We Need to Become a Passing Team

**PurpleApocalypse37** · 01-23-2012, 01:16 AM

We are not a good running team. At all. Our run game is completely worthless against any defense worth a damn. Flacco is elite. He is the 3rd best quarterback in the league behind Aaron Rodgers and Eli Manning. It is ridiculous how much his teammates have let him down.

I don't mean we need to pass pass pass. But we need to pass to set up the run instead of vice versa.

We should be blowing teams out but we never do because we always think we need to run the ball for no gain on 1st and 2nd down. And we always act like we need to have cutesy play designs to score in the redone. Nonsense.

Put Flacco in shotgun and let him survey the field and find the open receiver, and he will do it, and he will make the throws only he and Aaron can make.

If we stop this nonsense trying to prove for some Godforsaken reason that we are a run team, even though we never run well against any decent defenses, then I don't see us losing to Pittsburgh once for the rest of Joe Flacco's career.

He can scorch them. He will scorch them. He will scorch the rest of the league.

Just let him pass.

And ugh I am so frustrated over this loss. If the rest of our offense played half as well as Flacco we'd be in the Superbowl now.

**Haloti92** · 01-23-2012, 01:25 AM

C'mon man, are you kidding? Flacco is better than Rodgers and Eli (as well as Brees and Brady). Why you dissing Joe like that? :D

**PurpleApocalypse37** · 01-23-2012, 01:31 AM

Flacco will be 4th best in league if Peyton comes back close to form.

**ActualSpamBot** · 01-23-2012, 01:37 AM

I've love Flacco as much as anyone on this board. Seriously, check right under my username.

But even I know that while he CAN beat anyone even without a supporting run game, he can't do it consistently like some guys in this league can. Joe is as physically as talented as anyone in the league expect Cam Newton, and he's smart, clutch, and getting better. But he's still a tier 2 qb behind the Mannings, Brady, ARod, Brees, and possibly Stafford if he keeps it up. If that's all he ever is then who cares? A guy like Roethlisberger, Rivers, Shaub, or Newton is still good enough to win a Superbowl. Hell, the only guy in that second group who's as clutch as Joe is had already won 2.

But all that said, Joe is best when the run game can compliment him. That's how the Air Coryell works, its how Joe works. This week the Pats sold out to stop Ray and Joe made them pay. In the last playoff game against them they flooded the defensive backfield to stop Joe, and Ray ran all over them. That's how our system is supposed to work. It's a pick your poison approach and I'm convinced that Joe, Ray, and Torrey are going to be deadly for years running it.

But only when the run and pass are a threat.

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**AussieRavens** · 01-23-2012, 05:44 AM

Don't need to become a passing team but i think Joe will throw for over 4,000 yrds next year and i'd like to see more TD's too.

**Bhcforlife** · 01-23-2012, 10:04 AM

They do need to become a passing team and if Flacco can't do that, they need to find someone who can. The tide has finally turned, you can't say defense wins championships anymore, the best offenses came out on top yesterday and that's a trend that is going to continue. The Giants and Patriots were also 32nd and 31st in rushing offense, if I'm not mistaken. The Ravens have to embrace this like everyone else. Not saying that Flacco needs to throw for 5,000 yards but this team has to trend more towards passing than they have since their first couple of years in existence.

**bengtc** · 01-23-2012, 10:17 AM

we just need to mix it up more, run more counters, pitches, draws...we run one running play power right or power left....time for a new O coordinator!!

**Phantoom** · 01-23-2012, 10:23 AM

Judging by the title, I thought this was going to be a mildly logical post. Then I read this:

"Flacco is elite. He is the 3rd best quarterback in the league behind Aaron Rodgers and Eli Manning."

Every statistic, advanced and basic, says that Flacco is an average, or slightly above average, NFL QB. Get a grip.

The point that should be made, is that almost no team has run its way to the Super Bowl in the last decade (the 2007 Giants being maybe the exception). I think one thing that will help us most is improving our offensive line.

**SC_Raven_Fan** · 01-23-2012, 10:29 AM

The Ravens ran a good run-pass balance this year. When they veered from the balance, they suffered losses.

Flacco needs a QB coach, ala Jim Zorn, so he can continue to make progress.

As a matter of fact, I think he needs a new offensive coordinator.

**HoustonRaven** · 01-23-2012, 10:37 AM

Originally Posted by bengtc

we just need to mix it up more, run more counters, pitches, draws...we run one running play power right or power left....time for a new O coordinator!!

Totally agree.

Not sure why Cam is getting a pass on this one today. He called a good game but his running schemes are WAY too predictable.

**HoustonRaven** · 01-23-2012, 10:38 AM

Originally Posted by SC_Raven_Fan

The Ravens ran a good run-pass balance this year. When they veered from the balance, they suffered losses.

Flacco needs a QB coach, ala Jim Zorn, so he can continue to make progress.

As a matter of fact, I think he needs a new offensive coordinator.

That's not what folks mean when they say an offense needs to be balanced.

Offensive balance is not a ratio of run to pass. It's having both a strong running game and passing game that can hurt at any given time.

**rharris1986** · 01-23-2012, 10:47 AM

Originally Posted by PurpleApocalypse37

We are not a good running team. At all. Our run game is completely worthless against any defense worth a damn. Flacco is elite. He is the 3rd best quarterback in the league behind Aaron Rodgers and Eli Manning. It is ridiculous how much his teammates have let him down.

I don't mean we need to pass pass pass. But we need to pass to set up the run instead of vice versa.

We should be blowing teams out but we never do because we always think we need to run the ball for no gain on 1st and 2nd down. And we always act like we need to have cutesy play designs to score in the redone. Nonsense.

Put Flacco in shotgun and let him survey the field and find the open receiver, and he will do it, and he will make the throws only he and Aaron can make.

If we stop this nonsense trying to prove for some Godforsaken reason that we are a run team, even though we never run well against any decent defenses, then I don't see us losing to Pittsburgh once for the rest of Joe Flacco's career.

He can scorch them. He will scorch them. He will scorch the rest of the league.

Just let him pass.

And ugh I am so frustrated over this loss. If the rest of our offense played half as well as Flacco we'd be in the Superbowl now.

I couldn't agree more.

I've been saying this for a couple of years now - let Joe play from the shotgun and be a pass to run team - not the reverse.

You need a different offensive coordinator in order to do that - and a couple of receivers (besides Pitta) who can catch and hold onto the ball. Boldin and Smith can be those guys - Smith needs to develop with Joe a little more.

If they shore up the O line and let Joe play "his game" you can book your tickets for next years Superbowl now.

But Cam needs to go - he's the anchor around Joe's neck.