As the Frozen Tundra Expansion Draft began there was seemingly just two givens. Draft pick numbers 1 and 2 would almost certainly be Aaron Rodgers and Phillip Rivers. Beyond those first two picks there were great players available but how each team would begin the building process made the rest of the first round very unsettled. As the draft slots were revealed Baltimore would end up number four in the first round. Goodbye Rivers & Rodgers and hello Plan B. As the draft began and with just 1 minute to grab your guy, quickly Rivers and Rodgers disappeared and then Clay Matthews followed. Now with 1 minute to make a final decision, for me it was a clear choice between two players. There was Pro-Bowl and Comeback Player of the Year Michael Vick or Joe Flacco. Joe Flacco? If I was to be a real contender this season then the obvious pick would be Michael Vick. His card is tremendous and individually he is a much more disruptive force to contend with. I probably made Winnipeg a very happy franchise by passing on Vick and taking Flacco instead. My reasoning (or lack of) was that Flacco presented an appealing package of positives. First, he is five years younger than Vick and for a team building from scratch I could use those extra five years worth of starts at Quarterback. Second, he has the size and arm strength that are prototypical for the position. 6'6" 232 pounds, can easily throw the ball 65 yards. He's started every game since coming into the NFL and has never missed a game. His Quarterback Rating % has gotten better every year and he's been to the playoffs every year. All signs indicated that this could be a player ready to ascend to the next level at his position. My scouting brain trust was in agreement that this was our guy, so we took him and block number one was in place. Fast forward to the present and uh oh. 2011 has started pretty badly for Flacco. In 2010 Joe was targeting Anquan Boldin, Todd Heap and Father Time himself Derrick Mason while T.J. Houshmandzadeh provided help as the third receiver. In 2011 only Boldin remains from that receiving corps and there appears to be a learning curve for Flacco and the new receivers. Here is probably the biggest factor. In '11 the Offensive Line for Baltimore was average and probably better suited to the running game. The line was comprised of: LT-Michael Oher, LG-Ben Grubbs, C-Matt Birk, RG-Chris Chester, RT-Marshall Yanda
In 2011 the line is:
LT-Bryant McKinnie, LG-Andre Gurode, C-Matt Birk, RG-Marshall Yanda, RT-Michael Oher
When you have a transition like this where only 1 player is playing the same position in the Offensive Line as the previous year it normally spells trouble. Having recently watched Flacco and his linemen's lack of protection this could be a step back year for the QB. I am sure that Ozzie Newsome will be looking to fortify the "O"-line in the next off season. I hope so for the sake of my Baltimore Colts franchise!
Colts Joe Flacco looks to find an open man against Kentucky
Colts Joe Flacco looks to find an open man against Kentucky
