Announcement: The Ravens Joe Flacco becomes NFL's Highest Paid QB

[smuggler]

Hes not great or Elite. but I think you guys are selling him a bit short. this guy is 1 of those players that is a solid addition to your team the price is wrong but the player is right

[Joemailman]

and lets not forget, he also has the advantage of having, what, maybe the second best running back in the game right now?

ray rice is more valuable to that offense then flacco is IMO

Flacco carried that team to a Super Bowl win. In 4 postseason games, he threw for over 1100 yards with 10 TD's and 0 INT's. Rice only had 1 big game in the 4. As for the Ravens defense, they're still pretty good, but not elite. Twice in the postseason, they gave up over 30 points. Flacco is now probably overpaid, but he is the key to that team and the biggest reason they are Super Bowl champs.

[Fritz]

Flacco carried that team to a Super Bowl win. In 4 postseason games, he threw for over 1100 yards with 10 TD's and 0 INT's. Rice only had 1 big game in the 4. As for the Ravens defense, they're still pretty good, but not elite. Twice in the postseason, they gave up over 30 points. Flacco is now probably overpaid, but he is the key to that team and the biggest reason they are Super Bowl champs.

With even good quarterbacks costingan arm nd a leg, I wonder if some gm will try to build a team with better and thus higher-paid talent at a variety of positions whilehaving an average QB.

[Joemailman]

With even good quarterbacks costingan arm nd a leg, I wonder if some gm will try to build a team with better and thus higher-paid talent at a variety of positions whilehaving an average QB.

Possible, but the 49ers apparently decided that wouldn't work. I think the days of winning a Super Bowl with Trent Dilfer or Brad Johnson at QB, while relying on defense/running game are probably over.

[Patler]

Flacco carried that team to a Super Bowl win. In 4 postseason games, he threw for over 1100 yards with 10 TD's and 0 INT's. Rice only had 1 big game in the 4. As for the Ravens defense, they're still pretty good, but not elite. Twice in the postseason, they gave up over 30 points. Flacco is now probably overpaid, but he is the key to that team and the biggest reason they are Super Bowl champs.

Agree. Now the question is this, has Flacco ascended to a new level of performance, or did he just hit an unbelievable hot streak at the right time? The answer will determine if the Ravens made a good deal or not.

[MJZiggy]

Agree. Now the question is this, has Flacco ascended to a new level of performance, or did he just hit an unbelievable hot streak at the right time? The answer will determine if the Ravens made a good deal or not.

I am waiting to see what happens to that team with Ray Lewis gone. He was a cornerstone of the defense and a cheerleader on both sides of the ball. They will need a new firebrand and it's already established that Flacco ain't gonna bit it. They'll need someone to step up.

[pbmax]

and lets not forget, he also has the advantage of having, what, maybe the second best running back in the game right now?

ray rice is more valuable to that offense then flacco is IMO

But that argument also cuts against Smith. San Fran spent Smith's career trying to run Gore into the ground to get their offense to work.

Baltimore keeps forgetting they have Rice for long stretches.

[pbmax]

With even good quarterbacks costingan arm nd a leg, I wonder if some gm will try to build a team with better and thus higher-paid talent at a variety of positions whilehaving an average QB.

That's why the Read Option in terms of running the QB, is not going anywhere but also will not be used exclusively like it can be in college. I think the 49ers are going to draft another guy like CK for backup this season. They won't be prolific passers and the hope would be they will be cheaper to have a hoard on hand.

[Patler]

I am waiting to see what happens to that team with Ray Lewis gone. He was a cornerstone of the defense and a cheerleader on both sides of the ball. They will need a new firebrand and it's already established that Flacco ain't gonna bit it. They'll need someone to step up.

You have that right. Lewis created their identity. Will they know what they are without him to lead them?

[Fritz]

Ravens locker room next season, before a game:

Joe Flacco: "Who are we? I don't think we're tailors, are we?"

Paul Kreuger: "No, I don't think so. And we're not dressed like farmers, either."

Ray Rice: "Maybe we're an IT department?"

Without Lewis, how will they know who they are?

[MJZiggy]

Ravens locker room next season, before a game:

Joe Flacco: "Who are we? I don't think we're tailors, are we?"

Paul Kreuger: "No, I don't think so. And we're not dressed like farmers, either."

Ray Rice: "Maybe we're an IT department?"

Without Lewis, how will they know who they are?

Maybe he can call them on game day and they can put him on speakerphone so he can yell...

[Cheesehead Craig]

My point was that Flacco took a long time to play how he did given the tools around him. As Patler said, was it him actually ascending to his long throught level or did he just get hot? We'll find out.

However, with Lewis gone and possibly Reed the defense is going to suffer a bit. On offense I am intrigued by how their OL is going to survive C Matt Birk retiring. When they had the big OL shuffle, he was the reason that line performed as well as it did. It was said that he got everyone on the same page and made all the right calls. We saw last year what happens when your C play drops off. I have a feeling the Ravens have a greater chance than normal of the SB winner dropoff that seems to happen with these 2 (possibly 3) players leaving.

[MJZiggy]

It just dawned on me that Drew Brees has to be steaming mad...

[Guiness]

He did have an incredible run through these playoffs, you can't discount his numbers. They surprise me in that he was never spectacular, so where did it come from?

When the Giants won the SB in 2007, we all thought it was lightening in a bottle. Then they did it again four years later. It that what Baltimore will do, or will they be more St-L Ram like?

[MJZiggy]

I dunno, they've been pretty good for a decent stretch of time. They just need to keep it going...