Double standard

**OriAl** · 12-31-2007, 02:22 PM

The double standard for quarterbacks here is amazing. If the quarterback is named Boller, every bad thing he does is magnified, and every good thing he does is ignored or minimized. If the quarterback is named Smith,
every bad tthing he does is ignored or minimized, and every good thing he does is maximized. Here are a few facts, with opinions at the end of each.

Fact: With the offensive line playing its best game of the season by far, doing a fine job of both pass blocking and run blocking, Smith completed 16 of 27 passes (59%) for 171 yards and a TD. We ran for more yards than
Smith passed. For the season, under much more pressure than Smith faced yesterday, Boller has completed 60& of his passes. If Boller truly sucks, why is his completion percentage higher than Smith's?

Fact: In two starts, Smith has thrown five passes right to defenders (fortunately, all were dropped), tripped over his own feet once, and fumbled three times, twice without being hit (a rule protecting quarterbacks saved him from being charged with a fumble, but the fact is that if the ball had come lose before his butt hit the ground, it would
have been a fumble. He has to secure the ball better.) If Boller made all those mistakes, he'd be crucified. People still post about him fumbling without being hit two years ago. Nobody posts about McNair doing it, or tripping over his own feet, last season, and Smith doing it is ignored - only Boller is tarred for life.

Fact: Smith's accuracy improved in the second half, but he only put up seven points. That almost wasn't enough, thanks to the defense. If Boller puts up only seven points in a half, he's criticized. If Boller came close to losing a 20 point lead, we'd never hear the end of it.

Fact: With about three minutes left, Smith got the ball with a chance to lead a drive that would keep the Steelers from getting another chance to touch the ball. He was unable to do that. When similar things happened with Boller, he was criticized.

For the first time all season, luck was on the the Ravens' side. Almost every bounce went our way. Passes that should have been picked off were dropped, almost every fumble wound up in a Ravens' hands. All season
long, picks weren't dropped, tipped passes were picked off, and fumbles landed in opponent's hands.

Smith played well yesterday, thanks to great pass blocking, but he didn't earn the starting job. He showed that, like Boller, he can put up points if the offensive line does its job and protects him. This is a good thing - it shows that whichever QB gets the starting job next season, we'll be
able to score points if he's protected. Instead of looking for every excuse to throw Boller under a bus, why not be pleased that we have two capable QBs, and root for both of them? Hopefully, Sunday's o-line performance was a sign of things to come, and not just a fluke - if the
line plays like that next season, we're in good shape. If it had played like that this season, despite our defensive struggles, we'd be closer to 11-5 than 5-11.

An aside - isn't it interesting how nobody had a problem with Billick's playcalling Sunday? A coach looks a lot smarter when players execute than when they don't.

**HoustonRaven** · 12-31-2007, 02:23 PM

Dude, everyone here is talking Billick and you do this now? and not in the QB debate thread?

**Raveninwoodlawn** · 12-31-2007, 02:25 PM

More Boller crap?

**OriAl** · 12-31-2007, 02:28 PM

Boller is still here, Billick isn't.

**HoustonRaven** · 12-31-2007, 02:29 PM

Can this thread get moved to its proper place?

**RavenTD** · 12-31-2007, 02:31 PM

If you look at something long and hard enough.You will see whatever you want to see.

**highwater** · 12-31-2007, 02:34 PM

Originally Posted by OriAl

Boller is still here, Billick isn't.

This is true, and I agree with most of your post. As I mentioned in another thread, I was encouraged by Smith's play in the last game, but it really all comes down to pass protection. In most of our games this year, we haven't protected the QB very well. No matter who the QB is, we have to give him a chance to make a play.

**Sephy** · 12-31-2007, 03:29 PM

Jesus, dude. Of COURSE there is a double standard! You're comparing a FIVE YEAR VETERAN with a rookie who has just started his second game. I'm not impressed that a 5 year vet can beat out Troy's completion percentage by 8 tenths of a percent.

Of course pass blocking is crucial. It is crucial for everyone. Boller needs it, Troy needs it, Peyton needs it, Brady needs it. People are just excited about what they saw from a ROOKIE. In his SECOND START. There's a reason the criticisms aren't the same.

**4G63** · 12-31-2007, 05:28 PM

Originally Posted by Sephy

Jesus, dude. Of COURSE there is a double standard! You're comparing a FIVE YEAR VETERAN with a rookie who has just started his second game. I'm not impressed that a 5 year vet can beat out Troy's completion percentage by 8 tenths of a percent.

Of course pass blocking is crucial. It is crucial for everyone. Boller needs it, Troy needs it, Peyton needs it, Brady needs it. People are just excited about what they saw from a ROOKIE. In his SECOND START. There's a reason the criticisms aren't the same.

**StingerNLG** · 12-31-2007, 06:10 PM

For the love of God this is NOT the time to talk about this!

How about we let Ozzie and Bisciotti find us a new HC and let that person bring in some new coaches before ANY decisions about position players are made???

**ravenwoman** · 12-31-2007, 07:43 PM

I think everything with evaluating players is totally on HOLD right now. Ozzie said that first and foremost, they have to hire a coach. Then the coach has to hire a staff of asst. coaches. Then, those coaches will evaluate all of our players. All this has to be done before the draft, so Owings Mills is going to be a very busy place in the next few weeks. The last thing anyone is thinking about is QBs.

**festivus** · 12-31-2007, 08:50 PM

Ori Al, don't mind the naysayers. Your point is well taken, and I agree with a lot of it. Though the conversation generally does seem to be concerning other things. . .

Anyway your point is well taken.

**Baltoman07** · 12-31-2007, 09:22 PM

Boller has many supporters, they just are tired of defending him to lamebrains.

**Mwjergs** · 12-31-2007, 09:48 PM

I understand your points.
But, perception has always been about expectations.

Boller was a first round pick. The expectation is that first round selections should be major contributors to the team. The expectation was that he was the QB of the future and someone to build around. He was unfairly "given" the job as a rookie, and forced to learn on the job while the vets he had to lead around him openly questioned the decision. He wasn't ready for it but when the front office gives you the only option of a bum shouldered Chris Redman, what would you do?
Smith was a Heisman winner but as history has told us, that counts in the NFL as much as leading your 9-10 rec team to victory in Pop Warner. He was a sixth round pick. The expectation for him was that he was a third stringer with chance to learn. He wasn't being counted on even in the near future, in fact Billick bristled at even giving him a chance this year. Fate intervenes and injury allows him to play. It's certainly way too early to pronounce Smith a starter based on two games. But, at least you have some small idea of what he might bring to the table as an NFL QB.

This leads to the next point. Has Boller reached the maximum of what he is capable of? He enters year six of his career after playing 53 games and has thrown 45 TDs against 44 INTs.

As the team has reached a crossroads, is he the man to anoint the starter? I feel that it is hard to say that will true confidence. We will see into next year but, you still have 3 QBs under contract? Is McNair done? Do you try and sign a Jeff Garcia or McNabb short term? Do you allow a competition between Boller/Smith, or his Kyle the #1 and Smith the #2 into next season? I can't answer any of these things yet.

So, yes, it's a double standard. Much was expected of him and perhaps unfairly but, the question remains for me- Is he a NFL starting QB? I feel that he is a very capable backup but I'm not sure if he is the next one to lead the Ravens into a new era.

**Purpleguy** · 01-01-2008, 12:24 AM

Originally Posted by StingerNLG

For the love of God this is NOT the time to talk about this!

How about we let Ozzie and Bisciotti find us a new HC and let that person bring in some new coaches before ANY decisions about position players are made???

We have to make sure Ozzie has plenty of time for sleep during this process. That is very imporatant to him.

**BlackOutD** · 01-01-2008, 09:27 AM

Honestly, no matter how you slice it, I don't think either one of them is TRULY the answer

**OriAl** · 01-01-2008, 03:34 PM

If the line doesn't protect, nobody is the answer at QB. That's my primary point.

Peyton Manning is a great quarterback - I think nobody disagrees. Look at his numbers when he's forced from the pocket - far from great. When his left tackle missed a game, and he was pressured on most attempts, he threw six picks. Did he suddenly become a lousy QB that day? Of course not.

People have complained about letting Anderson go, because he's done well in Cleveland. He's also been protected by a good line. Perfect example - Browns' game here. Boller was sacked six times, and hurried ten (our line didn't even show up in the first half.) in the second half, with a little protection, Boller led us to 23 points and a lead the defense blew with 16 seconds left. Anderson was sacked once, and hurried maybe five times.

When Boller gets some protection, he plays well (see New England game.) If he would ever get the protection Manning and Brady get, he'd play well consistently. His entire career here, he played first behind lines built to run block, and now a line with rookies and aging, injured veterans. I think he did a lot better this season than should have been expected with that line. 61.1% completion rate, including big plays downfield. I hope the new staff looks at his games when he got some protection, and doesn't just buy into the media and fans' line re Boller. We CAN win with him.

**BlackOutD** · 01-01-2008, 03:42 PM

I very much agree with what your saying about the Oline and such, good points

**StingerNLG** · 01-01-2008, 06:26 PM

Look guys. Right now our QB situation, as big a lightning rod as the subject is, is on hold right now.

We need to actually have a Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator first. Now we're down our top two positions, and however many coaches were given the boot.

And you have NO idea what any new HC is going to think of who is here. Maybe the next HC thinks he can build the offense AROUND one of our two young QB's. Maybe he comes in and says he doesn't want ANY of them and wants to start with a new QB altogether.

Oh yeah, BTW we have this issue of whether Ogden is going to retire or not. That is going to shape the OL next year.

How about we let some other chips fall first. THEN let's fight about Boller and Smith again?