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Here we go again. ESPN analyst Ron “Jaws” Jaworski has been breaking down the snaps of every starting quarterback in the league and compiling a list of the top 30. Ranking 9th mainly for his arm strength, Baltimore Ravens QB, Joe Flacco came in higher than Matt Schaub, Tony Romo, Cam Newton, Matthew Stafford, and Matt Ryan.
From ESPN: “That’s Flacco’s No. 1 attribute,” Jaworski said. “I get so tired of hearing how arm strength is overrated. It’s far more important than people think. He has the strongest arm in the NFL.”
Jaworski added, “The element always overlooked by those who minimize arm strength is the willingness of quarterbacks like Flacco to pull the trigger. Few recognize that because there is no quantifiable means by which to evaluate throws that are not made by quarterbacks with lesser arm strength. It’s all about dimensions. Flacco gives you the ability to attack all areas of the field at any point in the game.”
“In his four seasons, Flacco has won 69 percent of his regular-season starts,” Jaworski said. “How about this? He’s started nine playoff games, eight of them on the road, and he’s won five of them. Now that’s impressive.”
“There are very few quarterbacks in the NFL with the pure throwing ability of Joe Flacco,” Jaworski said. “The reason Joe is No. 9 and not higher is his production does not always match his skill set. If he can become more consistent in 2012, he will move up in my quarterback rankings.”
Flacco just can’t win for losing. Some said he was too high, while others said he was too low. Much like his # 74 ranking on the NFL’s Top 100 list, I think 9th is exactly where he should be. I get that Flacco didn’t have his best season statistically in 2011. In fact, Flacco’s 12 interceptions tied a career-high and he set a new career-high in fumbles with nine. But, stats don’t tell the whole story. Is there room for improvement? Absolutely. With a full offseason this time around, I expect Joe to have a breakout year.
