Joe Flacco and the Wildcat

Published on 28-Nov-2013 by Raoul Duke

Football - NFL    NFL Daily Update

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Joe Flacco and the Wildcat

Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens have not exactly been setting the world on fire offensively.

In fact, the reigning Super Bowl champs have been mediocre at best, ranking in the bottom half of the league in total offense. They've managed to score 30 or more points exactly one time all season.

Flacco, conquering hero of last year’s Super Bowl and possessor of a rather large contract, has been very ho-hum on the field. Despite his decidedly average performance this season, Flacco is not shy about expressing his opinion.

In an effort to shake up their moribund offense, the Ravens deployed the highly advanced Wildcat for a handful of plays against the Jets this past Sunday. Backup Tyrod Taylor was brought in to liven things up a bit.

Joe was clearly not pleased, and shared his thoughts on the subject in some detail.

"I don't like that stuff. I think it makes you look like a high school offense. That's just my opinion."

Well, depending on how you feel about the Wildcat, this could be easily interpreted as a veiled insult directed at high school offensive coordinators nationwide.

Joe explained, “I'm the quarterback. I want to take the snaps."

Testify, Joseph.

He continued, "I don’t care where it’s used, I’m just not a big fan of it. I’m the quarterback. I want to be behind the line of scrimmage.”

There is validity to all of this.

I have never been a proponent of this offense, particularly when it's used so sporadically. While there's merit to what Flacco is saying, it would be helpful for his argument if he were playing better. Of course, if Flacco was performing at a higher level, gimmick offenses such as the Wildcat would not be necessary and this conversation would not be taking place.

Therein lies the conundrum.

Anyway Joe, keep fighting the good fight. If we collect enough signatures, maybe we can get this silly offense banned once and for all.