Bad luck on the Flacco deal?

**FadeToBlack** · 12-05-2013, 11:43 PM

When deciding what to do with Joe Flacco this offseason, our FO was between a rock and a hard place (BTW, what the hell is a "hard place"?): Either we let Joe walk after winning a Super Bowl and defend the title with Tyrod as the QB, or we pay a top 15 QB like he is a top 3 QB and pray it doesn't wreck other areas of the team.

I was just wondering do you feel we just got caught in bad luck (and this is just a risk all teams take) or is there something the FO could have done to avoid tying up so much money in a QB at the expense of other positions on the field?

**Raveninwoodlawn** · 12-06-2013, 12:09 AM

Originally Posted by FadeToBlack

When deciding what to do with Joe Flacco this offseason, our FO was between a rock and a hard place (BTW, what the hell is a "hard place"?): Either we let Joe walk after winning a Super Bowl and defend the title with Tyrod as the QB, or we pay a top 15 QB like he is a top 3 QB and pray it doesn't wreck other areas of the team.

I was just wondering do you feel we just got caught in bad luck (and this is just a risk all teams take) or is there something the FO could have done to avoid tying up so much money in a QB at the expense of other positions on the field?

I can't call anything about that deal "bad luck"...we won a Super Bowl.

The team had their chance to sign him...haggled over a million bucks, and had to pay for it. FTR...the numbers I heard...around $17 million per...before the season would have had just as many knuckleheads complaining that he was overpaid.

His contract is a non issue to me until 2016. His cap numbers until then are very manageable. It'll be interesting to see how those negotiations will go at that point...how will these 3 years play out for his play and value? Will he get another deal that gives him record money? We can't really answer those questions until it's time for his renegotiation...I have a feeling he will have the team bent over again though.

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**Tspot-D-Ravenator** · 12-06-2013, 12:13 AM

Originally Posted by FadeToBlack

When deciding what to do with Joe Flacco this offseason, our FO was between a rock and a hard place (BTW, what the hell is a "hard place"?): Either we let Joe walk after winning a Super Bowl and defend the title with Tyrod as the QB, or we pay a top 15 QB like he is a top 3 QB and pray it doesn't wreck other areas of the team.

I was just wondering do you feel we just got caught in bad luck (and this is just a risk all teams take) or is there something the FO could have done to avoid tying up so much money in a QB at the expense of other positions on the field?

You got to be kidding me... :grbac:

**I Touchdown There** · 12-06-2013, 12:16 AM

Originally Posted by Tspot-D-Ravenator

You got to be kidding me... :grbac:

Dead. Horse. YAWN

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**ravensnhokies** · 12-06-2013, 12:29 AM

Face facts but that's the price of a franchise QB nowadays. Whether you believe he is worthy or not (you are insinuating he's not), the Ravens organization deemed him worthy of being their franchise QB. Not bad luck... just a moot point. They know what's best for their franchise and not a bunch of armchair GMs like us. Now if you want to make a point that Joe isn't playing up to his contract... that's fine... I'll disagree strongly, but its your opinion.

Pitta going down to a major hip injury is bad luck.

**FadeToBlack** · 12-06-2013, 12:31 AM

Originally Posted by Raveninwoodlawn

His contract is a non issue to me until 2016. His cap. Umbels until then are very manageable. It'll be interesting to see how those negotiations will go at that point...how will these 3 years play out for his play and value? Will he get another deal that gives him record money? We can't really answer those questions until it's time for his renegotiation...I have a feeling he will have the team bent over again though.

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A lot of that will depend on how the TEAM as a whole looks. If this team is rolling 6-6 records into December and not recreating magic like it did last year, there will be pressure for change and Flacco will be the easy target. On the other hand, if Joe gets all the help around him he requires to play above average ball and the team is rolling 9-3 at this time, the team could mortgage the near future to get one last run.

Still, I can't help but feel this is an inefficient use of money. Maybe teams like the Ravens (defense first) have to overpay for QBs simply because the position demands top dollar whether you have a top talent or not.

**FadeToBlack** · 12-06-2013, 12:37 AM

Originally Posted by ravensnhokies

Face facts but that's the price of a franchise QB nowadays. Whether you believe he is worthy or not (you are insinuating he's not), the Ravens organization deemed him worthy of being their franchise QB. Not bad luck... just a moot point. They know what's best for their franchise and not a bunch of armchair GMs like us. Now if you want to make a point that Joe isn't playing up to his contract... that's fine... I'll disagree strongly, but its your opinion.

Pitta going down to a major hip injury is bad luck.

Well, Flacco never could play up to that contract. I'm not sure why you think he is, hell, the Ravens THEMSELVES weren't expecting him to either. The FO simply had a choice: either overpay for Flacco or face the scorn of the fans and media for trotting Tyrod Taylor on the field as defending champs. Neither was a good deal, but option A was obviously easier to answer for than option B.

**Jayc00** · 12-06-2013, 12:56 AM

I can see where this is going to head fast.

Like RIW said, Ravens had the chance to get him cheaper and they blew it trying to low ball at first as usual.

I'd rather us win the Super Bowl and pay a QB who had a record post season, rather than not make the Super Bowl and pay Flacco less and still lose the players we were going to lose and be in the same position we would have been anyway.

Really though? Bad luck signing a franchise QB?

**ravensnhokies** · 12-06-2013, 12:59 AM

I'm not gonna waste my time on another thinly veiled Joe sucks thread, but his cap number in 2013 is not bad. Is Ngata, Rice, Yanda, even Suggs of recent playing up to their 2013 cap value? Joe could be better but so could these other big ticket players. This year the blame has to get spread around to the whole team... OL, Rice, QB Play, Defense in 4Q, In Game Coaching Decisions, Personnel Decisions, etc.

You made a point that the Ravens are a defense first organization. If I recall, when the OC finally let Joe have freedom at the LOS, the OL gave him time, and the WR were truly a group of weapons, how did Joe play? Pretty damn good in the biggest games of his career. Maybe the organizational problem is that the Ravens should start realizing that building an offense first team around a franchise QB is not a bad strategy. Expecting their franchise QB to make chicken salad out of the chicken shit pieces he has around him probably isn't the best route to success.

**Matchstick** · 12-06-2013, 01:01 AM

I think the way to look at is: Who knows how Flacco would have played in the postseason last year if he had already gotten his giant contract?

I'm not saying he wouldn't have played as hard, but that was a very big motivator for him in games where there wasn't much margin of error for victory.

You also likely would have had greater criticism from fans, media, and maybe even some teammates during that rough patch towards the end of the season if you're talking about a $100 million quarterback "who can't win the big game" at that point, and that could have negatively impacted, or even torn apart, the team in ways that might have made the postseason run impossible.

**TTRaven** · 12-06-2013, 01:11 AM

Originally Posted by ravensnhokies

Face facts but that's the price of a franchise QB nowadays. Whether you believe he is worthy or not (you are insinuating he's not), the Ravens organization deemed him worthy of being their franchise QB. Not bad luck... just a moot point. They know what's best for their franchise and not a bunch of armchair GMs like us. Now if you want to make a point that Joe isn't playing up to his contract... that's fine... I'll disagree strongly, but its your opinion.

Pitta going down to a major hip injury is bad luck.

You think Joe is playing up to his contract?

I don't like the deal, but there was really no other option. Joe got hot at the right time and the Ravens had to pay him. Winning the SB makes the contract a lot easier to accept though.

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**ravensnhokies** · 12-06-2013, 01:18 AM

I really think that every player tries their best every game, except for maybe a vet or two during the end of season games when they are out of playoff contention. Its the ultimate team game, so every teammate that plays next to you is expecting you to give it your best. Nobody wants to let their teammates down with lack of effort. Its simply some players' best just isn't good enough. While Kyle Boller's best wasn't good enough, thankfully Joe's best is obviously good enough.