Baltimore Ravens’ Main Problem: Lack of Offensive Identity

After starting the season 3-0, the Baltimore Ravens have scuffled as of late. They lost tough games to the Patriots (27-21), Vikings (33-31), and Bengals (17-14), and even after a very impressive win over the previously undefeated Denver Broncos, the Ravens have lost two of three, and find themselves at 5-5, third in the AFC North. The playoffs are looking like a possibility, but it will be nearly impossible to do it as more than a second wild card. Fans in general love to play the blame game, blaming one person or one side of the ball, and I don’t think it’s fair to pinpoint one person, but I will say I don’t think the Ravens have the identity offensively that they did last season.

2008 was definitely a successful season for the Ravens, as they went 11-5. As a team, they had an identity. They knew who they were. They were a dominant defensive team who played smashmouth ball and forced turnovers. Offensively, they were a team with a rookie quarterback who tried to put their newbie in a situation to succeed by putting him behind a very young, talented offensive line, and gave him three good running backs to give the ball to in Le’Ron McClain (All Pro fullback), Willis McGahee, and Ray Rice. That’s a team who knows who they are. They know they have to be themselves – a physical, hard-hitting, run-first team – to be successful.

That’s exactly why they went to the AFC Championship Game that year. But this year, things have changed – on offense at least – and it’s not positive change.

Throwing the ball: Let it be known, I wanted to see quarterback Joe Flacco throw the ball a lot week-by-week this season. That’s why I was glad to see him throw 43, 26, and 35 times in the first three games of the year. But it’s really getting out of hand. This is not to say Flacco has struggled. In fact, he’s having a Pro Bowl season. His 89.1 quarterback rating is impressive, and he has 2,455 yards (on pace for 3,928), 12 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. On average, the Ravens throw the ball 33.5 times per game, up from 26.75 last year.

Flacco is now a game-changing quarterback, something he wasn’t early in 2008, as he was more of a game-manager. But I don’t think the Ravens should be using him as much as they have. That’s exactly why he’s struggled recently. He’s been overexposed, if that exists. In a 17-7 loss to Cincinnati, he had his worst game of the year, as he was 18-of-32 with two picks. He was solid in the other three games (Denver, W 30-7, Cleveland, W 16-0, Indianapolis, L 15-17). He threw a backbreaking pick againast Indianapolis, but was 22-of-33 with 251 yards up to that point. The Ravens need to stray away from trying to become a pass-happy team and be themselves.

Le’Ron McClain: Since Willis McGahee struggled last year (mainly due to early injuries), and Ray Rice was just a rookie, somebody had to pick up the slack in the backfield, and that guy turned out to be Le’Ron McClain. The second year fullback out of Alabama didn’t ever dominate a game, but did the job of a power back – he wore down defenses, and put games away when the Ravens had small leads. And he finished with 902 yards and ten touchdowns on 232 carries. He ran for over 120 yards against Dallas, but that was mainly because of an 82-yard run in the final two minutes.

So where is he in the gameplan this year? Even with the emergence of Ray Rice, the Ravens need to get this guy far more involved than he is. It’s not as if he’s struggled. In fact, he’s a better receiving threat (18 rec., 142 yards in 10 games, 19 rec., 123 yards in 16 games in 2008). His yards per carry is down from 3.9 to 3.5, but I don’t think anybody in their right mind can expect a run-up-the-gut fullback to average much more than 3.4, 3.5 per touch. So far, the guy has 26 carries for 92 yards. Really, that’s insulting. Granted, he’s doing an excellent job as a lead blocker, but offensive coordinator Cam Cameron must utilize this guy, and he’ll be extremely important in December when the weather gets colder.

Ray Rice: Not much can be said to adequately describe what a year Rice is having. At 5’8″, 210, he’s not very big, but he’s having a huge campaign. He hasn’t missed a game yet, and has been extremely consistent. He has 148 carries, 733 yards, six touchdowns, and is a dynamic receiving threat, with 56 catches for 515 yards. All in all, he has 1,248 all purpose yards, which ranks up there with the likes of Maurice Jones-Drew and Chris Johnson. But look at the workload he’s had this year. If anything, he’s extremely under-used. I understand that the Ravens don’t want to overwork the guy and have the wheels fall off down the road, but this is ridiculous.

Before I introduce, that, let’s talk about another great back. Anyone who watched the Titans 20-17 victory over the Texans knows what makes Chris Johnson so good – speed. He’s able to torch defenses through the run and in the pass – just like Rice. This year, Johnson is on pace for 1,987 rushing yards along with 419 receiving. He averages 20 carries a game, and got 29 against Houston. If Rice had 199 carries like “CJ” does, he’d have 986 yards. But it’s obvious Rice needs to get more carries. Overall, I think the Ravens need to run a lot more than they are, led by the speedy Rice and 260 pound, All-Pro fullback McClain.

Razzle dazzle: Last year, the thing I loved about the Ravens was not only the balance, but also the razzle dazzle. Almost every game, there were tricks. In the first game, they did a double reverse, which resulted in a 42-yard touchdown run by Mark Clayton. In a Week 8 win over Oakland, backup quarterback Troy Smith threw to Flacco for a 43-yard gain in an eventual 29-10 triumph. Just two weeks later, Smith came in on another trick play and threw a touchdown pass to tight end Todd Heap. Weeks later, the team routed the Bengals, 34-3, and on one play, wide receiver Mark Clayton threw a long touchdown pass to fellow wideout Derrick Mason.

It wasn’t just the tricks. On one instance, in fact, the Ravens were leading the Redskins at home, 17-10 after a touchdown pass from Jason Campbell to Antwaan Randle El that made an uninteresting game interesting. With 11:22 left, it was suddenly something it wasn’t for the previous 48:38 – a game. The Ravens ran a whopping 11 times in a row, ten times with McClain for 43 yards, and Clayton once on a 12-yard reverse. But on third down, the Ravens passed, hitting up Derrick Mason for a touchdown that put all thought of a Redskins comeback to rest. That has been gone this year. They haven’t been predictable with their playcalls, but haven’t been as balanced.

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Still, the Ravens are having some success offensively, but during this week, not only do they have to prepare for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but they have to find out who they are. Will they continue to be a pass heavy team? Will they use their three headed – or even two headed – monster? Will they bring back their razzle dazzle? Who knows? But I do know why the Ravens aren’t winning – they aren’t being themselves. One of the many football cliches you hear is “don’t try to play outside of yourself”. The Ravens, I think, are breaking one of those.

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Philip Rivers: The Ultimate Gamer

Honestly, I find it hard to gauge the San Diego Chargers. They have one of the most talented rosters in the NFL, have won the AFC West three seasons in a row, and draft incredibly well. So why haven’t they won the big one yet?

 

In my opinion, it has nothing to do with the players, and it’s mainly the coaching staff. Norv Turner has to go, as he doesn’t utilize the Chargers strengths.

 

Really, he’s not much of a head coach, but more of an offensive genius. The Chargers have talent at just about every position, so it reveals a lot about the coaches when they haven’t been to a Super Bowl yet.

 

There are tons of good players on the Chargers, like Antonio Gates, Shawne Merriman, Antonio Cromartie, Darren Sproles, and Vincent Jackson. But the best one? Definitely quarterback Philip Rivers.

 

Rivers entered the NFL draft in 2004, and was selected by the New York Giants, but since the Chargers pick, Eli Manning, didn’t want to play in a San Diego uniform, the Chargers traded Eli to New York for Rivers.

 

Four months later, the Decatur, Ala., native signed a six-year, $40.5M deal. With the developing Drew Brees already on the roster, the selection and signing of Rivers was controversial.

 

In fact, it ranks as one of the best quarterback controversies of all time, up there with Montana-Young, Simms-Hostetler, and even Brady-Bledsoe.

 

In the first two years, he combined to go 17-for-30 with 148 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, and he didn’t start a game.

 

But after the 2005 season, the Chargers elected not to bring Brees back, and let Rivers get the starting job for 2006. Boy, was that a good move.

 

The Chargers went 14-2, and Rivers had 3,388 yards, 22 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. In a Nov. 12 game against Cincinnati, the Chargers were down 28-7 at the half.

 

Former San Diego center Nick Hardwick reminisces: “He’s yelling ‘Y’all don’t think we’re out of this’ to the Bengals. When he said that, I said, ‘Shoot, I guess we ain’t out of this. Right on.’”

 

So what happened? The Chargers scored 42 points in the second half , winning the game, 49-41. That’s a leader.

 

In the playoffs, the Chargers faced the always tough New England Patriots. Rivers struggled, going 14-of-32 with 230 yards and an interception, as the Chargers lost, 24-21.

 

But would he come back? Absolutely. Under Norv Turner, the Chargers went 11-5.

 

Rivers didn’t have the best year, with 3,152 yards, 21 touchdowns, 15 interceptions, and an 82.4 rating. It clearly wasn’t as good a year as the prior one, but he showed that tremendous leadership.

 

After a 14-3 win over the Bears in Week 1, the Bolts lost three straight, to the Patriots, Packers, and Chiefs. At this point, they’re 1-3, and in trouble.

 

But Rivers and the Chargers came back to win ten of the next 12, and even advance to the AFC Championship. It started with a 41-3 win over the Broncos in which Rivers went 13-of-18 with 270 yards and two touchdowns, and from then on, it was tough to stop them.

 

He came through when it mattered. At 5-5, the chances of the Chargers going to the playoffs were looking dim. But in the next six games, the Chargers outscored their opponents, 183-75, and didn’t lose.

 

They even won their next two in the playoffs, beating the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts. In the AFC Championship, San Diego lost to the New England Patriots (18-0 through that game).

 

But during that game, Rivers turned in one of the gutsiest performances in NFL history. Against a stout New England defense, he played on a torn ACL, and he announced after the game that it would take six months to fully heal.

 

And once it healed, you could bet he’d be back. Not only did he return, he had the best year of his career…and that’s a huge accomplishment. His 105.5 passer rating led the NFL, he had 34 touchdowns (a Chargers franchise record), and after a 4-8 start, he led his Chargers back again.

 

Week 15 pretty much sums up his career, to me. The Bolts are playing the Kansas City Chiefs, and it’s not looking good early. Down 7-0 with 10:53 left in the second quarter, Rivers fumbles, and it’s recovered by the Chiefs.

 

Down 21-10 with 1:13 left, he throws a touchdown to Malcolm Floyd. That’s great and all, but game over, right?

 

Actually, no. An onside kick was recovered by San Diego. However, the Chargers still needed to drive 61 yards and score a touchdown. A field goal wouldn’t win it. He calmly threw a 41-yard strike to Vincent Jackson, putting the Chargers on the 20-yard line.

 

And with 36 seconds left, Rivers hit Jackson again…this time for a touchdown. Think about this…Rivers had thrown for two touchdowns in a span of 73 seconds to lead his Chargers from a 21-10 deficit to a 22-21 win.

 

And then, in Week 17, the Chargers beat their top rival, the Denver Broncos, 52-21, to win the division.

 

In the playoffs, Rivers led the Bolts past Peyton Manning’s Colts. Well, to be honest, Darren Sproles won that game, but Rivers did play well. In the next round, they played the eventual Super Bowl winning Pittsburgh Steelers, and he played better than just about anyone else had that year.

 

He went 21-of-35, threw for 308 yards, and had three touchdowns. To put that in other words, that’s like a defense holding this year’s New Orleans Saints to 200 yards and seven points.

 

In the offseason, he was awarded with a six-year, $92M extension. New contract, new Rivers? Nope. New contract, same (arguably better) Rivers.

 

He’s had two extremely gutty games. In Week 2 against Baltimore, he threw for 415 yards and two touchdowns, doing basically anything a quarterback could do to win, but the Ravens won, 31-26.

 

Oh yeah, in Week 4 against Pittsburgh, with his team trailing 28-7 after three quarters, he threw three touchdowns to make it 35-28, but his defense couldn’t hold it, as San Diego lost, 38-28.

 

Oh, and in Week 9, he threw a touchdown with less than a minute left at the Meadowlands to beat the team who traded him, the New York Giants.

 

San Diego Chargers fans don’t know how lucky they are. With Rivers, not only do they have an elite quarterback, they have one who has the heart of a champion. With him at the helm, the Chargers are never out of it.

 

In every game this year, he’s played well, and the reason for the team’s demise in three games has been mainly defense, and now that the defense has figured it out, watch out for the Chargers.

 

In my opinion, he deserved the MVP last year. Peyton Manning, the winner, had seven fewer yards, seven fewer touchdowns, and one more interception. On top of that, Rivers and the Chargers beat Manning in the playoffs.

 

In his career, Rivers has 12,942 yards, 92 touchdowns, 42 interceptions, and a 38-18 record.

 

Remember last year? When the Broncos had a comfortable road to the AFC West title, and Rivers and the Chargers stormed back to win it? I have a feeling it’s happening again.

 

Once, the Chargers were 3-3 and the Broncos were 6-0, but now, the Chargers are 5-3, while the Broncos are 6-2, so this year could be more of the same.

 

Rivers provides everything you could ask out of a quarterback. Toughness: he played on a torn ACL in the 2007 AFC Championship. Gaudy statistics: where do I start? Clutch ability: Multiple dramatic comebacks.

 

That’s the ultimate gamer.

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Ravens: Let’s Look in the Mirror and Rebound

Today, the Ravens turned in arguably their worst effort of the John Harbaugh era, losing on the road to the Cincinnati Bengals, 17-7.

Joe Flacco played his worst game of the year. The defense was horrid early, but started to turn it around late. Fans like to play the blame game, but I can’t think of one guy or one side of the ball to blame for this one.

The defense put the team in a hole early, giving up 14 first quarter points, but shut it down from then on. They weren’t dominant, but gave up only three combined points in the final three quarters. You could put some blame on kicker Steve Hauschka for missing a 37-yard field goal in the fourth, but the game didn’t come down to just one kick. Let’s analyze what’s going well and what isn’t at the midway point.

 

The Positives

Joe Flacco and the offense: Despite today’s horrid performance, you can’t complain about the Ravens offensive performance this year. If anything, all you can do is rave about it. Flacco now has 2,044 yards, 12 touchdowns, and seven interceptions, which is certainly what the Ravens can expect year in and year out from him. He’s on pace for 4,088 yards, 24 TD, and 14 INT. If he can do that every year, can you really complain? I wouldn’t. Ray Rice has been tremendous. Against the Bengals he had 48 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, and now has 573 rushing yards this season, compared to less than 500 all of last year.

Much was made of the receiving core. The Ravens didn’t bring in any big names in the offseason, signing only Kelley Washington to a one-year deal. As a No. 3, Washington has exceeded expectations. Derrick Mason has been solid, and all in all, the receivers have been good. Even Mark Clayton, who had a key drop against New England, has been better since. Tight end Todd Heap has had a rebound season, and the offensive line has been good as well. So the offense has exceeded expectations, and that is a good thing.

The trio of rookies: Last year, the two rookies who stepped up big time were Joe Flacco (Pepsi Rookie of the Year) and Ray Rice, who was big when he got the opportunity. Now, the three rookies who have stepped up are Michael Oher, Dannell Ellerbe, and Lardarius Webb. Oher has been somewhat inconsistent, but has been solid for the most part. The subject of the book and movie Blind Side has had a stellar debut, and while he hasn’t looked like a Hall of Fame offensive tackle at all times, he looks like a future Pro Bowler, without a doubt.

I’m very impressed with Ellerbe. An undrafted free agent signing out of Georgia, he has the looks of the Ravens next Bart Scott, as in he’s an undrafted free agent who plays inside linebacker. With Brendon Ayanbadejo out for the year and Tavares Gooden struggling, I really think it’s time to start Ellerbe.The 23-year-old has 14 tackles, and if he can start, he won’t dominate—yet—but I’m extremely impressed. One question: Why is Chris Carr still a Raven? I’ve seen some improvement from him lately, but I do think Lardarius Webb needs to get more time. He’s got nine tackles on the year, and has looked like the 2009 version of Jim Leonhard returning punts and kicks.

Heart of a champion: What’s the one thing I like most about the Ravens? Is it the offensive improvement? The fact that they draft so well? No. It’s that they have tremendous heart, will, and determination. That’s why I never feel they’re out of a game. Even down 17-0 in the fourth, I still felt the Ravens could come back, and had a chance to make it 17-10, but a missed field goal sealed the Ravens’ fate. But I’m sure the Ravens will move on from this. Heck, I’m sure tomorrow, they’ll have moved on and will be ready to face the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football.

I saw it last year, and I see it this year. I’m sure they’ll rebound, and I know this for a fact. I’ve seen it many times before. The Ravens have suffered even more heartbreaking defeats, but have continued to get up and rebound from them, and having a match with Cleveland coming up doesn’t hurt them, either. That’s why, after tough-to-swallow losses like these, Ravens fans shouldn’t be down, because this team has a great coaching staff, who adequately prepare them pretty much every week to win games. As you see, they have won the majority of the time with this new staff.

 

Negatives

Greg Mattison: Let me make this clear: I could not be a defensive coordinator in the NFL. But I struggle to grasp the thought process of new Ravens defensive coordinator Greg Mattison. Just look at how dominant the Ravens defense has been. In 2000, they posted arguably the best single-season defense in NFL history. And from 2001 to 2008, they weren’t as good, but consistently near the top in the league, led by defensive coordinators like Mike Nolan and Rex Ryan. Ryan was in Baltimore from 2005 to 2008 and is now famous for his sense of humor, but mostly, his exotic defenses. In Baltimore, he ran all types of blitzing schemes that confused the opposition.

This is what I’ll never understand about Mattison. Since the Ravens lost both starting inside linebacker Bart Scott and strong safety Jim Leonhard, the 2009 Ravens unit figured to look different, but think about this: Do the Ravens have Ray Lewis? Check. Haloti Ngata? Check. Terrell Suggs? Check. Ed Reed? Check.

See, the core of the Ravens defense is still there, so what’s the point in changing everything? Mattison has made the Ravens a weak team defensively. They’re bringing absolutely no pressure, which exposes the corners.

Ray Rice: Don’t yell at me. I love how Ray Rice is playing. Here’s my complaint: he’s underused. With the way I was hyping up RR in the offseason, and with the way he’s responded, you’d think he’d get more carries. While I understand the Ravens are becoming a very pass-happy team, I can’t say I understand just how much they basically ignore him. He’s a threat, a Maurice Jones-Drew of sorts. On the year, he has exactly 999 total yards (573 rushing, 436 receiving), which is borderline insane. But think about this: the most carries he’s gotten in a game is 23.

He’s definitely getting utilized, and he’s part of the reason the offense is so revived. And I definitely do understand that the Ravens don’t want to overwork him. They don’t want to give him 350 carries a year and see him hit a wall in seven to eight years. That’s all fine and good, but his average game consists of 13 carries and 72 yards. I’m sure as the weather turns, we’ll see Rice a lot more, but 13 carries per matchup is insulting, especially considering how well the guy is playing.

Steven Hauschka: I’ve never been a subscriber of the “you win and lose with your kicker” idea, if there is such a thing. But boy, has Steven Hauschka killed the Ravens at times this year. All in all, it’s safe to say he has a good head on his shoulders. He’s showed some work ethic and it definitely is no easy task to fill Matt Stover’s shoes, a guy who was loved in Baltimore. But I have to question the kid’s poise. Against Minnesota, the Ravens were down 33-31 with two seconds left. Joe Flacco drove Baltimore down to the Minnesota 27, and a 44-yard field goal would give the Ravens a miraculous, come-from-behind, 34-33 victory.

But he missed it. Against Cincinnati, down 17-7 with a few minutes left, he came on for a 37-yard field goal. If good, Baltimore would be down just seven with a titanic momentum advantage. But he hooked it. And it’s not as if he can’t make these. In fact, he made a 54-yarder against the Houston Texans, his first career field goal attempt. But in crunch time, he’s not a guy I can count on. He’s 8-for-11 on the year, which is hardly terrible for a young kicker, who is basically a rookie. I’m not calling for his head yet, but if Matt Stover hits free agency when Adam Vinatieri returns to Indianapolis, Baltimore signing the vet wouldn’t surprise me.

 

Ravens Last Eight Games

11/16 @ Cleveland Browns: It’s hard to be confident after games like these, but the Browns? This game should be first degree murder—in favor of the Ravens.

11/22 vs. Indianapolis Colts: This game has the potential to be very tough for Baltimore, but also favors them in a way. Indy has struggled in wins over Houston (20-17) and San Francisco (18-14), so facing Baltimore at M & T Bank Stadium could be too much.

11/29 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: With this revived offense, I’m interested to see how they fare against the Steelers, their No. 1 rival. It depends which Ravens show up, really.

12/7 @ Green Bay Packers: Because of the atmosphere (Monday Night, December weather, Lambeau Field), the Ravens don’t have an advantage. But personnel-wise, the Ravens have a huge edge.

12/13 vs. Detroit Lions: Um..yeah.

12/20 vs. Chicago Bears: The Bears have looked good at times, but regressed over time. Ravens should win this, against an inconsistent team—especially if it’s in Baltimore.

12/27 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: This game depends really on where the AFC North is at this point. It could determine who takes a Wild Card, whether the Steelers win the division, etc.

1/3 vs. Oakland Raiders: Let’s compare. Joe Flacco’s career: 15-9 record, over 5,000 yards, 26 TD, 19 INT. JaMarcus Russell’s: 7-17 record, 3,796 yards, 17 TD, 21 INT.

 

Personally, I think the Ravens are in good shape, even after this loss. Six of eight wins (which I think will happen) gives them a 10-6 record, and a very good shot at the playoffs, possibly as the Wild Card, which they were last year.

No team is really threatening for the spot. The Jets (4-4) are struggling, the Dolphins (4-5), just aren’t the same team. The Chargers have an outside shot, but continue to exhibit unbelievable inconsistency. The Texans have a shot, but don’t have the defense. Honestly, I think the playoff picture will look like this: (1) Colts, (2) Broncos, (3) Patriots, (4) Steelers, (5) Bengals, (6) Ravens.

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Benny Friedman: The Football Innovator Nobody Talks About

Who do we think of as the “innovators” of professional football? Joe Namath, who became the first media superstar and pulled off a titanic upset of the Baltimore Colts? Clark Shaughnessy, who modernized NFL offenses? Vince Lombardi, who took the Packers from a losing team to a dynasty?

There are tons of players who changed the game in their own right, as well as coaches. Heck, even executives play a role. And who can forget how much television has changed the game? There are tons of innovators out there, but one I must get out there is Benny Friedman.

Let’s remember. We as football fans love the rifle-armed quarterbacks. Everyone loves a guy with a cannon—like Peyton Manning—but guys like him started to develop after Friedman’s time. Born to a Jewish family, he was raised in Cleveland, Ohio, born on March 18, 1905.

Early in life, he did tricks to help his arm strength, such as lift heavy chairs from the leg and throw them from one hand to the other. Those rather unorthodox tricks really helped him out in the long run.

In high school, he was very much overlooked. His head coach at East Tech High, Sam Willaman, had him try out. Even after an impressive workout, Willaman told Friedman that he was too small to play, and that he should transfer to Glenville, where he’d get a chance.

He did that, and got his chance, earning a starting job. The hate from Willaman continued. “I’ll bet you dinner on every high school coach in Cleveland that you won’t make a football player out of Benny Friedman,” said the Tech coach.

After one game, Glenville head coach Erling Theller benched him.

Several games later, Theller left, with four games remaining in the season. Benny finally got playing time, and went on an amazing tear. He got some interest from big schools like Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, and Dartmouth. However, his choices didn’t become so broad late.

Both Penn State and Ohio State thought he was too small, and while Dartmouth showed considerable interest, he wasn’t offered a scholarship for football, but rather for academics, and Dartmouth is 502 miles from Friedman’s hometown of Cleveland. He decided to attend the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

As a freshman, he had his share of downs. He had another bad relationship with his coach, mainly because of playing time. His coach, George Little, agreed with Willaman that Friedman wasn’t a special player. Friedman once considered transfering to Carnegie, and once even quitting football altogether.

But he toughed it out, and earned a spot on the squad for the next year. He only played in a few games, but won all of them. He was dubbed as a star of the present and future, and to make matters even better, coach Little would leave after the year.

Friedman looked rejuvenated, leading his team to 39-0, 63-0, 21-0, and 54-0 wins to start the year. And we thought Pete Carroll’s Trojans were dominant. On Nov. 12, 1926, old foes met. Sam Willaman, his high school coach, met up with Friedman, whom he referred to as “too small.”

However, that “undersized” quarterback was also a Hall-of-Famer and captain of the unstoppable Michigan Wolverines. The 1926 season opened, and it was the same old for Friedman and Michigan. He led 42-3 and 55-3 wins to open things up, and even beat a tough Michigan team, 20-0.

Friedman started 4-0, and a loss to Navy hurt their national championship hopes, but they continued to roll and beat the powerful Ohio State Buckeyes.

“Benny Friedman passed all afternoon like only Benny Friedman can,” said the New York Times.

Michigan finished strong, ending the season with a 7-1 record, including 5-0 in the Big Ten. Of course, who knows if his skills would translate to the pros? There are guys who had dominant college careers, but didn’t have any significant success in the NFL, such as Ryan Leaf, Tony Mandarich, Tim Couch, and Joey Harrington.

The thing is, Friedman did dominate in the NFL. He signed with his hometown Cleveland Bulldogs of the NFL immediately after graduating from Michigan in 1927. Of course, statistics on completion percentage weren’t kept, but the estimation is he completed over 50 percent of his passes, he didn’t throw an interception, and had 11 touchdowns.

He didn’t stop there. In his first five years—with three different teams—he had 56 touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 48-17-4 record.

He was the Babe Ruth of football. He was so far above everybody else. A completion percentage in the mid-50’s is considered average now, but the ball was much harder to throw. A good completion percentage during Friedman’s era was around 35, and Friedman almost doubled that.

The thing that makes him special is simple. He dominated at Michigan, but he didn’t have to make any adjustments in the pros. He looked like the same quarterback. In his first game, he made it look easy, throwing a 50-yard touchdown pass to Al Bloodgood early. It wasn’t any different from his days at Michigan. That’s how good Benny was.

From 1927 to 1930, it’s estimated that he had 5,653 yards and 53 touchdowns. The second-place quarterbacks during that era had 3,770 yards and 27 touchdowns. That’s Ruthian. He was exponentially better than everyone else. He beat the dreaded Packers, and accomplished as much in the pros as he did in college. In 1931, at the tender age of 25, he was tired of the media frenzy surrounding him and called it quits. It’s a shame he didn’t play longer than he did, but his legacy is certainly in place.

Red Grange, who starred at the University of Illinois, made a great point.

“They talk about great passers today. but remember that the football has changed three times since the 1930s, and each time, it has been made narrower and the axis pulled in. Anybody can throw today’s football,” he said. “You go back to Benny Friedman playing with the New York Giants in the late ’20s and ’30s. That ball was like a balloon. Now who’s to tell what Benny might do with the modern football? He’d be the greatest passer that ever lived.”

That’s exactly it. With a football that was much harder to throw, he had success that Peyton Manning and Tom Brady have with the ball today, which is much easier to wing 40 yards. It’s reminiscent of Babe Ruth. During an era in which batters seldom hit homers, Ruth posted numbers that would even be considered elite now. And during an era in which people didn’t throw much—at least not for significant success—Friedman took the league by storm.

Knute Rockne, a former coach at Notre Dame, witnessed Friedman’s greatness in person, and described it: “There are those who say Friedman is the greatest passer of all time. They are not far wrong. He could hit a dime at forty yards; besides being a great passer, he hit the line, tackled, blocked, and did everything—no mere specialty man— that’s what a fine football player should do.”

Who are the best athletes ever? Immediately, the names that come to mind include Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Tiger Woods, Peyton Manning, Derek Jeter, and of course, Babe Ruth. But add Benny to that list, and put him near—or at—the top.

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NFL: Who Are the Top 10 Quarterbacks of All Time?

1. Johnny Unitas: “Johnny U” is an idol in Baltimore. He has a statue outside of M & T Bank Stadium, where the Ravens play.

Born in 1933 in Pittsburgh, he attended Louisville, and was drafted in the ninth round by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Because football salaries weren’t nearly as lucrative, he worked construction during the weekend to support his family, and played on a local semi-pro team for $6 a game.

In 1956, he finally got a legitimate shot, but this time with Weeb Ewbank’s Baltimore Colts.

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Donovan McNabb: Why He’s Much Better Than Kurt Warner

What’s the No. 1 job of a quarterback? To win.

There’s no getting around that.

We as football fans can criticize guys like Ben Roethlisberger or Joe Flacco, who don’t put up elite numbers but manage to win games. The two have a combined starter’s record of 71-39, which any team would gladly take.

When we think of elite quarterbacks, the guys we think of include Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers, Drew Brees, Donovan McNabb, Kurt Warner, Jay Cutler, or even Aaron Rodgers. Among these, it’s certain Brady and Manning will make the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Rivers, Brees, McNabb, Warner, Cutler, and Rodgers are all guys who are debatable or not quite good enough to be Hall of Famers.

McNabb and Warner are especially interesting cases. In McNabb’s career, the former No. 2 overall pick has 199 touchdowns, 91 interceptions, over 29,000 passing yards, 3,166 rushing, an 82-45-1 starter’s record, and nine playoff wins. I’m sure that’s exactly what the Eagles expected when they took him so high in the 1999 NFL draft.

Warner wasn’t even drafted coming out of Northern Iowa. Kurt has had inconsistent success. He was an NFL MVP in 1999 and 2001, and was in the running last year, but that’s really all. In his career, he has a 60-46 record, 29,756 yards, 188 touchdowns and 118 interceptions.

So who’s better? I don’t think it’s even debatable. Donovan McNabb, and by a country mile. Here are five reasons why:

Stats: When you think of Warner, you think of stats. He puts up good statistics when he’s played, and won the MVP award in 1999 and 2001. But since then, he’s been consistently inconsistent. Get this: From 1999 to 2001, he had over 12,000 passing yards, 98 touchdowns, 53 interceptions, and a 27-8 starter’s record. That’s a Hall of Famer.

But from 2002 to 2007, he had 11,357 yards, 54 touchdowns, and 47 interceptions. That’s a middle-of-the-pack quarterback. It’s that inconsistency that has plagued him.

People talk about McNabb’s ability to run the ball, but from a passing standpoint, McNabb is also better. Warner has 188 touchdowns and 118 interceptions. Both quarterbacks have been in the league for 11 seasons, so they have the exact same sample size.

McNabb in his career has 29,663 yards, 199 touchdowns, 91 interceptions, and 27 300-yard games. While Kurt has 50, that’s very flawed. Who has McNabb had to throw to? Greg Lewis? Todd Pinkston? Freddie Mitchell? L.J. Smith? James Thrash? Those five “targets” combine for 924 catches, 12,007 yards, and 67 touchdowns in a combined 35 years of experience.

So, their average year was as follows: 26 receptions, 343 yards and two touchdowns. Warner, however, has had Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce, Larry Fitzgerald, and Anquan Boldin, who combine for 2,508 receptions, 41,060 yards and 256 touchdowns in 40 years of experience. So, Warner’s targets’ average years are as follows: 63 receptions, 1,027 yards and six touchdowns.

 

Wins: Like I said earlier, the No. 1 job of the quarterback is to win. And McNabb has done that. Consistently and to the point where everyone expects it or it’s a huge disappointment.

In his career, he’s 82-45-1 as a starter, and he’s been a winner pretty much every year. In fact, he’s only had one losing season in his career.

Kurt Warner, however, is 60-46 as a starter with superior talent surrounding him. Also, he’s been more consistent. To start his career, Warner had three great seasons, as he started 27-8. But in the next six seasons, he had a 13-29 record, including a 8-18 record with Arizona, where he had Boldin and Fitzgerald to throw to.

Warner has been much better in the playoffs. There’s no getting around that. Warner is 8-3 in the playoffs, while McNabb is 9-7. Warner has even beaten McNabb’s Eagles once, in the 2008 NFC Championship. But by my count, McNabb has only played one or two bad games in postseason play.

In 2003, he was 10-for-22 with three INTs against the Carolina Panthers, and has 23 TD, 16 INT in his playoff career. And while Warner has been slightly better (26 TD, 13 INT), and has a ring, which McNabb doesn’t, that’s really the only place in which Warner has an edge.

 

Where he took the team: While the motivational leaders on NFL teams are usually linebackers, the quarterbacks must lead by example. They need to be very coachable, able to rebound from awful games, and more.

Quarterbacking at the NFL level is no walk in the park. When McNabb was drafted, the Eagles were a terrible team. In the two years leading up to Philadelphia selecting him, the Eagles were a combined 9-22-1. But since, they are 100-63. Hands down, they are the NFC team of the decade.

When McNabb’s been healthy, they haven’t had a losing season.

But Warner? It’s much different. Sure, he guided the Rams from a 4-12 record in ’98 to 13-3 the next year, but that’s an exception. Why does nobody point out that the Rams finished fourth in defense?

Also, put an NFL-worthy quarterback in that system, and I can pretty much guarantee he posts MVP numbers. So he did. But when he went to the Giants, they were an inconsistent team. And when he left, they were just that: an inconsistent team. And when he joined the Cardinals, they were a mediocre team with two great receivers.

And now, they are simply an above average team who wouldn’t compete in any other division.

 

Habitual year: In a quarterback, you want consistency. It’s nice to have a quarterback who posts monster numbers from time to time, but it’s a heck of a lot nicer to have one who posts good, solid numbers every year. McNabb is the latter.

Looking at his career stats, he’s never really had a “bad” year. He’s never had a ridiculous season where he put his name into the record books, but he’s been great every year and has won games. What more can you ask out of a quarterback?

His average year consists of 233 completions in 395 attempts, 2,697 yards, 18 touchdowns, eight interceptions, an 86.2 rating, on top of 288 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

Warner, on the other hand, is slightly below average when you look at his habitual year. He’s had years like 1999 (4,353 yards, 41 TD), 2001 (4,830 yards, 36 TD), and even 2008 (4,583 yards, 30 TD), but that’s it, really. Looking at his career stats, he’s only had three really good years, seven bad ones, and another is to be determined.

His average year consists of 2,705 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. When you take out three of his huge years, his habitual year is pretty bad, with 1,999 yards, ten touchdowns and nine interceptions. Kurt Warner—call him the three-year wonder.

 

Head-to-head: So what’s the icing on the cake? Is it that Donovan has better stats overall? Is it that Donovan actually wins games? Is it that Donovan is actually a consistent quarterback? Is it that Donovan has done better with lesser talent around him? No, no, no, and no.

It’s that McNabb has faced Warner multiple times, and has absolutely owned him. In the Rams magical 1999 year in which they went 13-3, you’ll never guess who one of their losses came against. The Eagles. McNabb had three touchdowns, while Warner was 12-for-24. In 2002, same opponent, same story. Eagles 10, Rams 3. Kurt gets picked twice. Good night to Kurt’s Rams career.

In 2004, this time with the Giants, he faced McNabb again, losing this time by a score of 31-17. McNabb had a legendary game, with 330 yards and four touchdowns, while Kurt was a pedestrian 16-for-28 with no touchdowns.

In 2008, Kurt’s year in which he dominated for the Cardinals, McNabb and the Eagles pulled down the Cardinals’ pants and spanked them. McNabb had four touchdowns and Kurt had three picks. Kurt has beat the Eagles once in regular season play, losing four times.

Case closed.

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Ravens Lose to Cincinnati: One Man to Blame, and One Man Only

Heartbreaking. Devastating. Those are the words I can think of to describe the Ravens’ 17-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

Why did it happen?

In Bengals fashion, Carson Palmer threw a touchdown pass with seconds left, and it’s the fourth time the Bengals have won a game in the final minute. Overall, it was just an ugly game. Joe Flacco was 22 of 31, but got picked off twice. The run blocking wasn’t nearly as sharp as usual. Ray Rice had 69 yards, but Le’Ron McClain and Willis McGahee were nonexistent.

Losses like this are extremely tough to swallow, perhaps even more so than blowouts. If you lose a game 31-3, at least it’s clear that you’re going to get dominated. It’s not as traumatizing.

But a loss like this, any close loss, in fact, is tougher. It’s more heartbreaking to know you came that close but failed when it counted.

That’s what happened today. After losses like this, there’s always some blame to be spread. Flacco had by far his worst game of the year, but wasn’t even bad. Ray Rice had another good game, as he ran for 69 yards and had 74 more through the air. He even had a 49-yard touchdown.

The defense wasn’t horrible, and did enough to win. Sure, the 100-yard rusher streak is over. Cedric Benson ran for 120 yards. The Ravens did a good job of minimizing the damage.

Despite Benson having a great game, along with Chad Ochocinco (7 rec., 94 yards), and Carson Palmer (18 of 31, 271 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) putting forth solid performances, the Ravens held Cincinnati to 17 points. Ed Reed had his first defensive touchdown, returning an interception for 52 yards and a touchdown.

So who is to blame?

The defense for choking in the clutch? The offensive line for not giving Flacco solid protection? Flacco for not coming up as big as he has in recent weeks? No, no, and no.

The man who is to blame is simple—offensive coordinator Cam Cameron. In the past year and change that Cameron has been offensive coordinator, we’ve seen a new wrinkle in the Ravens offense. There’s been much more balance, more  dynamic big play ability.

That’s why the Ravens are off to such a fast start. They have balance. Teams don’t know what in specific to prepare for.

So Cam, I ask you one question. Why are you throwing all of that away? Last week, Cameron decided it’d be a good idea to become a one-dimensional team against one of the best teams and organizations in the NFL, the New England Patriots. Sounds like a blueprint to victory to me. And then this week, Cam thinks it’s a good idea to pretend two of the biggest play makers on the team flat out don’t exist.

First of all, he didn’t set up any plays for Derrick Mason. Mason has always been the Ravens No. 1 receiver, so why wouldn’t you involve him in a key AFC North clash? Doesn’t make much sense to me.

Also, Willis McGahee. In the first four games, he had seven touchdowns—five on the ground, two in the air. So why would you want to use him deep in Cincinnati territory. It’s not as if he’s been doing a stellar job finishing drives and scoring touchdowns, being that he’s among the league leaders in TD’s to start the season.

Let’s do a little trivia. How many touches did Mason get? Zero. How many touches did McGahee get? Zero. I’m sorry, and I’ve always liked Cam as “OC” in Baltimore, but this was an absolutely dreadful game plan.

Watching it, I was reminded of the Brian Billick days. The Ravens would do a draw in shotgun on first down, a run up the gut on second down, and a throw to the flat on third. That’s an ideal formula.

That is, an ideal formul if you wish to finish every drive with a three-and-out. Do the players have to execute? Absolutely. Cameron can’t make the plays for them, but in this loss, the players were set up to fail.

How is Flacco going to have a big game if every one of his passes is one to a running back in the flat? How is the running game going to do without Willis McGahee?

But again, let’s not panic. Last year, the Ravens started worse (2-3), and won nine of their next 11 to make the playoffs.

But I’d love to hear what Cameron has to say about this brutal game plan he put together today.

In fairness, this is the first game I’ve seen Cam put together this bad a blueprint. But it seems the Ravens are shying away from their balance, which is their main strength. I just have one question ask …

WHY?

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Ravens: In The Harbaugh, Flacco Era, Times Are A-Changin’

Anybody who has the slightest clue about the National Football League or the Baltimore Ravens knows that the Ravens are a team built on winning games in the trenches. They have always had a smash mouth, physical, hard hitting defense, and a good offensive line. To further demonstrate, the first two draft picks in Ravens history were offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden, taken 4th overall, and linebacker Ray Lewis, picked 26th. They have never – ever – been a team of offensive firepower. Sure, in 1996, they ranked 6th in total offense, but that was definitely not an indication of the future.

In 2000, they won a Super Bowl. How? Defense. In 20 games (including playoffs), they allowed 9.5 points per contest, 240.2 yards, and allowed under 200 total yards in nine different games. But because of the lack of balance, the Ravens were never able to showcase some consistency in Brian Billick’s tenure as head coach. A pure example of this is how the Ravens fared from 2005 to 2007. In 2005, they finished with six wins, despite being a very appealing Super Bowl pick. And then, the next year, because of defense, they went 13-3. But of course, in 2007, they went 5-11, and things didn’t look up in 2008.

But two selections – the hiring of head coach John Harbaugh (pictured, right) and selection of Joe Flacco in the first round (pictured, left) have changed all of that. The numbers don’t lie. In their careers, they are 14-5 in the regular season and 2-1 in the playoffs, and the Ravens have developed a consistent contender. But it’s not just that. Nobody doubted that the Ravens could contend with Brian Billick, but it was the consistency that was always a question. There is one statistic that clearly represents that. Under Billick, the Ravens had six winning seasons and three losing seasons. So yes, they were a winner more often than not, but not consistently.

It’s also evident that Baltimore is consistent under Harbaugh when you see that the Ravens have done two things: beat who they’ve been expected to beat, and fight hard with great teams. They’ve beaten the inferior teams, like the Browns, Raiders, Chiefs, Bengals, Jaguars, have also beaten good teams like the Cowboys, Chargers, Titans, Dolphins, and fought hard against elite teams like the Giants, Steelers, and Titans, who have split a series with the Ravens in 2008. What more can you ask from a team?

Also, the Ravens are road warriors. Under Harbaugh, the Ravens are 8-4 on the road, and look like the same team on the road as they do at home, which isn’t the case for most NFL teams. Most teams are rattled on the road, and don’t perform as well. It has a lot to do with coaching. The great coaches get their players to win games – even if it’s on the road. Sure, it’s only 12 games, but the Billick-coached Ravens were 30-42 on the road, including 0-8 in 2005 and 1-7 in 2007. But with Harbaugh, they’re a better team. In fact, you could argue they’re even better on the road than at home.

Harbaugh has said numerous times he wants to build a dynasty. And it’s very early to tell, but not even the biggest Ravens hater can deny they’re going in the right direction. Through the first five games of the Harbaugh/Flacco era, the Ravens were 2-3. They started with two wins to open the season, but three consecutive heartbreaking losses (two by a field goal, one by four touchdowns) had them on the outside looking in. But they didn’t give in. In fact, they won 9 of 11 from that point, both losses to teams that went to the playoffs (Steelers and Giants). 

In fact, since a 31-3 loss to the Colts in Week 6 of 2008, the Ravens are great, with 14 wins and a mere three losses. In those 17 games, they average to outscore teams, 27-14. It’s a different team. A completely different atmosphere in Baltimore. The team is more loose, but loose in a sense that the team has a very good locker room bond, probably the best the team has ever had. But not loose to the point where they get complacent or cocky, to the point where they underestimate a team. So they walk a very fine line, and it’s a very good one to.

Under Harbaugh and Flacco, many things have changed for the Ravens. Four things, in specific: road play, consistency, perseverance, and offense. That brings me to my third point, perseverance. If there’s one thing we hear a lot, it’s this: “the NFL season isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon.” And it’s exactly that. It’s great to start off on the right foot, but it’s even better to finish well. Also, the NFL season is a grind. With the physicality of football, key players down the road will get hurt, or go through slumps. They have to deal with adversity. This is the one thing I love most about the Harbaugh-led Ravens.

After losses, they picked themselves back up. Let me give you some examples. After three consecutive heartbreaking losses in Weeks 4, 5, and 6, the Ravens rebounded, winning four straight contests by a combined score of 134-63. Then, in Week 10, they were humbled by the New York Giants, who ran all over Baltimore, winning 30-10. It was a defeat where the Ravens really had high hopes for a win, only to come far short. But again, they came back, winning their next three games, moving to 9-4. And then, easily the most heartbreaking loss of the regular season came, as they lost 13-9 at home to the Steelers in the final seconds. So what do they do?

Win two in a row, advance to the playoffs as the No. 6 seed, and go all the way to the AFC Championship game. And in the AFC Championship, they lost to the Steelers again, 23-14. And since, are 7-0, if you count the preseason and three regular season wins to start the year. So, there you have it. Under Harbaugh, there is lots of change brought to the table – and make no mistake about it, it’s good change. There’s much more of a locker room camaraderie, incredible perseverance, and the road play is exponentially better, which is key for any playoff team.

Harbaugh and tight end Todd Heap say that the players don’t want to let each other down.  “It’s an interesting phenomenon when a team has a certain maturity level and a confidence in one another,” Harbaugh said. “We’re not going to let each other down. You find a way to win. How do you put a finger on it? I don’t know. You just know when you see it.” Heap thinks it’s a matter of attention to detail. “We’ve got a bunch of guys that know what it takes and play together as a team and don’t let little things get them out of focus,” said Heap. 

And that brings us to the last improvement: offense. As I said, the offense was an ugly nightmare from 1997-2007, and the only way the team won games was with defense. But it’s different now. In 2008 and 2009, they are dangerous offensively. In 2009, so far, they are great on offense. When was the last time you could say that? So far this year, the Ravens average 34.3 points per game, second in the NFL just behind the Saints (40.0). Will this keep up? Who knows. It’s unlikely the Ravens will finish with 34 points per game by the time it’s all said and done, and it’s even more unlikely the Saints will be at 40. But I don’t doubt the Ravens will be amongst the league leaders in most offensive categories by season’s end.

Football calls for many things. It calls for nice guys to do dirty things. For almost all teams, it calls for a little bad blood between teammates. So, great teams have to have great coaching, discipline, character, perseverance, and ability to stick together. The Ravens have all that, and I for one can’t wait to see how the next five to ten years unfold.

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Baltimore Ravens: Analyzing Just How Good They’ve Been So Far

For once, the Baltimore Ravens are getting respect from the media.

But why? Why now?

It’s simple. Because of offense.

Before, the Ravens were a team who won because of their defense, but now, this team is one of the most balanced in franchise history.  They have a great run game, a terrific offensive line, and while they don’t have a wide receiver of Larry Fitzgerald’s stature for quarterback Joe Flacco to throw to, they get the job done.

Let’s take a look at just how good the key players have been.

OFFENSE

QB Joe Flacco: Not much can be said about how well he has done over his first 22 games in the pros.  In those games, he is 16-6 (2-1 in the playoffs), and that’s all that matters.  But this year, he’s put up the individual statistics to “wow” anybody.  In three games, he has 839 yards, six touchdowns, two interceptions, and has had over 300 yards two times—something he never did last year in 19 tries—if you include the postseason.

He said throughout training camp he was more comfortable with the offense, and that much is clear so far.  The 24-year-old has a 101.4 quarterback rating.  In his career under pressure or when being blitzed, his poise is apparent—he has 18 touchdowns and just nine interceptions.

RB Willis McGahee: Let’s make this clear: I had confidence McGahee would rebound from his disappointing 2008 campaign.

But to this extent?  No.

In three games, he has 32 carries, 190 yards, five touchdowns, and he also has a touchdown reception.  If you want to know exactly how much he’s improved, compare his stats to where he was last year at this point.  Through three games, he had 50 carries, 172 yards (3.4 YPC), one touchdown, along with five catches for 32 yards.

But this year, he has 32 carries, 190 yards, five touchdowns, six catches, and 41 yards.  The odd thing is, he’s producing more with less of a workload.

RB Ray Rice: Of course, with a year under his belt, Flacco was seen as a breakout candidate.

But so was Rice, also in his second year in the NFL.  And so far, he’s delivered.  He scored his first NFL touchdown in Week Three.  Sure, it took a while, but mainly because he hasn’t played in goal-line situations.  In three games, he has 38 carries, 192 yards, and a touchdown.  But his contributions through the air get overlooked.  He already has 11 catches, and despite a healthy Todd Heap, Rice is one of Flacco’s No. 1 targets on check-downs.

FB Le’Ron McClain: Because McGahee struggled last season and Rice wasn’t ready for a heavy workload as a rookie, McClain was asked to run the ball a lot—232 times, in fact.  For a fullback, that’s crazy.  With McGahee back in shape and Rice ready to become a primary back, McClain has been asked to do the normal job of a fullback—block.

And he’s done that very well, as you can tell from the numbers of the running backs. McClain has come through when called upon, and has 12 carries for 38 yards and a touchdown, along with eight receptions for 68 yards.

WR Derrick Mason: You can tell this is an important season for Mason.

He briefly retired after his best friend, Steve McNair, passed away, and then unretired.  It could be his last season.  So far, he’s looked like himself.  Reliable.  In three games, he has 12 catches, 196 yards, and one touchdown.

In Sunday’s 34-3 win over the Browns, he caught five passes—enough to surpass 800 for his career.  He credited McNair for passing the milestone.

“Over half of them were from him,” said Mason of his 800 catches.  “We built a bond on the field that a quarterback and receiver have to have in order to be productive in this league.  We built that bond for the 10 or 11 years I played with him.  A lot has to be contributed to him and I when were in Tennessee, and then here.”  He’s been a sure-handed receiver his entire career, and, including the playoffs, caught 92-of-142 passes thrown his way last year.”

WR Mark Clayton: In stretches, Clayton has shown he can be a great receiver.  He’s just been extremely inconsistent.

In 2006, he broke out.  But in 2007, he was a huge disappointment.  And then last year, he had games where he looked elite, and others where you could hardly notice he existed.  An injury before the season started forced him to miss the entire 2009 preseason, and so far, he is doing a good job, with nine catches, 132 yards, and a touchdown.  His three receptions and 44 yards per game line isn’t fantastic, but it’s expected with a team like the Ravens who spread the ball around very well.  Clayton needs to be a lot more like Mason.  I’m not bashing Clayton’s character, but Mason is a lot more consistent in his play.  But what’s interesting to me is this: Clayton didn’t drop one pass last year, nor did he fumble.

WR Kelley Washington: Sure, new additions like Michael Oher and Matt Birk have done a great job on the offensive side of the ball, but Washington is a huge steal.  From 2003 to 2008 with the Bengals and Patriots, he didn’t accomplish much, with 73 catches, 896 yards, and nine touchdowns.  So in an average year, he caught 12 passes for 149 yards and one touchdown.  He’s already surpassed that.  In three games, he has 12 receptions, 167 yards, a touchdown, and is looking like Flacco’s No. 1 target, especially on third downs.

TE Todd Heap: If there was a book about Todd Heap, it wouldn’t say much.  “Can be a good tight end, but is never healthy.”  This year, he’s healthy, and he’s shown he can be a good target for Joe Flacco.  It’s a fact that a big, reliable tight end usually helps any quarterback, but especially a young one.  And so far, Heap has been that.

He had a great first game, with five receptions, 74 yards, and a touchdown.  He caught another touchdown in Week Two, and he had a good game against Cleveland.  So far, he has 10 catches, 124 yards, and two touchdowns.  He was even healthy in 2008, but he dropped eight passes, fumbled once, and had a disappointing year overall.  However, his only drop this year was because of a crushing hit, and he’s on pace for a much better year.

LT Jared Gaither: The O-line has been great so far this season, and Gaither has improved.  In Week One, he was the only weak link on the line.  He wasn’t really sharp in any phase, but he got better as the game wore on.  He also was charged with a penalty, and allowed the only Chiefs sack.  In Week Two against San Diego, he was much-improved, and against a better pass rush.  He made only one “mistake”, allowing Shawne Merriman to beat him and pressure Flacco into throwing an interception.  But, Gaither has been pretty solid and is getting better.  After all, he’s 23 years old.

LG Ben Grubbs: In his short career, Grubbs has been two things—durable and consistent.  He hasn’t missed any games he’s been slated to play in, and he’s shown consistent effort, week in and week out.  It’s been no different this season.  In the first game, he had one of his best performances as a pro.  He didn’t make any mistakes, and he finished his blocks, which definitely helped running back Ray Rice run for 108 yards.  In Weeks Two and Three, he put forth two more solid efforts.  Grubbs is a guy you never have to worry about.

C Matt Birk: Plain and simple, getting Birk was a tremendous signing.  So far, he hasn’t been matched up with anyone tough except for Shaun Rogers, who didn’t give Birk an ounce of trouble. In Week One, Filmstudy was impressed:

“He couldn’t have had a better debut, displaying excellent footwork and judgment.  He missed just two of 85 blocks by my count and led the team with six blocks in level two. There wasn’t much fancy about it, but Birk was able to regularly frustrate Tank Tyler.  Tyler registered seven tackles, but none behind the line of scrimmage.”

RG Chris Chester: It looked like Marshal Yanda would be the guy at right guard this year, but because he has trouble staying healthy, Chester has seen a lot of time, and has impressed.  He played very well in Week One, outside of a holding penalty, and was also very good in Week Two.  Chester has versatility.  He plays guard for now, but has a chance to be the future center, as does Yanda.  If both can learn from the guy next to him (Matt Birk), the Ravens can be very stable at that position for the next decade.

RT Michael Oher: I can’t ask anything more from Oher.  He’s had his ups and downs, like all rookies, but I’m extremely impressed.  He had one of the best debuts for a rookie tackle in recent memory in Week One.  He didn’t make any mistakes, and really had a perfect game.  He came back down to earth in Week Two, allowing a sack, but he was great again in Week Three.  I love what I see from him, and he has a chance to be the future left tackle, a position he played a lot at the University of Mississippi.

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NFL: The Future at Quarterback Is Bright

You have to wonder what the National Football League will be like after Peyton Manning and Tom Brady leave it.

Both are first ballot Hall of Famers who have had a tremendous impact on their respective franchises and the league as a whole, so it’ll be hard for anybody to succeed them.

So will the league become one that runs the ball more after those two leave? No, it won’t. The future for quarterbacks in the NFL is incredibly bright.

Mark Sanchez, New York Jets, 22 years old

I have gone on record to say that Sanchez will win Offensive Rookie of the Year. And through the first two games, he hasn’t made me look bad.

The fifth overall pick in 2009 is leading the Jets, who are 2-0, and he is 32-of-53 with 435 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. He starts his career 1-0 against the legendary Tom Brady, and I’m so impressed by his toughness, poise, and decision making.

In a preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens, he was brutal, throwing a pick-six on his first pass. But he threw a touchdown just a quarter later, and has been spotless since that bad outing.

If he keeps this up, he’ll finish with over 3,400 yards, 16 touchdowns, and eight interceptions, numbers better than Matt Ryan posted last year, and certainly deserving of Rookie of the Year.

Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons, 24 years old

Last year, Ryan had a phenomenal rookie year for the Falcons. He started all 16 games, threw for 3,440 yards, 16 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and went 11-5 as a starter. He won Rookie of the Year, and much deservedly so.

So, would he have a sophomore slump?

So far, it doesn’t look like that. He’s won his first two games against tough teams, beating Miami, 19-7, and Carolina, 28-20. He’s combined for 449 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception. He has a career passer rating of 90.4 in 18 games, and he seems to be one of those guys who gets it.

He has what it takes to play in the NFL from Day 1. And he better, considering he was drafted third overall in 2008 and honored with a six-year, $72M contract.

Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens, 24 years old

Flacco was overlooked in 2008. He and Ryan were the two legit quarterback prospects, and while the latter was taken third, small-school product Flacco was picked 18th by the Baltimore Ravens, who were also in need of a quarterback.

Like Ryan in Atlanta, Flacco emerged as a rookie and appears to be the future of the team. Flacco threw for 2,971 yards, 14 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and also went 11-5 as a starter.

He looks even better this year, with five touchdowns and two interceptions in his first two games, both wins.

Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers, 25 years old

Rodgers would fill monstrous shoes in 2008 after longtime Green Bay legend Brett Favre retired, unretired, and was acquired by the New York Jets.

But Rodgers actually did considerably better than Favre. In fact, Rodgers’ 2008 season (4,038 yards, 28 TD, 13 INT) was better than Favre’s habitual campaign in a Packer uniform (3,853 yards, 27 TD, 18 INT).

If Rodgers gets some help from his defense, he can win Super Bowls. He’s shown the poise on the field that proves he won’t get rattled in playoff environments.

Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears, 26 years old

Cutler reminds me very much of Brett Favre. Both have cannon arms and can win games with their arms. However, both have questionable decision making, to say the least.

But nonetheless, Cutler has been, is, and will be for many years to come an elite quarterback.

He had a convincing showing over the weekend against Pittsburgh, winning the game by himself, throwing for nearly 300 yards and two touchdowns—not an easy task against the Steelers.

Through his first three seasons, he had 54 touchdowns, 39 interceptions, and 9,024 yards. Through Favre’s first three full years, he had 70 touchdowns, 41 interceptions, and 10,412 yards. Very similar.

Matt Cassel, Kansas City Chiefs, 27 years old

Last year, when Tom Brady went down, Matt Cassel was inserted into his role as the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots. And he filled in very well, with 3,693 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.

Many argue he was a product of the system. And frankly, I agree. Look at the players he had around him. The Pats have a very good offensive line, and Cassel had Randy Moss and Wes Welker to throw to.

Kansas City was foolish to reward him with a six-year, $63 million extension, and in his first game, he was intercepted twice. But he’s still a very solid quarterback and with talent around him, he’ll succeed.

Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers, 27 years old

Rivers, in my opinion, should’ve won MVP last year. The actual winner, Peyton Manning, had seven fewer yards, one more interception, and seven fewer touchdowns. On top of that, Peyton lost to Rivers’ Chargers in the playoffs.

Oh by the way, Rivers took a Chargers team that was 4-8 with four games to go to the playoffs. So far in his career, he has 11,385 yards, 81 touchdowns, 39 interceptions, and a 33-15 record, including 22-6 at home.

That’s what I call elite.

Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers, 27 years old

While the consensus is that Rivers is in the “elite” category of quarterbacks, most think Roethlisberger isn’t. His average season of 20 touchdowns and 14 interceptions warrants that. I agree with it and see some flaws in it.

I agree that he does get a lot of help from the Steelers great defense, but nobody can deny he’s a winner, a competitor, and one of the most clutch—if not the most—quarterbacks in football.

In his career, he is 52-22 as a starter, and 8-2 in the playoffs.

Eli Manning, New York Giants, 28 years old

As a quarterback, you have to grow up fast. You have to be mature, relaxed, knowledgable, and tough at the same time. Manning became all of those during the 2007 playoffs. From 2004 to 2007, his first four seasons in the league, he was 30-25 as a starter in the regular season, 0-2 in the playoffs, and he had 77 touchdowns and 64 interceptions.

But in the 2007 postseason, he had just one interception, led the Giants to a miracle Super Bowl victory, and in the 2008 regular season, had his best year, with 3,238 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 10 picks.

And so far in 2009, he’s looked pretty flawless, with four touchdowns, one interception, and two wins in as many starts.

Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys, 29 years old

Fans, sportswriters, and even teammates are putting a lot of pressure on Romo. In his career, the 29-year-old is 28-13 as a starter, has 11,042 yards, 85 touchdowns, and 48 interceptions. So what’s the problem? Well, for starters, he’s 7-10 in December, and has yet to win a playoff game.

It’s natural he’ll get the “choke artist” label. But I don’t think of him that way. He’s had plenty of solid “big game” performances late in the year. It’s just that some of his lesser moments outweigh them.

——————————————————————————————————————–

If there’s one thing I’ve noticed over the last two years, I’ve realized it may no longer be a sin to play a rookie quarterback right away. Three rookies—Mark Sanchez (Jets), Joe Flacco (Ravens), and Matt Ryan (Falcons)—started right away. And all have been very good.

Combined, the three have a 28-10 regular season record. I think these youngsters learned from the Ryan Leaf saga. They now know you can’t survive only on physical skills. You have to have work ethic, maturity, poise, leadership, and ability to adapt.

So when Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Kurt Warner, and Donovan McNabb retire, it’ll be a sad time in the NFL, no doubt.

But there are even brighter days ahead.

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