19 replies to this topic

[JimJohnson]

This week I look back at the QB wasteland the Ravens endured between 1998-2007.

 

https://baltimorespo...ways-this-good/

 

Who was your favorite-the QB who struggled yet you still really liked? I really rooted for McNair, but the Ravens just got him too late in his career.

 

Which one of this relatively motley crew really chafed you? Jeff Blake really irked me, beyond a level that I can rationally explain.

[bmore_ken]

That title is an understatement. I still have PTSD from the Boller years.

[hallas]

Anthony Wright.. There were 5 or so games in 2003 that for a brief moment, made me think he might be a real NFL starting QB.

[TwentyThirtyFive]

The decision to draft and play Boller cost us a real chance at another ring. Defense was still insane from '02-06 and Jamal good-great as well. Just needed a solid vet. McNair was proof of that in '06. Imagine getting him in '03. Also wonder how things wouldve been different had we drafted Leftwich instead of Boller. Thats who Oz wanted. We know Leftwich was never a stud but he was better than Boller and who knows maybe his career is a bit different if hes in a class organization like Baltimore instead of Jacksonville

[You Play to Win the Game]

The decision to draft and play Boller cost us a real chance at another ring. Defense was still insane from '02-06 and Jamal good-great as well. Just needed a solid vet. McNair was proof of that in '06. Imagine getting him in '03. Also wonder how things wouldve been different had we drafted Leftwich instead of Boller. Thats who Oz wanted. We know Leftwich was never a stud but he was better than Boller and who knows maybe his career is a bit different if hes in a class organization like Baltimore instead of Jacksonville

All good points. But I'm okay with the way it all played out. May not have drafted Flacco/the galvanization of getting Ray a 2nd ring on his way out... so 2012 certainly could've been different. I wouldn't trade 2012 for anything. Just truly thrilling that whole playoff run.

[BaltBird 24]

But Boller could throw it from his knee through the uprights from the 50 yard line.

[TwentyThirtyFive]

Whats funny is I was a fan of Billick at the time. Not so much Harbaugh for the longest time. In retrospect, I think Billick did some good things but he rode the coattails of Ray, Ed, and really the defense pretty hard his whole tenure. The way John adapted when Lamar was drafted was the biggest thing that won me over with him. Hes now had SB caliber windows with two different QBs and really two different styles and identities. Thats pretty rare. His players and coaches seem to have a lot of respect for him. There was a great culture here with Oz, Biscuit, EDC, etc when he came in but hes only made it that much better.

[JimJohnson]

Anthony Wright.. There were 5 or so games in 2003 that for a brief moment, made me think he might be a real NFL starting QB.

 

Yes! I'll never forget how he brought the Ravens back from 17 down in the 4th (with the help of a blocked punt for a TD) to beat Seattle 44-41. That was his peak moment for sure.

[jamesdean]

Jeez....I can barely even remember Anthony Wright.  2006 was really enjoyable because it was our first taste of having a quality quarterback with McNair and going 13-3.  Then the Colts debacle in the play-offs.  That was a better team than the won the Super Bowl in 2012.  I also fondly remember Trent Dilfer giving the team stability in 2000 after Tony Banks tried to torpedo the season early on.  Flacco was serviceable for the most part and of course had his infamous run in the play-offs/Super Bowl.  All I know is when Lamar took over in 2018, it was like a ray of light broke through the clouds and everything went from black and white to techno color.  Fans who have been following this team long enough should get down on their knees and kiss the ground that Lamar Jackson walks on. 

[Ravens2006]

Yes! I'll never forget how he brought the Ravens back from 17 down in the 4th (with the help of a blocked punt for a TD) to beat Seattle 44-41. That was his peak moment for sure.

They got just about every break imaginable in that game the last few minutes... Including a 4th and 28 basically hail Mary conversion on a tipped ball... Definitely one of the most enjoyable games I've ever been to.

https://youtu.be/Szkqmu2Cw6k

[NewMarketSean]

I remember Chris Redman actually looking like a decent Trent Dilfer-ish QB while he was starter in 2002. Then he got hurt. Always wondered what he could have done with a full season. Probably wouldn't have led that team to the playoffs, but it could have diminished our need for a QB in 2003.

 

But my answer is Tony Banks. After the way he finished the 1999 season I thought he'd throw 30 TD the following year. He was on pace for 48 TD after game 2. Yeah...that didn't happen. But that 1999 offense once Banks took over was pretty exciting to watch.

[makoman]

I remember Chris Redman actually looking like a decent Trent Dilfer-ish QB while he was starter in 2002. Then he got hurt. Always wondered what he could have done with a full season. Probably wouldn't have led that team to the playoffs, but it could have diminished our need for a QB in 2003.

 

But my answer is Tony Banks. After the way he finished the 1999 season I thought he'd throw 30 TD the following year. He was on pace for 48 TD after game 2. Yeah...that didn't happen. But that 1999 offense once Banks took over was pretty exciting to watch.

If we're going to wonder about what could have been, this reminded me of the report that Matt Cavanaugh wanted Brady instead of Redman. 

 

https://www.baltimor...third--18449679

[Mike B]

This week I look back at the QB wasteland the Ravens endured between 1998-2007.

 

https://baltimorespo...ways-this-good/

 

Who was your favorite-the QB who struggled yet you still really liked? I really rooted for McNair, but the Ravens just got him too late in his career.

 

Which one of this relatively motley crew really chafed you? Jeff Blake really irked me, beyond a level that I can rationally explain.

Good stuff Jim!  

The list of QB's you went through all had one or two moments of glory that kept us hoping that we had found our QB, but always let us down.

For the longest time in this town we had excellent QB play, from John,  Earl Morrall, Bert Jones, then the Ravens came and it was a wasteland until Joe and now Lamar.

Now if we can get Lamar to stop doing back flips into the endzone, we may be back in a golden era.

[Ravens2006]

I went to the season opener in Charlotte back in '02. Redman started. His stats were just meh, but he was so bad that game. Missed so many opportunities. You could see it more probably from the upper deck than folks could catch on the broadcast, and I'm sure the Ravens could see it on game film. Redman vs Boller was never really that compelling of an argument no matter which side you took.

[CantonJester]

This week I look back at the QB wasteland the Ravens endured between 1998-2007.

 

https://baltimorespo...ways-this-good/

 

Who was your favorite-the QB who struggled yet you still really liked? I really rooted for McNair, but the Ravens just got him too late in his career.

 

Which one of this relatively motley crew really chafed you? Jeff Blake really irked me, beyond a level that I can rationally explain.

 

Opening a can of worms here, but whatever:

 

I've always held the belief the opportunity cost of moving away from Trent Dilfer (28 yo) to Elvis Grbac (31 yo) wasn't worth the risk. I'm guessing a SB of Brad Johnson and the Bucs vs Dilfer and the Ravens would've been one for the ages, and I also think Dilfer would've led them to at least another title or two. 

 

That defense was too good to be stuck with one title. 

[bmore_ken]

 

Opening a can of worms here, but whatever:

 

I've always held the belief the opportunity cost of moving away from Trent Dilfer (28 yo) to Elvis Grbac (31 yo) wasn't worth the risk. I'm guessing a SB of Brad Johnson and the Bucs vs Dilfer and the Ravens would've been one for the ages, and I also think Dilfer would've led them to at least another title or two. 

 

That defense was too good to be stuck with one title. 

The Grbac move made perfect sense at the time. IMO. Dilfer was a game manager and Grbac was coming off a 4000 yard season. You can't win consistently  relying on defense alone. You have to put up points. I doubt they win another title or two with Dilfer doing the bare minimum and relying on the defense. 

[hallas]

Opening a can of worms here, but whatever:

I've always held the belief the opportunity cost of moving away from Trent Dilfer (28 yo) to Elvis Grbac (31 yo) wasn't worth the risk. I'm guessing a SB of Brad Johnson and the Bucs vs Dilfer and the Ravens would've been one for the ages, and I also think Dilfer would've led them to at least another title or two.

That defense was too good to be stuck with one title.

If Jamal Lewis didn't get hurt Grbac might have taken us to the super bowl again. There was a big drop-off between Lewis and his replacements. We also let Priest Holmes go who was better than any of our RBs in 2001.

[BSLChrisStoner]

Opening a can of worms here, but whatever:

 

I've always held the belief the opportunity cost of moving away from Trent Dilfer (28 yo) to Elvis Grbac (31 yo) wasn't worth the risk. I'm guessing a SB of Brad Johnson and the Bucs vs Dilfer and the Ravens would've been one for the ages, and I also think Dilfer would've led them to at least another title or two. 

 

That defense was too good to be stuck with one title. 

Basically agree... but the what kept the Ravens from repeating was Jamal's injury, and as Hallas says... Holmes leaving in FA. 

 

And to be fair to Grbac... had he had Jamal, that play action game would have been much superior than it was with Allen and Brookins.

[cprenegade]

I actually find this thread amusing.  Mainly because I was a contributor to the Sun Paper's forum at that time, and was being nailed for some of my comments that weren't quite all in purple.  

 

So why do you think the QB play was so bad back then? 

 

People in the forum were all about "In Ozzy we trust".  Along about 2006 I started questioning that and got totally flamed.  I wasn't saying that the Ravens organization was bad, but I was questioning those who said it was the best in the NFL.  

 

My point was that for as well as the Raven's drafted, there was a real problem with QBs and WRs.  No doubt the draft picks for defense were incredible.  But if you want to be the best in the game, you need to come up with a good QB and maybe a good WR at some point.  

 

The Ravens D from about 2000 to 2008 was worthy of getting multiple rings the way the Steel Curtain of the 70's did.  The reason they didn't was because the front office couldn't figure out what to do at the positions of QB and WR.  The Ravens could easily have been there with the Patriots and Colts in the 2000's......if they only could figure out what to do on the offensive side of the ball.  So whose fault was that?  The front office.  They wasted years of having the best MLB to play the game, and the best FS to play the game....because they couldn't draft a QB or a WR that could make a difference.  

[NewMarketSean]

We probably did leave a title or two on the table. 2001, 2006 especially, but then the FO did draft their QB and a decent WR that contributed to a SB title at the end of the defensive run. The 2012 ring makes up for whiffing on offense for so long. At least for me it does.