si.com compares home Joe vs. road Joe

**redmike34** · 11-28-2012, 09:25 PM

I just found this on si.com, and it's a fairly interesting article on a topic of some debate around here:

http://nfl.si.com/2012/11/28/break-i...?sct=nfl_wr_a3

**Haloti92** · 11-28-2012, 09:33 PM

Originally Posted by redmike34

I just found this on si.com, and it's a fairly interesting article on a topic of some debate around here:

http://nfl.si.com/2012/11/28/break-i...?sct=nfl_wr_a3

Makes sense to me. We certainly do much better (on the road especially) when there is nothing to lose, i.e. the game situation absolutely requires aggressiveness, i.e. late in game and down on scoreboard.

**bacchys** · 11-28-2012, 09:51 PM

Interesting article. I'd quibble that the o-line doesn't play quite as well on the road as at home, based on my own eyeball test. But the author makes a strong case that Flacco plays differently and makes different decisions on the road compared to at home.

I hope this is something the coaches are tracking and working with him. It's also a strong argument for having a QB coach: someone who can focus on the position and work with the players directly, instead of mixing it in with trying to integrate the offense as a whole.

**JustaslowZ06** · 11-28-2012, 09:57 PM

Good point. CONFIDENCE is the difference between great men and average men. Flacco just doesn't have alot of it. At home it's nice and easy, communication is easy, you're in front of your fans and everyone is much more relaxed. On the road he lets the pressure get to him. OR maybe it's the coaching staff? Maybe on the road they stress Flacco out, maybe with the whole don't screw whatever up?

Bottom line, Flacco plays like a top 5 QB when he's allowed to just sling it, without anyone in his ear and just a "go do your best son". Put the pressure on and he's a bottom 5 QB. Maybe Cam and Co should take notes. leave the guy alone.

**Ravenalytics** · 11-28-2012, 10:04 PM

Great article. In a way, it's oddly comforting to think maybe we just have one big problem, rather than a hundred little ones.

**bacchys** · 11-28-2012, 10:06 PM

Originally Posted by JustaslowZ06

Good point. CONFIDENCE is the difference between great men and average men. Flacco just doesn't have alot of it. At home it's nice and easy, communication is easy, you're in front of your fans and everyone is much more relaxed. On the road he lets the pressure get to him. OR maybe it's the coaching staff? Maybe on the road they stress Flacco out, maybe with the whole don't screw whatever up?

Bottom line, Flacco plays like a top 5 QB when he's allowed to just sling it, without anyone in his ear and just a "go do your best son". Put the pressure on and he's a bottom 5 QB. Maybe Cam and Co should take notes. leave the guy alone.

The problem I have with this analysis is that- on the road- Flacco's played his best when the pressure is greatest.

**akashicrecorder** · 11-28-2012, 10:24 PM

Originally Posted by bacchys

The problem I have with this analysis is that- on the road- Flacco's played his best when the pressure is greatest.

That was my greatest qualm, as well.

But I think maybe Justaslow was referring more to general pressure (i.e., whole game-related) than specific situational pressure (i.e., drive for the win-related). We have seen time and again that situational pressure means little to Flacco. General pressure from the coaching staff is what seems to wear on him/affect his decision-making.

**alienrace** · 11-28-2012, 11:41 PM

I think it has little to do with Flacco himself, and far more to do with the offensive line. Far too many times we see him getting harried, and also guys not getting open at all on the road. At home, receivers seem to get hugely wide open.

**leachisabeast** · 11-29-2012, 12:07 AM

Originally Posted by alienrace

I think it has little to do with Flacco himself, and far more to do with the offensive line. Far too many times we see him getting harried, and also guys not getting open at all on the road. At home, receivers seem to get hugely wide open.

lol comon man, don't start the blame culture on everyone else but Flacco. I'm a Flacco guy my self, but even when he has a clean pocket on the road, he often misses on a bunch of passes, like the one to Pitta as shown in this great article.

But Flacco played more like he did at home as the game wore on, and I wish he played like that in all road games, because we could be unstoppable with this defense improving every week. Washington will be a big test for that.

**RavensQB** · 11-29-2012, 12:10 AM

Originally Posted by leachisabeast

lol comon man, don't start the blame culture on everyone else but Flacco. I'm a Flacco guy my self, but even when he has a clean pocket on the road, he often misses on a bunch of passes.

Thats because most of those passes are on out patterns in a C-hair window to complete them. If he does not throw them high they get picked. That is the design. Not the QB

**leachisabeast** · 11-29-2012, 12:27 AM

Originally Posted by RavensQB

Thats because most of those passes are on out patterns in a C-hair window to complete them. If he does not throw them high they get picked. That is the design. Not the QB

Wait so that play where Pitta was open down field was on Cam somehow? That was simply an over throw by Flacco, go look at the pictures again, I'm not sure what could be more clear.

Now if we're addressing Cams play calling, as I've seen you post before, it's not so much the play calling, it's the system and those long ass developing routes, that's the problem here. You can't just have your QB sit back and wait for someone to get open, our Oline would need JO back at LT and a bunch of all pro's to do that in todays league.

**alienrace** · 11-29-2012, 01:16 AM

Originally Posted by leachisabeast

lol comon man, don't start the blame culture on everyone else but Flacco.

See, now I said I thought the problem was more with the offensive line, and yet somehow you read this as I am saying that Flacco is not to blame at all.

How and why do things like that always get so misconstrued on this forum? I never said Flacco wasn't also to blame. I just feel that the larger issue is the offensive line.

**RavensQB** · 11-29-2012, 01:58 AM

Originally Posted by leachisabeast

Wait so that play where Pitta was open down field was on Cam somehow? That was simply an over throw by Flacco, go look at the pictures again, I'm not sure what could be more clear.

Now if we're addressing Cams play calling, as I've seen you post before, it's not so much the play calling, it's the system and those long ass developing routes, that's the problem here. You can't just have your QB sit back and wait for someone to get open, our Oline would need JO back at LT and a bunch of all pro's to do that in todays league.

LMAO Tom Brady last week sailed 4 or 5 passes way over the heads of the recievers. Guess he sucks ass also. Joe makes bad throws, but he has made many HOLY FUCKING SHIT are you kidding me passes also. Thread the needle, Drop it in the bucket, The best of which was to Ray Rice over top of a CB that was much taller.

Picking that one pass over Pitta's head is like bringing a knife to a gun fight. Ya gonna LOSE!

**JustaslowZ06** · 11-29-2012, 03:50 AM

Originally Posted by akashicrecorder

That was my greatest qualm, as well.

But I think maybe Justaslow was referring more to general pressure (i.e., whole game-related) than specific situational pressure (i.e., drive for the win-related). We have seen time and again that situational pressure means little to Flacco. General pressure from the coaching staff is what seems to wear on him/affect his decision-making.

This. Was tired so didn't type it how I meant it,lol. Thanks.

**goldenelite28** · 11-29-2012, 06:31 AM

IMO it's just a "here we go again" mentality for the entire offense.

You generally see each part of the offense failing at different times throughout a drive.
We try to run on first and get stuffed. They we try to pass on 2nd and we have a drop, or the pass sails high.
Then on 3rd the RT gets beat immediately and no one is open quickly.

While it all falls on the QB it is hardly his fault entirely.

**Paintballguy** · 11-29-2012, 06:33 AM

For whatever reason, when Joe goes into a 4 minute or 2 minute hurry up offense on the road, he's almost unbeatable. Look at the last year in Pittsburgh or the year before in Pitt or the last part of the AFC championship game. You gotta wonder if Joe get's more leeway in that he gets several plays to pick from, and he just calls what he wants at the line. Also, I think Joe is definitely a rhythm QB. Once he starts stringing some completions together, he gets hot and keeps things moving.

**callahan09** · 11-29-2012, 07:22 AM

My opinion is that everyone, including the author of the Sports Illustrated article, has completely the wrong perspective on Joe's confidence. Does he have a confidence problem that seems exacerbated on the road? Yes, I think so, nobody is wrong about that. But what everyone has overlooked or mis-attributed is where that confidence problem lies exactly. Anybody who ever listens to Flacco knows he has a lot of confidence in himself. I would suggest that his confidence problem lies with his teammates. He doesn't trust that O line to hold. It's not that he doesn't trust HIMSELF, no, that's not why he doesn't stay in the pocket, step to the side, wait for the receiver to get open, make the play happen. No, no, no. He doesn't trust his O line. He doesn't have CONFIDENCE that the O line will protect him long enough to wait for that play to develop. And I believe the reason he doesn't have that confidence on the road, but does seem to have it at home, is because there is an actual, true discrepancy in the O line's performance on the road versus at home. On the road, we don't seem to do a good job of disguising the play, and we do an even worse job at disguising the snap count. This leads to the defense seemingly knowing exactly where to come at the QB, and exactly WHEN to come at the QB. So in the end, I would say that the blame lies mostly on whoever is responsible for keeping the play and the snap a mystery to the defense on the road.

**rharris1986** · 11-29-2012, 07:51 AM

Play Calling
Play Calling
Play Calling
Play Calling
Play Calling
Play Calling
Play Calling
Play Calling
Play Calling
Play Calling
etc., etc., etc,!

**Ravens44** · 11-29-2012, 08:58 AM

Originally Posted by rharris1986

Play Calling
Play Calling
Play Calling
Play Calling
Play Calling
Play Calling
Play Calling
Play Calling
Play Calling
Play Calling
etc., etc., etc,!

I will add this...because I think this is a bigger part of the problem...Play design.
When the play design does not fit the players' strengths or help put them in the best position to succeed, it will not matter what play is called.

**Paintballguy** · 11-29-2012, 09:01 AM

Originally Posted by Ravens44

I will add this...because I think this is a bigger part of the problem...Play design.
When the play design does not fit the players' strengths or help put them in the best position to succeed, it will not matter what play is called.

Someone needs to post the stats of which part of the field is being used for passes. I saw one where the sidelines were in the 60's and the middle was in the teens.