2012 NFL season: Time for Baltimore Ravens QB Joe Flacco to prove he is best – NFL Feature
Baltimore Ravens’ quarterback Joe Flacco is not a man of few words. He hits the headlines with his wisdom and views on a range of topics quite frequently.
This is another topic that no one takes him to his words. It is unfortunate no one heeds him, and even more regrettable is that no one believes him. Not even his managers, coaches and teammates. His colleagues sometimes offer him hearing
ears but not, of course, the supporting shoulders.
Joe during one of his outbursts this offseason laid a startling claim: he is the best QB in the league. Everyone, especially his managers, laughed him off. They thought it was another typical Joe-style outburst.
There was some silence for a while, and then gradually an analysis here and there from some commentators started pouring in, questioning the merit of the QB’s remarks, if not validating them.
Some even had another look at his record. Irrespective of the question whether they came somewhere closer to buy his claim of being the best in context of his record, they agreed to the point: the player certainly has the potential to
be the best.
They do not see any reason why he cannot be the one. His throws are as effective and as accurate as Peyton Manning's. His arm strength is second to none.
The problem they identified, however, is that the player has a remarkable amount of inconsistency in his performance. This leaves them to the question whether Joe should be blamed for this lapse or the Ravens should be held accountable
for it.
The fact is the Ravens never relied on their offence so much in their victories as they did on their defence. This is an issue Joe had often complained of. He blamed the team of ignoring him as far as credit-giving is concerned. It may
not be the credit-giving exactly but giving as much importance to the QB as they do to Ed Reed and other players on the defensive line. So Joe is right in his views that the offence and its leader have never been a priority for the team.
The Ravens too seem to have come to the realisation of the shortcoming to an extent. Coach, John Harbaugh, who is the main orchestrator of the defensive scheme in one of his remarks during the offseason said the team intends to shift focus
to their offence to some extent.
After all, they have rightly realised that the strategy of suffocating opposition’s offence and scoring on the turnover opportunities is not alone enough to get them the title. This lesson was taught to them by the New England Patriots
in the American Football Conference (AFC) championship game last season. The Ravens lost the game conveniently, to return empty-handed fourth time in four seasons.
Now the management has shown willingness to fix the problem. As a step forward, they have hired a fulltime quarterbacks’ coach, Jim Caldwell, thanks to his timely availability off the Indianapolis Colts release. The official has earned
credit of training and grooming former Indianapolis Colts’ star quarterback Peyton Manning – the only four-time most valuable player (MVP) in the league.
The good news for Joe is that the official has spoken high of his talent and potential. He insisted to have plans for the Ravens' QB but they will not be similar to the ones he had for Peyton. Jim believes every quarterback has his own
unique abilities and positives, and he aims to use a different training scheme for Joe to exploit his talent and groom it further.
Joe has not said anything to those plans but looks upbeat about the new development. His self-rating of being the best QB had also come after arrival of Jim in Baltimore.
Nevertheless, the QB has one of the best times in the league to prove he is the best. There is no debate if he was the best in the past or he is the best at present. The fact is that he is an elite QB and only a distance away to prove
he is the best, and the 2012 NFL season is the most suited time for him to do that.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article in no way reflect bettor.com's editorial policies
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