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A conversation I had with an NFL coach this week regarding the top quarterbacks in the draft helped make that even more of a concern.
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When discussing Flacco, the coach wondered, like I have, why Flacco ran away from the competition at Pitt, even though the Pitt coaches wanted him to stay. They refused to release him, which led him to sign with Delaware.
"Why not stay and compete?" the coach said. "It was just Tyler Palko. It wasn't like it was somebody he couldn't beat out if he was that good."
Hey, maybe Flacco knew what he was doing. He ran from the competition, got a chance to play, and ran right into the first round of the NFL Draft. But when a man backs down from a challenge, it's a red flag to that coach. He wasn't alone. At least three other personnel people mentioned the same thing.
There were other concerns as well. Some scouts said he looked uncomfortable taking snaps from center since he played in the shotgun at Delaware. Others said he was a tad too arrogant for their taste, which is never an issue in my book, but might be to some.
Who knows? Maybe the Ravens nailed it and Flacco can turn his great size (6-6) and big arm into becoming the quarterback the Ravens haven't had in their short history. Their scouting past has been very good, aside from the big miss on Boller. General manager Ozzie Newsome is one of the best. Scouting director Eric DeCosta is a rising star in the profession.
They know what they're doing most of the time, but this move leaves them open to debate.
This is a franchise that won a Super Bowl with Trent Dilfer, but he was little more than a caretaker of the football. They've run a bevy of passers through during their return to Baltimore, guys like Vinny Testaverde, Dilfer, Elvis Grbac and Steve McNair, players who were more reclamation projects than franchise quarterbacks.
Boller was supposed to be their first franchise passer, his rocket arm the reason he was the chosen one. Now there's Flacco in that same role, his impressive physical skills a big reason why he's the choice.
Is this history repeating itself? The Ravens sure better hope not or the parade of broken-down passers that have Baltimore on their itinerary may never end.
