Middle Opening Up to Flacco
May 3, 2010, 6:26PM
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The acquisitions of receiver Anquan Boldin and tight ends Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta bring a new and exciting element to middle of the field.
But while some pundits believe the additional weapons will provide quarterback Joe Flacco with looks he seldom saw in years past, a coaching study of game film spanning Baltimore’s entire season (including two playoff games) reveals that Flacco tempted the crowded middle more than perhaps previously thought.
|
Deep Left |
Deep Middle |
Deep Right | ||
|
10-29 (34%) |
7-13 (54% |
7-32 (22%) | ||
|
| ||||
|
Left Out |
Left Seam |
Hole |
Right Seam |
Right Out |
|
28-51 (55%) |
12-20 (60%) |
44-70 (63%) |
16-26 (62%) |
32-49 (65%) |
|
| ||||
|
Left Flat |
Left Curl |
Hook |
Right Curl |
Right Flat |
|
16-21 (76%) |
1-3 (33%) |
44-61 (72%) |
17-26 (65%) |
33-51 (65%) |
|
| ||||
|
Left Swing/Screen |
|
Right Swing/Screen | ||
|
28-32 (88%) |
|
13-20 (65%) | ||
In all, Flacco completed 95 of 144 throws to that area for a 65.9 percent completion rate. Even though that includes a 7-for-13 performance (54%) to the deep middle and a 72-percent showing (44-of-61) in the Ray Rice-dominated short middle, the breakdown does not suggest a reluctance to challenge the heart of an opposing defense, which is generally fraught with roaming linebackers or stalking safeties.
In short, the numbers show that Flacco was efficient and successful looking over the middle.
Now, Boldin, Dickson, Pitta and even fifth-round draft pick David Reed can open it up even more.
While up to interpretation, the study notes some things the Ravens can improve upon moving forward.
For one, expect more of the field to be used in Flacco’s third season. The left, right and middle should all receive ample attention, but as the numbers show, the middle wasn’t necessarily a crisis area.
Sidenote for statisticians: Delving deeper, a look at the chart shows that the Ravens were more successful throwing to the right side of the field, but that is primarily because Flacco is right handed. Towards the right flat and right sideline, Baltimore connected on 65 of 100 passes (65.0%). Conversely, the Ravens went 44-of-72 (61.1%) to the left flat and out.
