I had not realized how much fantasy football had overtaken the average fan’s thinking until I read the comments about Flacco’s “average numbers” .

The object of the real game is to win, not generate numbers. You would think Steeler fans would undertsand that.

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I’m a Steeler fan, I’ve never played fantasy football in my life, and you’ll see me talking about average numbers left and right, particularly when it comes to making individual personnel decisions such as contracts and salary.

Numbers convey value when taken in context and interpreted properly. I’ve seen Flacco play a ton and I know his numbers, and there are things that coincide between the two. When it comes down to making long-term individual decisions based on long-term individual performance and merit (i.e., contract decisions), individual long-term numbers (i.e., average numbers) should matter. There are other factors to take into consideration (“Oh, well Flacco is great in the 4th quarter”), but most of these will spill over into the guy’s numbers over the long run, anyhow (how often do you hear about QBs who are annual bottom feeders in the league, number-wise, but who are otherwise known for consistently being clutch in the 4th quarter — even situational play likely aggregates over time to impact guys’ numbers).

Otherwise, what do you go on — team performance? How does that help in deciding contract numbers for someone like Flacco … the guy’s been part of a stable, talented system on both sides of the ball since he came into the league. If anything, that should work against him.

The object of the real game is to win, not generate numbers. You would think Steeler fans would undertsand that.

1. RG Griffin
2. Kirk Cousins
32. Everybody else

Careful what you wish for. Maybe PIT will end up being the worst team in the league for a year or two and then draft Johnny Football to dismantle the Ravens for the next 15 years.

He couldn’t have done anything without his supporting cast. He couldn’t have done it in Cleveland.
Flacco should thank every team mate a thousand times for his contract.
Based on his numbers alone, he should’ve been given Eli Manning dollars.

Bwaahaahaahaahaaaaaa

“Now, Baltimore Ravens:
It’s 2008. gonna sell you a quarterback for $120 million, more money than any qb in NFL history! You’re going to go to the playoffs every single year for his first 5 years in the league…and win at least one game each time. You’re going to win the division twice; you’re going to sweep your 8 home games and the AFC North for the first time ever during one of those seasons; you’re going to finally beat the colts in the playoffs; you’re going to finally beat peyton manning in the playoffs; you’re going to finally beat tom brady in the playoffs; you’re going to go to 3 AFC Championships in those 5 years (and he’ll play well enough to win two of them); he’ll lead game-winning drives IN PITTSBURGH at Heinz Field two seasons in a row; he’ll lead you to your best start in franchise history of 9-2 while the defense falls apart b/c of injuries; he’ll be a super bowl MVP while throwing 11 TDs & 0 INTs in that playoff run; he’ll be arguably the best deep-ball thrower in the league. . . . . . .but occasionally he’ll be inconsistent with his completion percentage. Do you want him or not?”

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1st. If you are going to pay $120mil a year in 2008 you are an idiot.

2nd. Forgot to add, “oh by the way, your team will be hampered for the next decade with salary cap issues.

3rd. Occasionally inconsistent? Flacco’s QB rating is pretty good, but not great.

Playoff QB Rating 86.2
Reg Season QB Rating 86.3

Just edged out by Chad Pennington (90.1) and Jeff Garcia (87.5).

Super Bowl’s are not won by the QB, look at your very own Trent Dilfer. Its a team sport. The Ravens past accomplishments depended so much on defense. With the huge cap number on its way, you better draft well.

“Now, Baltimore Ravens:
It’s 2008. gonna sell you a quarterback for $120 million, more money than any qb in NFL history! You’re going to go to the playoffs every single year for his first 5 years in the league…and win at least one game each time. You’re going to win the division twice; you’re going to sweep your 8 home games and the AFC North for the first time ever during one of those seasons; you’re going to finally beat the colts in the playoffs; you’re going to finally beat peyton manning in the playoffs; you’re going to finally beat tom brady in the playoffs; you’re going to go to 3 AFC Championships in those 5 years (and he’ll play well enough to win two of them); he’ll lead game-winning drives IN PITTSBURGH at Heinz Field two seasons in a row; he’ll lead you to your best start in franchise history of 9-2 while the defense falls apart b/c of injuries; he’ll be a super bowl MVP while throwing 11 TDs & 0 INTs in that playoff run; he’ll be arguably the best deep-ball thrower in the league. . . . . . .but occasionally he’ll be inconsistent with his completion percentage. Do you want him or not?”

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Well done sir…..well done.

Flacco doesn’t win?
It’s the team around him?
The team that went 5-11 in 2007?
Went 11-5 with an AFCCG in 2008 with Flacco?
Right.

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2007 is one year; aside from 2007 and 2005, they’ve been above .500 since 2003. Flacco didn’t just step in and save the team from the depths of mediocrity.

Flacco doesn’t win?
It’s the team around him?
The team that went 5-11 in 2007?
Went 11-5 with an AFCCG in 2008 with Flacco?
Right.

Wrong. It was because of Harbaugh becoming head coach. Billick sucked in 2007. A great coach determines the success of qbs.

Congrats #5

Question: Let’s say that the Niners do score that TD from 5 yds out, and the Ravens can’t score in the remaining two minutes. Does Flacco get the same contract?

I don’t really know the answer, but thought it might be something to think about . . . .

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Or, let’s say the Broncos don’t allow the most fluff 4th quarter TD in recent playoff history as they did this year, and the Ravens don’t make the SB at all. Same scenario.

End of the day, good for Flacco — he lucked out in a contract year. I simply fail to see how it’s a win for the Ravens organization to pour huge cash into a guy who has yet to show, to me, that his contributions as an individual merit it. Terrell Suggs better have been dead-on with his comments about Flacco being a “proven leader,” or this deal is a huge bust in the making.

I don’t really know the answer, but thought it might be something to think about . .
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I think he does. I believed Ozzie when he said before the SB that one game wouldn’t change his mind one way or the other. Ozzie is an honorable man.

I don’t really know the answer, but thought it might be something to think about . . . .

Gotta love the comments from those just dying for the Ravens FO to fail.

Won’t happen. Flacco won a SB before the avg age to do so. He’s going into his prime years with that already accomplished.

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Ravens FO did fail — they overpaid big time. Nobody’s saying Flacco is not a decent QB. If you honestly think he’s worth the money of a Drew Brees, you’re either too homerfied to lift the blinds or you’re missing something.

Flacco stepped into a Ravens team that has had a top running game multiple years, decent receivers around him every year (Mason, Heap, Williams, Boldin, Smith — although underperforming at times), and one of the best defenses in the league to back him up. If you look across all his numbers and don’t cherry-pick specific statistics, he’s a top 10-15 QB — if you really think that’s $20 million/year good, that’s on you.

Bottom line — Flacco made a killing on this deal. Better hope he is worth at least 3/4 of that investment.

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Dude, stop! You sound like a idiot……