YoUDeeMan
August 24th, 2008, 10:56 PM
xnodx
Boller had a sore shoulder. Smith got a virus.
http://www.baltimoreravens.com/News/Art ... _Fire.aspx
That opened the door for 2008 first-round draft pick Joe Flacco to step in and make his first start of the preseason. He was under center from the opening whistle to the final gun, a rarity for any player in the preseason, and completed 18 of 37 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown while playing turnover-free football.
“bIt was exciting for me, so I had to calm myself down,” Flacco said. “As the game went on, I felt like I did. I felt pretty comfortable throughout the whole game.”
Flacco appeared to find his groove as he engineered an ultra-efficient 75-yard touchdown drive to open the third quarter. He connected with Mason on all four of his pass attempts, including a perfect 15-yard drive-capping fade, as the Ravens needed just seven plays and 3:15 off the clock to march down the field.
“That drive just felt good, coming out of [halftime],” Flacco recalled. “We moved the ball pretty well.”
With the confidence boost a touchdown toss brings, Flacco continued making strides as the game progressed.
“He really did get comfortable and started getting the ball out quicker, saw some things, made some real accurate throws near the end there and had some zip on the ball,” Harbaugh observed. “You could see him growing throughout the course of the game.”
After the Mason-fueled touchdown drive, Flacco began to spread the ball around effectively. In all, nine Ravens caught at least one pass.
While the Ravens put just 10 points on the board, the most important result of Saturday’s surprise quarterback shuffle was that Flacco added a wealth of NFL-caliber game experience he was otherwise unlikely to obtain at this stage of his development.
“The whole game experience, playing four quarters in a row was pretty good for me,” said Flacco.
Harbaugh concurred: “I think he’s moving pretty quickly up the [learning] curve, and you saw it from the first quarter to the fourth quarter tonight.”
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/footba ... ms/ravens/
http://www.fannation.com/blogs/post/237375
"He still looked like a rookie, but he was able to gain some composure, having an entire game to settle in. There were, of course, plenty of passes he shouldn't have thrown, but there were also a number that should've been caught. There were times when his inexperience was visible, but also times when he stood up and made the plays he needed to make.
Last night, with the game unexpectedly shoved into his hands, Joe Flacco had to take charge, if only temporarily. And he did his job, showing that while he's not quite ready to take over, he has the potential to be "The Man" in the future, which is precisely why the Ravens drafted him."
Boller had a sore shoulder. Smith got a virus.
http://www.baltimoreravens.com/News/Art ... _Fire.aspx
That opened the door for 2008 first-round draft pick Joe Flacco to step in and make his first start of the preseason. He was under center from the opening whistle to the final gun, a rarity for any player in the preseason, and completed 18 of 37 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown while playing turnover-free football.
“bIt was exciting for me, so I had to calm myself down,” Flacco said. “As the game went on, I felt like I did. I felt pretty comfortable throughout the whole game.”
Flacco appeared to find his groove as he engineered an ultra-efficient 75-yard touchdown drive to open the third quarter. He connected with Mason on all four of his pass attempts, including a perfect 15-yard drive-capping fade, as the Ravens needed just seven plays and 3:15 off the clock to march down the field.
“That drive just felt good, coming out of [halftime],” Flacco recalled. “We moved the ball pretty well.”
With the confidence boost a touchdown toss brings, Flacco continued making strides as the game progressed.
“He really did get comfortable and started getting the ball out quicker, saw some things, made some real accurate throws near the end there and had some zip on the ball,” Harbaugh observed. “You could see him growing throughout the course of the game.”
After the Mason-fueled touchdown drive, Flacco began to spread the ball around effectively. In all, nine Ravens caught at least one pass.
While the Ravens put just 10 points on the board, the most important result of Saturday’s surprise quarterback shuffle was that Flacco added a wealth of NFL-caliber game experience he was otherwise unlikely to obtain at this stage of his development.
“The whole game experience, playing four quarters in a row was pretty good for me,” said Flacco.
Harbaugh concurred: “I think he’s moving pretty quickly up the [learning] curve, and you saw it from the first quarter to the fourth quarter tonight.”
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/footba ... ms/ravens/
http://www.fannation.com/blogs/post/237375
"He still looked like a rookie, but he was able to gain some composure, having an entire game to settle in. There were, of course, plenty of passes he shouldn't have thrown, but there were also a number that should've been caught. There were times when his inexperience was visible, but also times when he stood up and made the plays he needed to make.
Last night, with the game unexpectedly shoved into his hands, Joe Flacco had to take charge, if only temporarily. And he did his job, showing that while he's not quite ready to take over, he has the potential to be "The Man" in the future, which is precisely why the Ravens drafted him."