Football is Becoming Lame

[RockGod]

With the lockout and the e-mails back and forth and now Flacco crying about a long term deal, it's making me not care if football ever returns.

I'm no Flacco hater but seriously the guy has a long way to go before he's in the conversation as a great qb. He's slightly above average but nothing special; he has a lot to learn about being "The Guy." He has Boldin for crying out loud and he ends up with his worst season as a pro, I think just a really good qb could look great throwing the ball to Boldin. Flacco ends up making himself look like he regressed and made Boldin look like a really bad #3 slot receiver. If you think about it the only thing that makes Flacco look as good as he has is because we've had total crap here from day 1, 1996.

As far as the lockout goes - I'm totally on the owner’s side. The players are hypocrites because they won't share the money amongst themselves as they demand from the owners. So in the end I hope they end up playing an 18 game schedule and take a pay cut in the process. And for all I care they can cancel the 2011 season.

I've tried really hard to stay away from the whole fiasco that is the offseason, I've avoided sports radio, I gave up reading the news paper years ago but as soon as I take a peek at a football site it seems there's always something that has to do with how much money these guy want to get paid. This is exactly how I lost interest in baseball and I haven't watched a baseball game since they canceled the World Series.

[RAVENOUS52]

Well, aren't you all cheery today, sunshine!

Don't worry, the games will be played and you'll love it.

[HoustonRaven]

With the lockout and the e-mails back and forth and now Flacco crying about a long term deal

Nice job taking what he said out of context.

I'm no Flacco hater but seriously the guy has a long way to go before he's in the conversation as a great qb. He's slightly above average but nothing special; he has a lot to learn about being "The Guy." He has Boldin for crying out loud and he ends up with his worst season as a pro

One problem there. It was his best year as a pro. Highest QB rating, most TD's thrown, least INT's and most yards for his career all came last season.

If you think about it the only thing that makes Flacco look as good as he has is because we've had total crap here from day 1, 1996.

Or that he has had a better first three years than Brees, Rivers, Manning and Brady. That might have something to do with it.

This is exactly how I lost interest in baseball and I haven't watched a baseball game since they canceled the World Series.

You're certainly entitled to your opinion, but not your own facts. Maybe if you actually looked at things through the prism of reality, you might see things differently.

[ActualSpamBot]

I for one would be super psyched if RockGod stopped being a Raven's fan. Between his belief that Marvin Lewis is a better coach than John Harbaugh and his ridiculously ill informed bashing of Flacco he is about as pleasant to have around as a toaster in a bathtub.

[highwater]

So you haven't watched a baseball game since they cancelled the World Series (which was quite a while ago), you don't read newspapers, and you don't care if there is a 2011 NFL season. You just sound a little grumpy to me. And if you don't care if there is a season this coming year, why are you here?

[HoustonRaven]

And if you don't care if there is a season this coming year, why are you here?

Winning!

[pyite32]

Just waiting for the Old Man Yells at Cloud graphic to appear...

[Mista T]

With the lockout and the e-mails back and forth and now Flacco crying about a long term deal, it's making me not care if football ever returns.

It's just the offseason!

Except for visiting here for occasional arguments, and reading our message board members' football expertise about the Ravens draft and FA pickups (really -- better than much of the media), I generally use the offseason to decompress until training camp & the exhibition games. You should try that approach to help get through the depression!

btw: I'm likely in the minority here, but the negotiations, mediation, lockout, lawsuits, etc. have provided a fascinating offseason.

I'm no Flacco hater but seriously the guy has a long way to go before he's in the conversation as a great qb. He's slightly above average but nothing special; he has a lot to learn about being

Way too much of an expectation of Flacco. Comments like these remind me of some our "great" fans of the mid-70s who would whine on the radio call-in shows that Bert Jones, who was the 2nd best QB in Baltimore's 60+ year football history, was no Johnny Unitas.

Flacco is a good NFL QB who will only get better. I expect to see him in purple for another decade.

As far as the lockout goes - I'm totally on the owner’s side. The players are hypocrites because they won't share the money amongst themselves as they demand from the owners. So in the end I hope they end up playing an 18 game schedule and take a pay cut in the process.

100%

And for all I care they can cancel the 2011 season.

I used to think that it would be worth losing the '11 season to bust the union, but I've changed my mind. I'd much rather see the majority of NFLPA members get a life lesson about 21st Century unionism by watching how the union bosses and a handful of high paid players have manipulated the union into an unreasonable, litigious body which would have gained nothing. If that takes losing a few games, OK, maybe, but not the entire season.

If that is the result, I wouldn't care if the NFLPA were resurrected and survives.

I haven't watched a baseball game since they canceled the World Series.

The canceled '94 World Series was just one aspect of MLB's decline. Since the Orioles were'nt a playoff contender, it wasn't a significant factor to me.

My interest in baseball had already started fading when free agency started ruining the game in the late 70s & 80s. I used to attend 20+ games per season, and watched TV or listened to the most of the rest on the radio. Long before the Ravens came to town, I cut way back on the Orioles, even though they moved to a significantly more accessible and comfortable stadium in the 90s, plus HTS/Comcast/MASN broadcasting all the games. I attend max three to five games per year, and rarely watch them on TV anymore.

[RavenScallywag]

The NFL Lockout and labor mess is probably the biggest reason why I;m super psyched about the O's season. Granted, Buck Showalter is actually a competent manager and it seems like some of the players are finally turning out.

But I guarantee, if we had free agency going and the draft was more than just a TV spectacle, and you had OTAs and camps coming up, I'd just be mildly interested in how the O's are doing and putting my full attention towards the Ravens.

What's real sad is because of the litigation, both sides are getting ugly now. The players apparently wanted to resume talks with the owners, but the owners wouldn't sign a document that called the NFLPA* Exec Committee as "Advisors" to the players. And the message from players during the lockout has been that they won't do a deal until their lawsuit gets resolved. And one thing I WILL disagree with Joe on...He made a comment that the NFL isn't truly meeting the players halfway. Basically, the NFL's last offer was halfway between the current deal and the NFL's original proposal...For Joe, halfway IS THE CURRENT DEAL. Which means, ding ding ding, the players want EVEN MORE MONEY!

Well that's just great. This will take forever to get resolved. How bout them O's?

[Sirdowski]

Just waiting for the Old Man Yells at Cloud graphic to appear...

Figured id mix it up.

[RockGod]

Nice job taking what he said out of context.

How did I take him out of context? He said he's proved himself and they should know by now if they like him or not, sounds a little like crying to me.

One problem there. It was his best year as a pro. Highest QB rating, most TD's thrown, least INT's and most yards for his career all came last season.

Maybe I should have clarified myself a little better, I was talking about Bolden.

Or that he has had a better first three years than Brees, Rivers, Manning and Brady. That might have something to do with it.

Umm Brady won a super bowl the first season he played. Manning had no defense for his first 3 or 4 years. Brees, Rivers, Manning and Brady have and had more control of their offense at any point in their careers then Flacco has at any point in his. I'm not on that team so I don't know why but from what I see with my own eyes Flacco still misses wide open receivers looking for Mason or Rice. Maybe that's what he's told to do but that's what I see him doing. Manning, Brees, Rivers and Brady all make the players around them better. Do you think the Colts front office is that good that every receiver and tight end look like high draft picks? Go take a look at Deion Branches numbers with and without Brady. What's Bolden’s numbers with Warner vs. Flacco?

You're certainly entitled to your opinion, but not your own facts. Maybe if you actually looked at things through the prism of reality, you might see things differently.

I actually do look at things through the prism of reality that's why I'm usually correct. I don't let the purple colored glasses cloud my vision, I like Flacco and I think he will get better and maybe even be great but he isn't right now and shouldn't be acting like he's done so well. His grasp of the position is very low, he runs out of bonds for a sack instead of throwing the ball away. He takes sacks because he has no pocket presence, he has no idea where the pass rushers are. He lets Polamalu come unblocked instead of calling a time out or setting the protection. Those are all things a rookie should know at the very least by the end of their first season. Flacco is doing this stuff in his third season. Again I don't know why, maybe he didn't have the ok to do those things. I don't know and no one can deny that those things happen frequently with Flacco and I’m not going to not point those things out because he’s the qb for my favorite team.

[RockGod]

I for one would be super psyched if RockGod stopped being a Raven's fan. Between his belief that Marvin Lewis is a better coach than John Harbaugh and his ridiculously ill informed bashing of Flacco he is about as pleasant to have around as a toaster in a bathtub.

Maybe you should first find out who exactly it was that said Marvin Lewis is better than Harbaugh because it wasn't me, I'm not a Marvin Lewis fan. I think he got way too much credit for the Ravens defense and road Brian Billicks coattails into his current position that he clearly holds and fails yearly at. Before you say that I think Rex Ryan is the better coach let me put it in writing that I think Ryan is fat blowhard that has had extremely fortunate luck the past two seasons.