Rypien wasn't drafted early so he had to work his way up through the ranks. Had he been given the starting spot from the outset like Flacco was his numbers would have quite likely been better in a less pass happy era.
http://www.nfl.com/player/markrypien/2502798/profile
Really looking at it harder in his first first 49 games Rypien threw for 11,132 yards, for 84 TD's and 48 interceptions. Compare that to Flacco's first 3 years (48 starts) where he accumulated 10,206 yards with 60 TD's, and 34 interceptions, and I'd say given the era Rypien played in he was a significantly better qb than Flacco was.
Of course with Rypien once the surrounding talent level fell off he came quickly crashing back to earth. Which in my opinion could be the same fate that beholds Flacco once his contract eats into the cap and diminishes the surrounding talent around him.
Time will tell. But in the end I'll say nice job Flacco for this years playoff run. But I still am not convinced that he's an upper echelon qb over the long haul. In my opinion he hit upon the perfect storm in this playoff run, but I still think there's more mediocrity ahead for him.
And that's opinion, and the last I checked I'm entitled to one of those, even if it doesn't conform to the prisoner of the moment tide that Flaccomania has became.
btw. You guys are either too young or don't appreciate how good Rypien was at his peak. Comparing someone to Rypien isn't a slam.
"A man's got to know his limitations."
I understand your point, but I would be surprised if Flacco becomes a mediocre(as Rypien after 1991) QB since Flacco has never been a mediocre QB in his first 5 seasons...Flacco was good in his first two seasons with an old Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton as WR
And yes Flacco will have a big contract, but I do not think the contract of Flacco will be a stupid contract.....The Ravens have one of the best GM in the NFL, so I'll be surprised if Flacco has a stupid contract which will destroy the team
Every indication seems to be that Flacco's agent is indeed demanding stupid money.
Don't get me wrong, I know how contract negotiations go, you ask for x, the team comes back with y, and eventualy you settle somewhere in the middle for z. But given the starting point of negotiations I can't see where this contract isn't going to be at least somewhat burdensome for the overall cap structure of the team.
Speaking of agents, Flacco needs to tell his to STFU and stop throwing around stupid comments to the press. Contract negotiations are like old people screwing, you know it happens, but you don't want to hear it or see it. Keep it behind closed doors, and don't tell us what goes on and we don't have to get nauseous when we see you.
"A man's got to know his limitations."
Not to mention that Flacco didn't even have that good of a regular season.
The fact is about Flacco is that people are too willing to forget about nearly 5 years of average play, being propped up by a superb cast, and choking in almost all the few instances his team actually needed him to step up all because of one great month where he enjoyed some of the greatest pass protection any QB has experienced and where his receivers adjusted to all of his passes
If Flacco would be average, he would not be in a good position to have a 100 million contract....This is true that Flacco is inconsistent, but he has a career similar to Eli Manning right now
And Flacco was right when he said before the 2011 playoffs that...
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...little-credit/
“I’m sure if we win I’ll have nothing to do with why we won, according to you guys,” Flacco said to the media Wednesday.
.
Just sayin...
"With love, with patience, and with Faith
....She'll make her way" ~ Natalie Merchant
Bert Flaccorach is married.
He needs 20 million to fix those holes in his pockets...
"With love, with patience, and with Faith
....She'll make her way" ~ Natalie Merchant
Aaron Rodgers monitoring QB deal
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/89...o-new-contract
Aaron Rodgers is among those who will be keeping close tabs on Joe Flacco's contract negotiatons with the Baltimore Ravens.
Flacco, the MVP of Super Bowl XLVII, is set to become an unrestricted free agent. His new deal is expected to rival those of Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, whose contracts are among the most lucrative in NFL history for quarterbacks.
Flacco's agent, Joe Linta, said in an interview with CNBC that Flacco should be the NFL's highest-paid quarterback.
If Flacco gets 20 million then what's Rodgers going to get when it's his turn?
Oh that's right, according to Joe Linta it should be less because, you know, Bert's the bestest quarterback ever.
"A man's got to know his limitations."
Since 2002, seven QB's have won ten SB's- Brady, P. Manning, E. Manning, Roethlisberger, Brees, Rodgers and Flacco. He is going to get $$$. How much remains to be seen.
Flacco may not be the overall equal of his fellow Seven, but he is no Brad Johnson, either.
You make valid points, but at the same token I'm getting Flacco fatigue. I'm especially getting sick of his agent going out there and claiming he's the best qb in the game. Bar none. I don't remember Ben or his agent making such a claim when they were doing his contract? In fact I don't recall any great qb going out there and keep making this claim again and again? Meanwhile the Ravens, like any smart team would do is saying nothing. Leave your arguments where they belong behind closed doors.
And in my opinion this could come back and bite Flacco in the ass going foward. Especially if this is a long protracted contract situation that goes into the summer months. Flacco will end up dividing teammates and fans alike over this contract if it doesn't get done early. Especially if important players are lost to save cap space for Flacco's contract.
And even when he does get his money, now he's going to have to perform up to it. Throw in a few of those clunkers next season, and you're getting that kind of money see how patient the fan base will be then.
"A man's got to know his limitations."
I am in agreement with you on his agent. Sometimes they are simply assholes that speak.
He might be the highest paid player in the league when his deal is done. That could last 5 minutes, a day, 2 days, a year. When all is said and done, that deal will probably wind up being around the low teens or so in the league...which if the Ravens are smart, that's where they would want it to be. They just don't want Flacco to be the highest paid player 2-3 years from now...then they'd be over paying. It's the natural progression so it won't be shocking when this deal happens.
If someone suggested to you in late November that Flacco would be the highest paid player in the league for even an hour they would have been laughed out of the room.
I think we're being too much prisoner of the moment. Yeah Flacco's stock has soared, but it's not Coke, IBM or Alcoa all of a sudden.
"A man's got to know his limitations."
November is irrelevant now.
Neil O'Donnell was the fifth highest paid player in the league when he signed with the Jets. He wound up in the mid teens with his deal. No where near worth being the fifth highest paid player...but these guys are projecting more so where they will be mid contract compared to today.
It's how contract negotiations work a lot of times. It's the natural progression of these deals. Flacco becomes one of the highest paid, then he's leap frogged by the Rodgers deal, then he's leap frogged by another and another.
Guess NFL films is going to have to redo the top 10 now to include Flacco.
"A man's got to know his limitations."
Perhaps not, but I would imagine the sales of his drink coasters is pointing north.
http://www.cafepress.com/+alaska_ala...coas,774686565
"With love, with patience, and with Faith
....She'll make her way" ~ Natalie Merchant
Yeah when he audibles and Yells Alaska alot, even yells flacco too
The agent is talking now because they need to strike while the iron is hot. For the agent / player, it's about the most money you can get. For the team it is about the least you can get away with paying in order to keep a talented team.
If they (Flacco's camp) sit and wait, the iron will cool and they will lost a LOT of money. Keep in mind that the agent is like a used car salesman: they need to get as much money as they can so they too can get paid.
If they "keep it behind closed doors", then the "pressure" isn't on for the Raven's to cave.
I HOPE they sign him to the largest deal in NFL history.
“They say all marriages are made in heaven, but so are thunder and lightning.”
― Clint Eastwood
Agreed. Flacco's agent is playing it very smart - Flacco's stock with the Ravens faithful is currently sky high and will probably never be higher than right now. Keeping as much public light on the process as possible is in Flacco's best interest in regards to maximizing the deal he gets, IMO.