Lacking "IT": Why Joe Flacco Is Not The Answer In Baltimore

Joe Flacco is a good quarterback. His terrible performance against the Cincinnati Bengals last week was an aberration. He's a solid player and he'll be an NFL starter for a long time.

That's where the positivity ends. Flacco is good, and the Ravens can still win a Super Bowl with him thanks to a still amazing defense. He didn't win so many games for nothing. But that's going to be pretty difficult, and the reason is simple: he's not a big game quarterback. His track record in big games is terrible. Guys like Marino and Manning are legends, but even with a wealth of experience were chokers throughout their careers. That's because they aren't big game quarterbacks. Flacco appears to fit in the same mold. Mentally, he's never going to master the game. That alone limits Baltimore's potential as a team.

Flacco does okay under in-game pressure (see the should-have-been comebacks against NE and Minnesota last year), but external pressure? No. He doesn't show up in the games that count. That's why he's never lost to a team with a losing record in his entire career, yet he always struggles against the good ones. For some reason fans wanted to ignore his playoff performances, but it is undoubtedly a major concern, with a quarterback rating below 50 in five postseason games. His rookie season? Okay, not so bad. He was obviously limited but he led the team well, especially against Tennessee in the divisional round. But last year, even saying that the Colts game wasn't as bad as everyone thinks it was, he didn't show up. He seemed to hinder the team. Those qualities are not going to just disappear. He'll never be Mr. Clutch. He seems to be in the choker mold. Some aspects of his mentality are greatly troubling and seem to point toward that. It can improve, but those problems will never go away.

What's also troubling is that he doesn't seem to be a good leader. The team doesn't seem to be rallying behind him. He doesn't get very animated and it just seems like he's "there." It looks like he doesn't even care that much. That's apparent in his demeanor, the perceived lack of improvement and even regression in key areas, and the recurring mental mistakes. Maybe he's trying too hard or letting things get to his head, but it honestly seems like apathy might be the issue. He's a starter, he's comfortable, he's won a lot of games, his team is getting tons of hype...where's the motivation?

Where's the killer instinct? Johnny Unitas had it, and it made up for a lot of his physical shortcomings on his way to become one of the greatest to ever play the game. Trent Dilfer had it in a sort of "I know I suck, why the hell not?" kind of way which complemented the defense's swagger perfectly. Steve McNair had it and could have very well won the Super Bowl in 2006 if his body wasn't falling apart. Bert Jones didn't have it. He led explosive offenses only to choke against better teams with better defenses in the playoffs. Vinny Testaverde didn't have it. He put up some great numbers in '96 but that didn't translate to wins. Elvis Grbac didn't have it. Once he left the offense friendly-confines of KC and walked into a depleted Baltimore offense, he was useless, while the poised, experienced Randall Cunningham looked much better.

Flacco doesn't have it. Yes, he wins games, but he also had a defense that Testaverde didn't. If he had a deep threat all of these years, he would have put up awesome stats and still not delivered in big games. He's a working class man's Drew Bledsoe.

Now, let's make something clear. Marc Bulger is not better than Joe Flacco. No chance whatsoever. But that's not the entire equation, either. Bulger is not a better player, but he might be better for the team. He wasn't a winner in the sense that his team won a ton of games, but he also had one of the worst defenses in the league. In his prime, he was historically a relatively strong finisher and his playoff resume, though short, is pretty solid. He isn't in his prime, obviously, but he brings different qualities to the team that will help. He's an experienced vet and a confident leader. He can be a really good game manager, which, given our team's strengths, may be just what the Ravens need. Looking at his numbers during the Rams' nadir, they aren't terrible. He posted QB ratings slightly above 70, which would improve greatly in our offense. Except for 2003, he's never been an overaggressive interception machine, even in a Rams offense that was highly conducive to doing so. If Flacco had performed reasonably well against the Steelers, they may have gone to the Super Bowl and may have won. If Flacco had performed reasonably well, they might have been able to upset the Colts in the playoffs. Nothing Flacco has done so far this year has convinced anyone that he's changed. Bulger will probably be able to exhibit those veteran leadership qualities more effectively. He's not senile, either, so he can still play relatively well. A change of scenery may work for him. Bulger isn't a world beater, but as a game manager he can perform reasonably well in the biggest games, and that may be all the Ravens need.

Baltimore's foundation is strong. They have a phenomenal defense, the offensive line (even with some struggles early on) has a lot of great young players who just need to gel and not be forced to play out of position (for example, Marshal Yanda playing right tackle). Ray Rice is one of the best in the league and can spearhead a formidable rushing attack. The group of receivers is a bit old but very reliable. John Harbaugh is a great coach who has done a great job of building the team back up. Ozzie Newsome is one of the best general managers in the business. Owner Steve Bisciotti is committed to winning and he's willing to spend the money to do so. This team is built to win Super Bowls, but that will only happen if they possess the right kind of quarterback. He doesn't need to be a superstar, but he needs to be able to perform at least adequately come playoff time and stay poised under pressure.

This is a great opportunity that the Ravens shouldn't be squandering. It isn't time to give up on Flacco immediately, but it needs to be made clear that he needs to step up or his welcome in Baltimore will wear out. If he doesn't seem to be improving mentally in the coming weeks and months, it may be time to send him to the bench and bring in the experienced guy who complements a winning team better.

If Flacco continues to show that he takes several steps down in the biggest games this year, he should not be in Baltimore's long term plans. The worst case scenario is for him and the Ravens to succumb to what I call the "Hasselbeck Syndrome." This is basically any quarterback who is very good, but not elite in any way. Nonetheless, a team considers him to be a franchise QB and makes a long term investment in him. They're stuck in limbo, with a talented team but a small chance of ever winning a Super Bowl because their quarterback just isn't quite good enough. Hasselbeck was a classic example of this, with one really strong year and a bunch of good ones. The Seahawks seemed to have a ceiling for the most part, with the Hasselbeck era being occupied by a massive glut of 9-7 and 10-6 seasons in a weak division. Like Flacco, Hasselbeck wasn't a very good quarterback at first, but he lucked into a situation that helped him develop into a solid player, but not much more. In Flacco's case it could be even worse, since he's been miserable in the playoffs (though Hasselbeck wasn't necessarily great, either).

After this season, the Ravens should strongly consider drafting a quarterback in the first round of the 2011 draft, or in 2012 after the potential lockout for no layoff and a slightly safer bet. Make sure he seems to have the right mental makeup, and preferably is from a big school. With the surroundings he'd have, he's not going to bust. A highly drafted QB's success depends very much on his supporting cast. Examples of first round QBs failing in that environment are extremely rare. If a big-armed 1-AA guy can develop into a good QB in the Ravens' system, who can't? At this point, would Flacco have been anything other than a bust if he went to a place like Oakland? It's a very big deal and a very big advantage for the Ravens, given their current level of talent. They shouldn't settle for less than a real franchise QB, a real leader. As long as they focus on intangilbes rather than potential based on physical tools the next time around, their chances of finding that type of player and a true leader are very good and their probability of achieving greatness will greatly increase.