Joe Flacco Ain't Bad!

[CanDB]

The argument never seems to go away....whether or not Joe Flacco is an "elite" QB. One thing is for sure however, this guy is solid in the playoffs, and he just broke a record for most playoff road victories. He's now 6 and 4, one better than Eli Manning.

Now lets be clear, you can't win a lot of road playoff games if you are a high seed, which is the territory of Brady and others. But still, winning games on the road, in the playoffs, means you are facing tougher odds. And in my books, Flacco played good enough last year to beat New England in the AFC Final.....if so, he's 7 and 3 in the playoffs (on the road), and now going into his second straight SB. That would be pretty impressive!

Listen, I am not a big Flacco fan, but he did make a lot of key plays this year when needed most, and today he again outplayed Brady on New England soil. And last week, I kept expecting him to mess up.....and he really didn't. In fact, he caught my attention, and never seemed to let it be.

Anyway.....hats off to the dude. Baltimore isn't just about D anymore (although they played a solid game today). Joe Flacco deserves a ton of credit for his persistence and yes, talent.

[jcdavey]

flacco had a real nice game in ne in the last playoffs too

flacco is definitely playing some very good football, he's got some good targets too

[broncoFan!]

Flacco is basically Trent Dilfer or Eli Manning, however you look at it.

Very good solid franchise QB to build around though. I'm interested to see how he will play against the 49ers though. They have a hard-hitting defense.

[LSIGRAD09]

Hate to say it, Flacco deserved the SB appearance. In my eyes. He's made it to the dance for years. Too bad that we lost, but Flacco can play when it counts. He balls hard.

[Peanut]

Am I allowed to disagree?

I'll check back later for the answer.

[db1978]

I'll disagree....he only looks good when the has no pressure on him. Kudos to him for making the throws, but when was the last time he came up aces with consistent pressure from a pass rush.

[bears6385]

I'll disagree....he only looks good when the has no pressure on him. Kudos to him for making the throws, but when was the last time he came up aces with consistent pressure from a pass rush.

Hell even Brady has trouble with consistant pressure from a pass rush, i.e. last years Super Bowl.

As for "elite" WHO CARES Flacco is the hot QB on the hot team that will win the Super Bowl this year and bring it back to the AFC.

[CanDB]

Am I allowed to disagree?

I'll check back later for the answer.

I'll disagree....he only looks good when the has no pressure on him. Kudos to him for making the throws, but when was the last time he came up aces with consistent pressure from a pass rush.

Well......lets agree to disagree. The knock on many QBs is their inability to win in the playoffs. That's pressure time. In my books Flacco's record in the playoffs has been stellar. I don't care if he had a great D or just a good D, he had a lot to do with the Ravens success when the games get big. He has played at least 2 playoff games every year he has been in the league, which means he has been involved with at least one win each year. Last year he outplayed Brady for the AFC Final, and threw what should have been the game winning pass, had his receiver held on to it. This year he won three games, and has a great passer rating to back up his work. Beating Luck is one thing, but to go on the road and beat Manning and Brady is really good stuff!

He helped get his team to The Dance, and if they win, his stock will rise some more.

I didn't say he was "elite", but he might just be after his next game.

[Spice 1]

Flacco is basically Trent Dilfer or Eli Manning, however you look at it.

Very good solid franchise QB to build around though. I'm interested to see how he will play against the 49ers though. They have a hard-hitting defense.

I'd say he's somewhere between the two.

He's not just a game manager, because he can make big throws without having to worry about him turning the ball over. I think he's a good quarterback, but I'm not going to say he's a great one. He misses big on a lot of throws, and he's not seeing very much pressure. He's got a great arm, but his accuracy downfield isn't all that great when you compare him to guys like Eli. Bolden and Smith have been making stupid catches in the playoffs so far as well. When you can throw a jump ball into coverage and have a high completion rate, that says as much about the receiver as the QB.

The road playoff victory numbers really don't impress me all that much. Mark Sanchez was also on that list. I think the best thing that can be said about Flacco, is that he's clutch. He makes very good decisions with the football, and he can make big time throws downfield.

[BroncoFanBoy]

I'm not gonna call him great, but he deserves to be in the Super Bowl. He's played great football the last few weeks.

[Andyy_47]

It's really hard not to say he's playing terrific this playoff run. I wonder why he can't do it in the regular season however, he got out duelled by Chaz Batch for crying out loud.

He elevates the play of that offense, as soon as they put the ball in his hands that team just clicks. I also love his attitude. He was asked (stupidly) if the spirit of Ray Lewis is out there on offense when they take the field. He said no, we just run the plays called. This is his team now and he has taken it upon his shoulders. It's a fun maturation process we're witnessing. When Rays gone, this is Joe's team.

[BroncoFanNC]

Very Eli Manning like...

[Peanut]

I'll disagree....he only looks good when the has no pressure on him. Kudos to him for making the throws, but when was the last time he came up aces with consistent pressure from a pass rush.

This is pretty much what I was going to say. I wonder how good he would be if that O-line was taken away? Sometimes I just think that Flacco gets misplaced credit that should go to the O-line. When he gets pressured, he's not that accurate. Yes, that applies to a lot of QBs.

I didn't know if this was a "Flacco is good" only thread or if opposing views were welcomed. That's why I asked.

It will be interesting to see how the O-line and Flacco handle SF's D.

[CanDB]

This is pretty much what I was going to say. I wonder how good he would be if that O-line was taken away? Sometimes I just think that Flacco gets misplaced credit that should go to the O-line. When he gets pressured, he's not that accurate. Yes, that applies to a lot of QBs.

I didn't know if this was a "Flacco is good" only thread or if opposing views were welcomed. That's why I asked.

It will be interesting to see how the O-line and Flacco handle SF's D.

Given your role, I think you know that agreeing with the OP is not the norm around here. I welcome opposing views. I clearly believe what I believe, but am open to disagreement and if nothing else, different perspectives.

I don't know how folks don't buy in to a guy who's won at least one playoff game every year of his career. Like I have already said......he should have been in last year's SB, outplaying Brady in New England, and he has been incredible in the playoffs this year, just under 115 passer rating against three teams - two of them The Ravens were not supposed to beat.

There are a lot of QBs who play well in the regular season but don't deliver at the most crucial times. I think Flacco has some Big Ben fan feelings.....no matter how many big games they win, they just aren't appreciated for their play. And this coming from a guy who doesn't pull for Flacco.

As for some other folks' comments.....don't compare him to Sanchez re: playoffs. Sanchez was good for a while. He's dropped off since. As for Eli.....well, that's a compliment. Winning 2 SBs puts you in a special class. If Flacco wins one, he too is in a special class. I don't know, The Ravens are underdogs again....hmmm.

[bronx_2003]

Flacco is definetly not elite.

Elite QB's show up every week and have done that for 3-4 seasons plus.

Brady, Rodgers, Manning, Bree's are a long way ahead of anyone else IMO.

Eli was creeping up there but was again his inconsistant self this year.

Flacco has too many up and down weeks IMO. To his credit he has played pretty well in the playoffs, but I still think the hail mary at the end of our game should of been an easy pick. He throws it up a mile into double coverage and we make an awful mistake.

Against the Pats he struggled in the first half but the D kept him in the game. He picked it up in the second.

I HATE QB's being just judged on W-L's. We didn't lose because of PM. He did enough IMO. We lost because of our D.

The Ravens IMO will be favorites in the SB and will win.

If Flacco can be consistenty good next season then he could be moved up to elite.