This made me so mad

[Ravenswintitle]

Schein does like the Ravens but he has always felt that Flacco is holding us back from a Super Bowl. He's been talking up Rice since the Rutgers days. He's always said great things about Ray and Reed. It's Flacco he has an issue with, not the Ravens.

Yup I heard him talking about it yesterday; basically saying the same thing and that it's the worse 9-2 team ever. But he loves Rice and thinks he is the reason the Ravens win games. You could make that argument...

[Paintballguy]

Schein does like the Ravens but he has always felt that Flacco is holding us back from a Super Bowl. He's been talking up Rice since the Rutgers days. He's always said great things about Ray and Reed. It's Flacco he has an issue with, not the Ravens.

Yeah I wish Flacco wouldn't have dropped that sure touchdown in the endzone of the AFC Championship or missed that chipshot fieldgoal to at least tie it. What a bum.

[somedumbguy]

From week to week, I don't trust Joe Flacco either. If by trust you mean have confidence that he will go out and be a great fantasy QB and throw 325/3TD/0Int. He has a lot of up and down games and that is neither a revelation nor a particularly interesting thing to write about at this point in time.

But you know when I do trust Joe Flacco? When the game is on the line, there is 3 minutes left and the Ravens need to score to win. More often than not he finds a way. He did last week against San Diego. Haters are the ones who complain that he checked down on 4th and 29 even though Rice converted. They would have hated if Rice came up short. They would have hated if Flacco through an incomplete pass into triple coverage. They would have called it lucky if he completed the pass and converted. Joe made a decision that instead of trying to force something that wasn't there, he would take his chances by getting the best open field runner in the NFL the ball uncovered in the open field. It was lucky as hell but I am glad he did that instead of trying to go down field on a lower percentage play. Joe found a way because that is what he does.

[JohnBKistler]

Schein does like the Ravens but he has always felt that Flacco is holding us back from a Super Bowl. He's been talking up Rice since the Rutgers days. He's always said great things about Ray and Reed. It's Flacco he has an issue with, not the Ravens.

That's fine. But there are probably better ways to make his point than to call a 355 yard game "average at best" and to call an improving defense "regressive". That is just lazy writing, imo...

[PerpetuallyBored74]

Schein's another one who watches highlights or looks at the fantasy stats instead of watching the games.

Otherwise he might have noticed what many of us have: that Cam has called games where he constantly sends our WRs on the same 2 routes: the fly or the out; when this happens the other D blanket covers the area downfield outside the hashes leaving our receivers double covered throughout the game. He did this against the Texans & Steelers.

Even when Cam adds more variety to the pass routes, he still tends to avoid sending our WRs over the middle of the field on slants and crossing routes. We saw this in the Eagles in the 2nd half, Chiefs (where we also had drops and penalties killing our offense) and the 1st 3 Qtrs of the Chargers games.

Finally, Cam has another bad habit: sending the RB straight up the middle constantly on 1st & 2nd down, even after the opposing D has adjusted and is poised to defend it; we saw this against the 2nd Browns game for 2 Qtrs.

Hey, waitaminutehere!!!

All of those games have been road games were our offense has sputtered and wheezed for most of the game or simply been DOA.

You think there could be a connection there?

[Section 502 Raven]

i don;t care what some fool says about Joe. Joe did suprise me on Sunday with so many passes that were nowhee near the receiver. its to late in teh season to have cmmunication problems and on many of the bad throws he didn;t seem under pressure and trying to throw the ball away.

[JMUpurkfool]

If this is the worst 9-2 team ever (it's not), then the Falcons are the worst 10-1 team ever.

In the end it doesn't matter. The team has shown they know how to win close games, and occasionally blow outs. This is very close to the same team that should have played for a Lombardi last year. We sucked on the road last year too.

The difference last year was that we seemed to beat all the good teams we played and lost to the bad teams. I feel like this team is just as good, if not better.

[GOTA]

That's fine. But there are probably better ways to make his point than to call a 355 yard game "average at best" and to call an improving defense "regressive". That is just lazy writing, imo...

That game was the perfect example of how deceiving stats can be. Joe was not very good but guys like Rice, Pitta and Torrey helped his stats tremendously by playing great.

I do agree with you about the regressive defense line. He should have pointed out that the defense has regressed from previous years but it certainly hasn't regressed compared to the start of the season.

[leachisabeast]

Typical hate for small market teams IMO. Houston and Atlanta are constantly being doubted too. If the top 3 in the Nfl were Denver, NE, and GB everyone would be washing their balls

[Ravens44]

i don;t care what some fool says about Joe. Joe did suprise me on Sunday with so many passes that were nowhee near the receiver. its to late in teh season to have cmmunication problems and on many of the bad throws he didn;t seem under pressure and trying to throw the ball away.

What I saw was exactly what another poster pointed out.
The Chargers inverted their DBs like the Steelers did.
And nothing changed in the Ravens playcalling, as usual...THAT is what I can't get over.
What that means is this...if the safety comes up and is underneath the receiver route and the corner is behind the receiver, then you have to throw high to get it over the underneath defender...AND you can't float the ball or it will be a pick six. You have to drive the ball high and either hope your guy jumps up to get it or it goes sailing harmlessly out of bounds. That's why Joe had almost no choice but to keep throwing high and out of bounds. A pick six and that game is over.

It continues to be a play design problem and has been for 4+ years now.
IF you noticed, in desperation mode at the end of the game, we ran the shotgun, used the entire field and moved right down the field.
And yet, even during that, the routes were simple, the throws were perfect, and the catches were great.

[Justlovemybirds]

That game was the perfect example of how deceiving stats can be. Joe was not very good but guys like Rice, Pitta and Torrey helped his stats tremendously by playing great.

I do agree with you about the regressive defense line. He should have pointed out that the defense has regressed from previous years but it certainly hasn't regressed compared to the start of the season.

He wasn't very good in the beginning (downright terrible), but settled down and made plays towards the end of game, a spectator he wasn't.

[JMUpurkfool]

That game was the perfect example of how deceiving stats can be. Joe was not very good but guys like Rice, Pitta and Torrey helped his stats tremendously by playing great.

I do agree with you about the regressive defense line. He should have pointed out that the defense has regressed from previous years but it certainly hasn't regressed compared to the start of the season.

Boldin also dropped a pass on third down early. Jones dropped an easy first down early when we were driving for a TD. Rice even dropped a screen pass.

Every QB's receivers help them. Brady dinks and dunks all the way down the field. Roethlisberger throws 5 WR screens a game. It's football.

Here is what is important about this stat line: 0 TO's

This team is almost impossible to beat when we don't turn the ball over. Flacco has been much better about this so far this season.

[Shambla]

One paragraph in and I feel like his credibility gets lost:

If receiver Lee Evans had been able to hold on to the ball, maybe we would all have a different perspective of Flacco.

As others have said, it sounds like he just looks at the guys on paper:

[ ] Big fantasy numbers?
[ ] Made it to the Super Bowl?
[ ] etc.

What Lee Evans did or didn't do should have zero effect on what we think of Flacco. Period.

[admartian]

Yep - I knew they would find a way to make a 66% completion rate of over 350 yards and TD (kncl some clutch throws) somehow "average" or bad.

All they're doing is trolling us (and other teams for that matter) for clicks. Plain and simple. That is the most logical explanation. The only other one is, that they;'re biased muthercruckers.... Or a bit of both.

You know what, FCUK THE NFL.com and all these other sites. I'm going on a blackout.

Is it just me, or can anyone get a job in journalism these days? Least respectable profession in my books. At least a fiction writer has the balls to call their work 'fake' on the onset.


Now where is that Jacoby 'haters gon' hate' catch gif?

[lovefootball]

Football sportswriters are all in pain this year. The great Qbs are having mediocre years and struggling to get to the postseason. These writers have ballwash their favorites so much they have lost touch with reality. As for schein, I'll bet his Baltimore wife called out Joe Flacco's name during an intimate moment and thats why he has to bash Flacco.
Don't expect any love for the Ravens(been that way since Modell move from cleveland to a better fan base here in Baltimore to win a Super Bowl), when the Ravens take down the manning boys,then someone will have to gave credit where credit is due. Personally, winning just silences these writers and thats better for all Ravens fans, we know better then anyone.

[B-more Ravor]

What Lee Evans did or didn't do should have zero effect on what we think of Flacco. Period.

Exactly. That line stuck out to me as well.

If we're talking about perception, then what else is Flacco supposed to do to get to the SB?

Does being in the SB mean that he's better than he is? How does not getting into the SB, when you made the perfect pass to get there, matter?

[JAB1985]

Ive read a few of scheins articles. Hes usually been pretty pro ravens, imo, even having them as his superbowl pick a year or two. Hes certainly not a flacco fan and i think thats because he blames him for making his predictions wrong in the past.

I wouldnt get to upset with anything he says though. He seems more like a personality than an analyst not unlike colin cowherd or skip bayless.

[srobert96]

i don;t care what some fool says about Joe. Joe did suprise me on Sunday with so many passes that were nowhee near the receiver. its to late in teh season to have cmmunication problems and on many of the bad throws he didn;t seem under pressure and trying to throw the ball away.

Not sure what game you were watching. He had been sacked 5 times and rushed 6 times by the end of the 3rd quarter. Announcers said that the receivers were all covered numerous times. He had some issues with the ball sailing a few times. That happens to all QBs. Difference is that people over analyze every Flacco incomplete pass. Joe has better numbers than Eli Manning this year. I wonder if Giant fans are questioning every missed pass by Eli.

[JohnBKistler]

Exactly. That line stuck out to me as well.

If we're talking about perception, then what else is Flacco supposed to do to get to the SB?

Does being in the SB mean that he's better than he is? How does not getting into the SB, when you made the perfect pass to get there, matter?

Perhaps if Lee had caught it against his helmet, things would be different...

[Ravens44]

Perhaps if Lee had caught it against his helmet, things would be different...

Exactly.
Eli has two rings because of some outstanding and even miraculous plays by his receivers and some luck.
If the unknown receiver doesn't make an out of this world on his head with one hand while an all pro safety drills him in the back and still hangs on, they don't win that first one.
If the Niners kick returner didn't get hurt, the Giants don't even make the Super bowl last year not to mention the crazy over the head catch by Manningham while having two defenders inside his uniform during the last drive of the Super bowl.

Ben doesn't win the one against the Cardinals if Harrison doesn't run back an interception 100 yards with no time left at the half or that impossible catch by Holmes.

It is crazy. What if Vinatieri missed all those game winning kicks for Brady?
Would we still look at him as being so great?
One can go on and on with this kind of logic.
All great quarterbacks have had help being great.