Hey, upinthemguts.....what are your thoughts on Flacco vs. Smith? Is there going to be any QB controversy? I don't think so, but a friend of mine who is a huge Ravens fan says that "all the Ravens fans think so."
Absolutely no controversy whatsoever. The starting QB position is Flacco's unless he gets injured. Flacco has all the tools to be an excellent QB in this league. He has an absolute bazooka for a throwing arm. His downfield accuracy is also very good. He will be a monster in a couple of years if the Ravens can commit to giving him a downfield target who can stretch the field.
I like Troy's athletic ability. He's a got a strong arm but lacks ideal height. He needs to scramble outside of the pocket on roll-outs in order to see the whole field(there are rumors that he's shorter than 6 foot). However, Flacco is 6'6" and stands tall in the pocket. Flacco can also scramble to avoid the rush if needs to do. He ran for a 38 yeard touchdown in the opening game last season. He's got some wheels and is a good athlete.
Troy Smith is in the last year of his contract and last year as a Raven. He wants to start but I don't think he has what most NFL teams are looking for as a starting QB. He usually provides a spark on offense but only in a reserved, off the bench role. Defenses would have a tough time adjusting to his scrambling ability if he suddenly came into the game off the bench. But give any NFL opponent an entire week to gameplan a QB with Smith's attributes and he wouldn't be nearly as effective.
Flacco is the man in Baltimore. Unchallenged as the starter.
