into the 4th quarter has zero. That is a huge difference.
Other than the turnover in the Steelers game that turned around the momentum and cost the Ravens the game, Flacco has avoided disasters.
Posted by: Rich | November 23, 2008 3:54 PM
Just an addition to my last comment. Flacco has steadily improved although still has not completed 50% of his passes, and now his QB rating is in the 90s which is very good. Mainly due to zero turnovers and a couple of TD passes.
Just a world of difference watching Flacco play in his rookie year versus Boller. Boller simply never progressed, and continued to make poor decisions, turnovers and just trip over his own feet.
I'm not suggesting Flacco is great but he certainly has exceeded expectations this year and looks like he can be a very solid QB for a long time.
Posted by: Rich | November 23, 2008 4:12 PM
Flacco had at least 4 throwaways. I'll take those. Something he didn't do in the Tennessee and Indy games.
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Doug,
I don't know if he's being coached to do this but take note of what happens when he doesn't see something downfield. He heads to the right sideline, still looks and if nothing is there, he just throws it OB. I think it's a smart move if that's the default tactic.
-- Bill O.
Posted by: doug | November 23, 2008 8:05 PM
Bill,
Last week all the talk was about Jim Johnson's defense and how they go after the rookie QB's. It would seem that Joe did pretty good compared to his rookie counterparts on that list. In fact he did much better statistically than Matt Ryan.
My only gripe is that Joe doesn't seem to realize when they are bringing the blitz. Peyton Manning, for example, will see it immediately and call an audible - as he did last night for a touchdown when SD was bringing everybody.
When they blitz Joe, it usually doesn't turn out very well for us. He needs to recognize and get the ball out quicker. Other than that, he is the man!
Great win for the Ravens!! Did someone say Playoffs?!?
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Aman,
Peyton Manning may throw touchdowns against the blitz, I think Ravens' fans should just be satisfied that Flacco doesn't throw interceptions right now. He's a bright guy. If that is a hole in his game, he'll improve.
-- Bill O.
Posted by: Aman | November 24, 2008 8:46 AM