AFC championship game: QB Joe Flacco gets central stage to Baltimore Ravens performance – NFL Feature -1
Baltimore Ravens quarterback (QB), Joe Flacco, had one and probably the only regret in the 2011 National Football League (NFL) regular season and in the playoffs that he has not been given enough credit by his team for his role in their wins.
He has been outspoken on the issue, and has gone open about it on a number of occasions.
His concerns were amid the predominant role that Ravens' defence has been playing in their victories.
A majority of their wins have come through their strategy of suffocating the opposition offence line, before capitalising on the opportunities such as turnovers to score their points.
This was their sole approach in their playoff game against the Houston Texans, played at the M&T Bank Stadium, on Sunday, January 15, 2012.
The team’s defence completely blocked out the Texans young attack and were left down to just 13 points during the entire game. On the turnovers forced by them they managed as many as 20 points.
The Ravens put up 227 yards in total in the game. As many as 109 yards of them came in the first half.
So, it is the team’s traditional approach of banking too much and too often on their defence that their offence is overshadowed in its role.
In this context, Flacco could be true to his complaints of not getting the due recognition.
The team management including the coach has all those times called their wins a team-effort, leaving open for all the departments, to interpret the statement to their credibility and appreciation.
It may be for the first time that Joe Flacco might not have such a complaint as the ignorance of his team to uphold the significance of his role in their wins when he plays his next game this weekend.
The Baltimore Ravens are playing the New England Patriots for the American Football Conference (AFC) championship game on Sunday, January 22, 2012.
The game is important one for both teams. It is more significant for the Ravens. The side has made it to playoff for four times in last four years. This includes their postseason berth this year.
It is for the first time, since 2008, they are through to the AFC championship.
They are up against one of the toughest teams on the league. The strength of their opposition is the league’s best offence.
The Patriots have proved worth of their attack at many occasions. As of the latest, they outclassed the league’s 2011 star, Tim Tebow.
The Denver Broncos’ quarterback, who has assumed the status of a super star, may be of a cult to say more precisely. He was seen miserable in front of the Patriots attack line-up in their playoff game, on Sunday, January 22, 2012.
Some of commentators have defended the player (Tebow), amid the reports claiming he was injured.
In view of this performance, the Ravens are aware of the fact that their defensive strategy stands no chance in front of the opponents’ offensive aggression.
Ravens' veterans, Ray Lewis and Ed Reed will hardly be able to sustain their blockage for the period of the entire game.
It is this concern that the Ravens offence gets all of sudden focus and priority for the next game.
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