How Jim Caldwell Elevated Joe Flacco to Elite Status and Saved Our Season

**OriAl** · 01-23-2013, 04:02 PM

Originally Posted by BcRaven

Listening to your Head Coach and starting QB are very good attributes. Apparently Caldwell is more flexible than Cam, therefore more successful... Bc

That's a good attribute to have.

**mmi16** · 01-23-2013, 06:51 PM

Originally Posted by bacchys

We can definitely see it in the red zone. All three of Flacco's touchdowns against the Pats were in the middle of the end zone. With Cam calling the plays, we usually saw fade or out routes, and never a quick pattern. We have big, strong receivers, especially Q and Pitta. We didn't use those strengths under Cam.

We got TD's out of those Red Zone visits - with Cam, more than likely, we would have been kicking field goals.

**Everything_Ravens** · 01-23-2013, 08:40 PM

Originally Posted by Purplenemesis

I like how Flacco is now willing to throw the ball up if Boldin is covered one on one, and let him out physical the db for the ball. I hardly ever saw that in the Cameron offense.

I can't believe we stuck by Cameron for so long. He had to have been one of the worse offensive coordinators in the league. There is no chance any intelligent franchise hires him, except maybe as a running backs coach.

wow wow WOW!! Lets not get carried away here! i was just as happy as anyone else when he got fired but lets not forget this guy won more than he lost. He is definitely not "one of the worse oc in the league". We just had high expectations around here and his production or lack there of at times, seemed to keep us from getting over the hump to that next level.

**Paintballguy** · 01-23-2013, 08:52 PM

Originally Posted by Everything_Ravens

wow wow WOW!! Lets not get carried away here! i was just as happy as anyone else when he got fired but lets not forget this guy won more than he lost. He is definitely not "one of the worse oc in the league". We just had high expectations around here and his production or lack there of at times, seemed to keep us from getting over the hump to that next level.

Cameron was one of the worst play callers in the nfl. I wouldn't say worst oc because he could put together an offense.

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**lobachevsky** · 01-24-2013, 06:59 AM

@trailhiker85: Having just reread James McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom (IMO the best 1-volume history of the Civil War era) I commend you for a pithy & trenchant analogy.

@Firststater: Improved OL play (leading to greater QB trust & comfort) is certainly key to Flacco's ascension, but I would wonder how much of that turns on play-calling that provides Joe with faster-developing options & keeps the opposing pass-rush honest. Like most everyone here I will be curious to get the scoop on the OL reshuffle--was McKinnie out of shape, or unmotivated, or "in the doghouse," & what (& whose) actions finally got him back into the starting lineup & playing to (near) his potential. (I don't think we'll see the real story on that for months, if not years, but it will be interesting whenever.)

**BmoreBrawla** · 01-24-2013, 09:15 AM

Can we make all the Cam apologists in the media(99% of the media) and posters here wear a scarlet letter?

**trailhiker85** · 01-24-2013, 12:02 PM

Originally Posted by lobachevsky

@trailhiker85: Having just reread James McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom (IMO the best 1-volume history of the Civil War era) I commend you for a pithy & trenchant analogy.

And I commend you for being able to effectively use adjectives like "pithy" and "trenchant" ...

**bacchys** · 01-24-2013, 12:05 PM

Originally Posted by wickedsolo

It's weird to think that Mason was, theoretically, more effective in Cam's offense than Boldin was. I wonder why Cam seemed to know how to use Mason...but not Boldin?

I don't think it was Cam knowing how to use Mason better. Mason was a brilliant route-runner, and Flacco trusted him.

We used to complain about the other receivers not getting open (Clayton, D. Williams, Houshmandzadeh, and even Boldin), but I noticed that whenever Flacco threw to one of them he was wiiiide open. Three, four steps open. With Mason, even if the defender was right on him Flacco would make the throw. He trusted Mason to make the catch. He had that with Heap, too, but Heap spent more time as a blocker during Flacco's first two seasons than receiving.

Boldin in a lot of ways is a bigger, stronger Mason, but he's not as good at route-running as Mason. He relies more on his strength than precision route-running. We saw that with Talib in the early going in the AFCCG. Flacco's built that same trust with Boldin over the last couple of years, however, and we saw that, too, on the two TD receptions he had in the AFCCG.