Most Underrated Players per Fox Sports

**Ravens44** · 08-28-2012, 03:10 PM

Yeah it is just a 0-10, 11-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-plus scale.

But it is odd to me because who actually sits there and counts the yards the ball was actually in the air?
And one yard or two yards from someone's perspective can throw the entire stats out of whack.

I guess they have stats on everything, so I wouldn't be surprised.
But still. I know Joe had more than 5 completions over 41, but just not all of them 41 yards in the air.

Example, Eli had a 11-20 yard pass bounce off a defender, pop up into the air and Cruz catches it and goes ~90 yards for the score. Did that count as a 41+ yard pass completion for a TD for Eli?

**Lee Van Cleef** · 08-28-2012, 03:16 PM

David Diehl???

**Kyle Cactus** · 08-28-2012, 03:56 PM

Originally Posted by HoustonRaven

The end of the Cards and Steelers away games say hello.

Pointing out a few examples of good down field throws doesn't really disprove my assertion, but I can see what you're getting at. There were definitely moments when Flacco made clutch or otherwise impressive throws down field. He has a big arm, so there's no question he's capable of that. I guess I feel he's inconsistent in that area.

Maybe it's unfair to expect consistency on long passes, but I seem to remember watching a few too many plays last year where a player was open down field and all we needed was a decent pass from Flacco to make the play. Specifically, I remember him overthrowing Torrey Smith a bunch of times, and while some of those may have been on Torrey for slowing up, in most instances it seemed to me that it was just an overthrow.

I'm just going off memory, so I could definitely be off the mark, but that's what I saw. For the record I think the guys a very good QB, I'm just not ready to anoint him the best deep ball thrower in the NFL.

Originally Posted by Ravens44

Yeah it is just a 0-10, 11-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-plus scale.

Thanks. Good to know.

**Stealthbirds80** · 08-28-2012, 04:13 PM

Long passes over a course of an entire season, are a low percentage completion. A lot of things have to go right so that it looks the same as when they are in practice. I notice that Joe does over throw, but besides the #'s brought up by people who watch the entire NFL, we are just seeing what the Ravens are doing.

**leachisabeast** · 08-28-2012, 04:13 PM

I think you will see Flaccos deep throwing improve this year with T Smith showing development as a deep threat. Deep ball throwing can be obscured in so many different ways, what if Flacco had a guy like Calvin Johnson to throw to last year? Would we be saying he's not in the conversation for being the best deep thrower in the NFL? Idk.

**JAB1985** · 08-28-2012, 05:45 PM

Originally Posted by leachisabeast

I think you will see Flaccos deep throwing improve this year with T Smith showing development as a deep threat. Deep ball throwing can be obscured in so many different ways, what if Flacco had a guy like Calvin Johnson to throw to last year? Would we be saying he's not in the conversation for being the best deep thrower in the NFL? Idk.

The fact that stafford isnt in the convo i think says a lot about how overrated he is. Johnson without stafford still gets his, stafford without megatron, not sure the results would be the same.

**Jeremiah W** · 08-28-2012, 07:00 PM

Originally Posted by JAB1985

The fact that stafford isnt in the convo i think says a lot about how overrated he is. Johnson without stafford still gets his, stafford without megatron, not sure the results would be the same.

Dude threw for 5k last year though. Megatron is Megatron and would make any QB look better, but he only caught about 1,500 of the 5,000. When a guy is basically open no matter what the coverage is, it also can be tough to not force it there. I think Stafford has game, and it is a little like when Randy Moss was in his prime. He made Cullpepper an MVP candidate, but he fell off big time with scrub QBs only to break records again with Tom Brady. IMO Megatron is the most talented WR of all time, but that does not mean his QB deserves no credit.

**leachisabeast** · 08-28-2012, 07:13 PM

Originally Posted by Jeremiah W

Dude threw for 5k last year though. Megatron is Megatron and would make any QB look better, but he only caught about 1,500 of the 5,000. When a guy is basically open no matter what the coverage is, it also can be tough to not force it there. I think Stafford has game, and it is a little like when Randy Moss was in his prime. He made Cullpepper an MVP candidate, but he fell off big time with scrub QBs only to break records again with Tom Brady. IMO Megatron is the most talented WR of all time, but that does not mean his QB deserves no credit.

That's another debate on whether Matthew Stafford is elite or not. I think he's fast emerging as a very good QB, but that offense basically never runs the ball, plus outside of megatron they still have some legit weapons like Pettigrew, and Burleson.

The whole offense is based on perhaps the heaviest pass happy offense in the league, but yeah I agree Stafford is a young QB I could see being a top 5 guy in a few years. I still think Flacco has the edge though, he's just more clutch at this point.