Kyle Boller Retires (Merged)

**festivus** · 07-30-2012, 09:14 AM

I think it was a game against the Jets, where he (or maybe somebody else? don't remember) fumbled the ball, and he ended up diving on it in traffic about 10 yards away from where he'd been. What other quarterback dives on loose balls?

That dude had heart. I hope my kids, in whatever sports they choose, play with that much passion.

**Whitty Hutton** · 07-30-2012, 09:51 AM

I think you're confusing passion with busting you butt to try to make up for your screw-ups. A QB fumbles the ball or throws braindead interceptions he should be diving and tackling to get that ball back

**festivus** · 07-30-2012, 10:55 AM

Originally Posted by Whitty Hutton

I think you're confusing passion with busting you butt to try to make up for your screw-ups. A QB fumbles the ball or throws braindead interceptions he should be diving and tackling to get that ball back

I hadn't noticed he fumbled the ball sometimes. Thanks for pointing that out.

**OriAl** · 07-30-2012, 02:23 PM

Originally Posted by Reed 'Em and Heap

As my illustrious title as a Newbie indicates, I haven't been on this forum very much, so I don't know what the general consensus is around here on the Pro Boller, but regardless of our opinions of his on-field performance, I think we should all be able to wish him well. I don't think he would have ever amounted to anything more than an average starter, but he was handled poorly and was thrust into a situation with a ton of pressure and few tools to work with. And yet, he always put up with the bile and the sometimes vindictive press (think Mike Preston) in a classy way, and despite the hilarious gaffes and head-scratching decision-making, you never got the feeling that he'd quit or that he cared any less on his last day as a Raven as he did on his first. Good luck, Kyle. Here's hoping for a good post-football life for a good guy.

Agreed. Let's see, he had Ogden to protect him, but little else (Mulitalo was decent.) He had Heap as a reliable receiver, and little else. He was on an offense built to be a running team. He had Cavanaugh as OC for several seasons. He played hard, but he was running against the wind, IMO.

**The Excellector** · 07-30-2012, 03:45 PM

Originally Posted by OriAl

Agreed. Let's see, he had Ogden to protect him, but little else (Mulitalo was decent.) He had Heap as a reliable receiver, and little else. He was on an offense built to be a running team. He had Cavanaugh as OC for several seasons. He played hard, but he was running against the wind, IMO.

It makes you wonder how much has changed since then. Flacco has Cameron for a coordinator, one reliable TE, a better WR group I suppose, but still on an offense focused on running the ball.

**Ravenswintitle** · 07-30-2012, 03:57 PM

Attachment 1039

**PeterB58** · 07-31-2012, 07:01 AM

I was part of the "give him time" chorus in 2003 and 2004. I was hopeful that he would mature into a decent starting QB. In hindsight, those that wanted to move on from him after year 1 were right. You just cannot teach accuracy. And I don't recall a QB that fumbled the ball without anyone touching him more often. It was one of those fumbles, against Denver, in 2005, that did it for me.

Boller seemed like a nice enough guy, he never complained, and he took a ton of abuse, nationally and locally. Much of it was earned, though.

In the end, Newsome and Billick rolled the dice with Boller and lost. Billick once commented that if you screw-up the first round QB pick, you set back your organization five years. He was right (unfortunately).