A passing resemblance

"For every Ryan Leaf, there's a Peyton Manning."

Unfortunately the above quote is not accurate. A Peyton Manning is quite rare. There have been many more Ryan Leafs over the years. Every team has in their history been saddled with one. I would change the above quote to read, for every Peyton Manning, there are a dozen Ryan Leafs, Kyle Bollers. The unfortunate truth is that based on historical averages, it's simply more accurate to bank on the fact that a QB won't do as well if rushed into the NFL. Manning is unique. Boller wasn't. There is good evidence that some youngsters with potential get "ruined" if rushed. If you got to choose an approach, the one used for Brady, Young, and Favre is simply higher yield. It's not just developing on the field, it's developing a psyche that can withstand the media. If the team and QB take a beating week after week, and that is all a new rookie QB knows, it can affect his whole career. The Baltimore media is not very forgiving of failure. Poor Boller, though universally acknowledged as having class, got attacked daily throughout his last 5 years here. And some would argue that regular encouragement and putting a new QB in situations where he is not set up for failure is actually the right way to "build up" a new QB. We were able to do that somewhat with Troy Smith last year, squeezing him into two games at the end of last year with nothing at stake, and nobody expecting him to take the helm. It's hard to deny the kind of poise he developed as a result. I fear Flacco is being thrown into the opposite situation today -- he's only a slight underdog, expectations are high for him and the city actually expects a win from him - another "showing improvement but still not there yet" still is going to earn him some media criticism and risk the team yanking his job away and giving his job back to Smith for game 2. And he's going out there with a lot of holes in the offense and a lot of key injuries. In other words, he is set up for failure. Will this level of expectation, but improbability of success, mess him up? It wouldn't for a Manning, but probably did for a Kyle Boller, a Ryan Leaf and countless others. Time will tell. The Ravens were stuck without a choice this week. It will be curious how they handle week 2 if they do have a choice.

With the bottom falling out from underneath the Orioles, the Terps loosing to who?- Middle Tennessee, and the Ravens ready to loose today..........please give me a Maryland Team to cheer on.....I don't want to look south east to D.C. for my team.

Loyal from England

Tom Brady held a clipboard because he was playing behind a very successful, established Quarterback. I am unconvinced that a year of holding a clipboard did made him a successful quarterback. He has that steely determination that great quarterbacks seem to have been borne with - he is the anti-Boller, in other words. I see Flacco having some of that and none of the jitteriness of Boller. I hope the fans realize there will be growing pains as you pointed out, but he looks like the real deal to me.

The 2003 team still had a very dominant defense, Jamal Lewis and were not far removed from their Super Bowl win. Boller was expected, as a rookie, to lead the team back to the Super Bowl.

Flacco starts for a team that was 5-11 last year,has been in decline for a while now and that dominant defense is getting close to retirement.

The expectatons of and pressure on Flacco is a galaxy away from what was expected of Boller. No comparison.

It is too bad Boller never worked out, it is too bad he was never given a chance to develop in a system that wasn't demanding win now, it's too bad he had Billick as a coach that used the philosophy "don't lose the game on offense, the defense is our offense, it's too bad he is treated the way he is in the press. He has been a stand up guy...signed a one year extension after McNair. I hope Flacco haas better luck and an easier fan base and press to please than Boller did.

I agree. The national media seem to think that starting early dooms a QB, but history says it can go either way. Maybe you are right and the great ones will succeed regardless, or maybe some individuals learn best by watching while others learn by doing. Either way, I don't think that Flacco starting today is cause for alarm. I just hope he stays healthy enough to get some quality experience, and I also hope that fans and the news media will actually give him a chance to develop before they start the booing/bashing. Even better, maybe, just maybe, he won't give them a reason (remember Rothlesberger's rookie campaign?).

The speed of the game is the piece that Flacco will need to adjust to. This will take time. It won't be evident for maybe a year if he's up to snuff. But ball security in the NFL is the big thing. If he throws for 125 yards a game this year an limits turnovers, we should be happy. The yardage will come. That being said, I say they go deep first play today...I went to Delaware, so I want to see it! Janek of Yorkshire, I was just thinking about who was going to be good in MD...not much for a while. But next year's O's might be interesting with Wieters and some young arms, definitely 2010. The Ravens are rebuilding in a league where it can be done quickly, and probably will have an early draft pick next year. Terps football, I really don't know what to say-- lots of skill positions and bad QBs...and Terps Bball, I'm at a loss as well. I guess we should just be patient...talk to Philly fans, they always make you feel better-- it's been a long time for them for anything.

After Flacco had started and played the entire third preseason game for the Ravens he stated that the best way for him to learn to play quarterback was to be out on the field playing the game. Flacco commented that for him experiencing and reacting to game situations on the field was the most effective way for him to learn and improve on his skills. Flacco seemed to imply that he believed he had for the most part learned what he could by watching the play of Boller and Smith from the sideline in the two previous games and now for him to continue to learn and to grow as a quarterback he has to play.

Now Facco has his opportunity. We will see what happens. I don't know what kind of a career Flacco will have in the NFL, but I am confident he will not allow today's game to dictate his future regardless of the outcome.

One of the factors seemingly lost on the analysis of rookie or young Qbs etc is the surrounding talent. The other for example is patience, when you realize that for example if Aikman had played the way he did but it was for the Ravens, the media would have run Aikman of town just like they did with Boller. No QB under Billick had much in the way of coaching or play calling or much in the way of talented WRs or a TE that could stay healthy. I think Bradshaw completed like 39% of his passes in his rookie season and suddenly got better when he had Stalwarth and Swan to throw to. That's what Flacco needs to be ready, he needs Ozzie to get him some WRs, some play makers. Hopefully, Harbaugh and Cam can help Ozzie identify some offensive talent, and draft some WRs, and then won't it be fun to watch the Ravens Offense actually score some TDs, before this decade is over.

No huddle offense, plenty of time in the pocket, audibles at the line, creative play calling, 260-lb McLain running behind 260+-lb Neal behind a 350+ O-Line. Sweet!

Gotta love the new look Ravens offense, and Flacco has earned the right run it.

Janek from Yorkshire wrote:

With the bottom falling out from underneath the Orioles, the Terps loosing to who?- Middle Tennessee, and the Ravens ready to loose today..........please give me a Maryland Team to cheer on.....I don't want to look south east to D.C. for my team.
Loyal from England

Go watch Man U or Chelsea, you fish n' cip -eatin' Limey wanne-be excuse for a football fan. Go catch a nice cricket match and drink some warm, sour beer. Go ahead and quit and root for the Skins. I guarantee you will be sorely disappointed. Quitter.

Just remember it takes a team to win football games , not just a q.b. Palmer is pretty darn good on a bad team and lost, Flacco is a rookie and his team played well and won. don't forget that football is the ultimate team game that has to run on all cylinders to win.

I wonder how Boller woulda fared with Cameron in place of Billick.

Janek from Yorkshire wrote:

With the bottom falling out from underneath the Orioles, the Terps loosing to who?- Middle Tennessee, and the Ravens ready to loose today..........please give me a Maryland Team to cheer on.....I don't want to look south east to D.C. for my team.
Loyal from England

The Ravens did ya right, mate, didnt they. Got any good Morris Minors to sell, or know s.o., please do let me know.