Ryan v Flacco from a Ravenes blog

[sonnyjim]

I stumbled across this from 12 days ago:

Preston: Ryan over Flacco? It's not even close
The comparisons between Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco will be discussed until one retires. But after watching Thursday night's game, Ryan is clearly ahead of Flacco.

The biggest difference is that Ryan is The Show in Atlanta, the face of the organization. They have turned him loose to run the offense, and there are no handcuffs. He is unquestionably the team leader on offense. The Falcons are committed to either living or dying with his performances on game day.

In Baltimore, Flacco is still a caretaker, a quarterback who manages the game. We've only seen a couple of times where the coaching staff has turned him loose. That's why I coined the term "Jobotic."

It's about time the Ravens gave Flacco the same liberty as Ryan. If you're going to take him in the first round, and tell us how good he is every week, the Ravens ought to let him direct the show.

Ryan makes throws that big-league quarterbacks should be able to make, especially throws over the middle inside the red zone. Only on occasions have we seen that from Flacco.

The most glaring difference between the two is that Ryan has more pocket awareness. When he gets pressured, he runs with a purpose to get more time to throw. Flacco just seems to panic even though he can surprise you once and a while with his running ability. Ryan also seems quicker in his decision-making.

Overall, Flacco has played reasonably well in his first three seasons. But to get where the Ravens want him to take them, they've got to give him more rope, and Flacco has to have more presence on this offense, especially as far as taking charge in the huddle and what is called on the field.

Both teams should be happy with their selections.