Thread: Interview: Mark Schlereth Sounds Off On The Flacco Hiring!

I just thought this talk with Mark Schlereth on 104.3 The Fan was interesting and amusing. He has some valid points. They have a ton of work to do if this Flacco move is going to pan out at all. Like in - whether the Broncos would actually be better off with Flacco than they would have been with Case Keenum. As in, that's actually in serious doubt. Not kidding. There's a real point to this as you see below:

Q: "Is it just me or are the Broncos the laughing stock of the league right now?"

Mark Schlereth: "Well, the reaction around the football world has been mixed. . . at best. How about Vegas? How about the wise-guys in Vegas? And DeHough sent me this the other day, and he said 'the Broncos odds went from 80-1 to 100-1 after the Flacco trade. And I said 'you mean they went from 100-1 to 80-1. And he said 'no. Their odds of winning the SB dropped. They got worse.'

And are you kidding me, but is Vegas telling us that the Broncos would have been better off with Case Keenum? Yes, they do tell us that."

Mike Evans: "I don't agree with that!"

Mark Schlereth: "As currently constructed. Do you think? and I know that the draft has to happen and FA has to happen, but I know where Vegas is coming from. Because if you don't fix your offense do I think you have a better chance to win with Flacco or do I think they have a better chance to win with Case Keenum?

If all things all pieces are the same you can't protect Flacco. How many sacks did Case Keenum avoid? Based upon the way Flacco plays the game and based on the roster he would be surrounded with as the roster is currently constructed, I would sit there and say that there's NO WAY #1 that you're going to be able to protect him, and #2 that there's any way he's going to be able to stay healthy. So there's that part of it.

Do I think Joe Flacco is a better QB? Yes. I do. Do I think it's night and day? Do I think that the chasm between Case Keenum and Joe Flacco is like the difference between Matty Ice, Matt Ryan and Blake Bortles? It's not that big a chasm. It's more like the difference between. . . . it's a small difference."

Mike Evans: "You are just not on your analogy game right now."

Mark Schlereth: "I know. I'm trying to come up with the names. How would you categorize the chasm between those two?"

Mike Evans: "In my blog I wrote, that Joe Flacco is a better QB, they upgraded. But in the next breath I said, don't think I am getting soft on John Elway, because he's not that much better. It's not as if he's some transformational QB. He is a QB who better have a LOT of talent around him, and if you can do that, if you can give him a really strong OL and some real weapons at the skills positions and I would rather have Joe Flacco over Case Keenum. But your point, I can see what you're getting at, in that if you are going to be lacking that kind of required talent, in what you are providing either of these two QBs, then you actually have a better chance with Case Keenum doing more with it, simply because of his athleticism, and his size and his ability to move around and escape some things."

Mark Schlereth: "This is like the difference between a steak burger and a hamburger. You know what I"m saying. It's just a higher quality meat. They're still burger, one's just a higher quality. The one from the gourmet burger factory versus a fast food restaurant. The gourmet burger place is going to taste better, yes, but it's still a burger, it's only marginally better. But, if you said it's like the difference between the Gourmet burger shop and a Tofu burger that tastes like doo-do. It's not that big a chasm.

It's like turkey bacon versus thick cut turkey bacon. It's not real bacon, but it's better not-bacon than the other not-bacon.

Neither one is bacon. We're not talking about the fat back versus a thick piece of bacon. We're talking about turkey bacon. That's not real bacon. Bacon is good."

Flacco is an equestrian statue. If they don't dramatically improve their pass blocking this could get seriously ugly in a hurry, because he wouldn't last a month behind last year's OL. Dude likes 5 and 7 step drops and throw deep down field, and you have to have really GOOD OL pass blocking for that to work.

Even in his shorter pass game he isn't evasive. Nor does he have an understanding of the game like Peyton Manning did. Peyton was a stiff but you couldn't fool him. Practically ever. So, he knew perfectly well every time his protections were breaking down and how long he had to throw and he would get rid of it in a real hurry every time. He was one of the least sacked QBs every year, despite being a stiff.

But, Flacco isn't like that. He just is a statue still holding onto the ball as the wrecking ball hits and knocks it right off it's pedestal.

Now I'm suddenly hungry for a turkey burger, just because I'm that kind of guy. Yes, I know. My friends have made me aware. Thanks, I don't need you to tell me.

Same old Elway Broncos: Our lead-footed "pass blockers" get everyone from a first ballot HoFer to a host of FAs and draft picks killed, and all it proves is that decent QBs are as rare as honest politicians. This isn't rocket science, and Elway graduated from Stanford, so I dunno what's going on here.

Pass blocking finished ranked 13th this past year. The other thing i think Stinky is missing is the release time from Flacco vs Keenum. Keenum notoriously held onto the ball to long. As we saw with Manning with a quicker release it helps alleviate some of the issues on the Oline. I think Flacco will be an improvement in that area not to mention i fully expect Munchak to really improve the Oline anyway.

Originally Posted by Northman

Pass blocking finished ranked 13th this past year. The other thing i think Stinky is missing is the release time from Flacco vs Keenum. Keenum notoriously held onto the ball to long. As we saw with Manning with a quicker release it helps alleviate some of the issues on the Oline. I think Flacco will be an improvement in that area not to mention i fully expect Munchak to really improve the Oline anyway.

With you on the last part, and I'll further note that the year Flacco won his SB he had Kubiak as his OC; he was nothing special before that and has been nothing special since (he just preserved Kubiaks streak of getting every single one of his starting QBs to a Pro Bowl.) I DEFINITELY share you expectation Munchak will dramatically improve the line (though the lines he played on were the ones that taught me the value of a LT preventing pass rushers blindsiding Warren Moon so he can try to chase down yet another fumble; love how Bud Adams kept demanding his team that rarely even TRIED to run draft nothing but run blockers to protect his QBs, but Oliver Luck and Archie Manning probably loved it even more.)

That said, I don't think slightly above average pass blocking will cut it in this league; we can point to Mannings age, but has Tom Brady limped his way through the bulk of his last 4-5 seasons? NO, because everyone knows an immobile precision passer like Manning and Brady needs all the protection he can get to simply stay vertical, let alone win games, much less championships. Quick reads and releases can and usually do mitigate poor protection, but not eliminate it.

Originally Posted by Joel

With you on the last part, and I'll further note that the year Flacco won his SB he had Kubiak as his OC; he was nothing special before that and has been nothing special since (he just preserved Kubiaks streak of getting every single one of his starting QBs to a Pro Bowl.) I DEFINITELY share you expectation Munchak will dramatically improve the line (though the lines he played on were the ones that taught me the value of a LT preventing pass rushers blindsiding Warren Moon so he can try to chase down yet another fumble; love how Bud Adams kept demanding his team that rarely even TRIED to run draft nothing but run blockers to protect his QBs, but Oliver Luck and Archie Manning probably loved it even more.)

That said, I don't think slightly above average pass blocking will cut it in this league; we can point to Mannings age, but has Tom Brady limped his way through the bulk of his last 4-5 seasons? NO, because everyone knows an immobile precision passer like Manning and Brady needs all the protection he can get to simply stay vertical, let alone win games, much less championships. Quick reads and releases can and usually do mitigate poor protection, but not eliminate it.

No Joel, Kubiak was still in Houston at the time, the offensive coordinator for the Ravens was Bill Caldwell if I remember correctly. Kubiak was only in Baltimore one season and that was 2014.

Originally Posted by TXBRONC

No Joel, Kubiak was still in Houston at the time, the offensive coordinator for the Ravens was Bill Caldwell if I remember correctly. Kubiak was only in Baltimore one season and that was 2014.

Right you are; dunno how I merged the 2012 and 2014 Ravens seasons. Probably because I have little faith in Flacco as anything more than a guy who had a SINGLE great fluke season thanks to Rahim Moore et al. He's their (now our) answer to Daryle Lamonica.

Originally Posted by Joel

Right you are; dunno how I merged the 2012 and 2014 Ravens seasons. Probably because I have little faith in Flacco as anything more than a guy who had a SINGLE great fluke season thanks to Rahim Moore et al. He's their (now our) answer to Daryle Lamonica.

No biggie.

Flacco has been successful for more than just that one season. Flacco has never been an elite quarterback but he was a franchise quarterback he's not going be that in Denver but with upgrading I think we can much more competitive. Some of the close games we lost last maybe win them this year.

Originally Posted by TXBRONC

No Joel, Kubiak was still in Houston at the time, the offensive coordinator for the Ravens was Bill Caldwell if I remember correctly. Kubiak was only in Baltimore one season and that was 2014.

Your right about almost everything. Jim Caldwell supplanted Cam Cameron mid-season as their OC in 2012.

https://www.pro-football-reference.c...s/rav/2012.htm

https://www.pro-football-reference.c...es/CaldJi0.htm

Originally Posted by FanInAZ

Your right about almost everything. Jim Caldwell supplanted Cam Cameron mid-season as their OC in 2012.

https://www.pro-football-reference.c...s/rav/2012.htm

https://www.pro-football-reference.c...es/CaldJi0.htm

Just out of curiosity what did miss? I did know that Caldwell supplanted Cam Cameron mid-season as the OC I just didn't mention it.

Originally Posted by Joel

With you on the last part, and I'll further note that the year Flacco won his SB he had Kubiak as his OC; he was nothing special before that and has been nothing special since (he just preserved Kubiaks streak of getting every single one of his starting QBs to a Pro Bowl.) I DEFINITELY share you expectation Munchak will dramatically improve the line (though the lines he played on were the ones that taught me the value of a LT preventing pass rushers blindsiding Warren Moon so he can try to chase down yet another fumble; love how Bud Adams kept demanding his team that rarely even TRIED to run draft nothing but run blockers to protect his QBs, but Oliver Luck and Archie Manning probably loved it even more.)

That said, I don't think slightly above average pass blocking will cut it in this league; we can point to Mannings age, but has Tom Brady limped his way through the bulk of his last 4-5 seasons? NO, because everyone knows an immobile precision passer like Manning and Brady needs all the protection he can get to simply stay vertical, let alone win games, much less championships. Quick reads and releases can and usually do mitigate poor protection, but not eliminate it.

Kubiak wasn't the OC for that SB.

I have no idea why everyone thinks Munchak is going to improve the offensive line as it's now constructed that much. When you look at what the previous coaches did with who they had playing for them. I think they did a pretty fantastic job last year to have them at 13th. And to think that somehow pedestrian blockers. Literally other than Paradis nobody that's at the top of their position

Look guys, Munchak might be great, but you can't make a souffle out of Moose turds. That's just a turd souffle.

You need talented players for Munchak to turn them into a good pass-blocking OL. They need upgrades at LT, LG, RG, and RT - badly. None of the old starters is good enough at any of those spots. They aren't good players period. Not even Ron Leary who never earned his $10+ salary and was injured last season. Connor McGovern is a UFA and would probably not be back. Menelik Watson is an UFA. Paradis is unrestricted and might not be back, plus he's coming off serious injury.

Connor McGovern is currently our best lineman, and our best center by a mile

Let parastiff walk

Broncos got Munchak to fix the OLine issues.

Better Coach? Check.

Better OLine play, even marginally improved would be great? Ok i can buy that. Check.

Can Denver run the ball? Check.

Upgrade the Secondary and LBer via FA and Draft? I can buy that. Check.

Better WRs than in Baltimore for Flacco? Likely. Check.

QB thats not afraid to throw the ball? Check. Even marginally he is a better passer than Case.

Can this team win more than 8 games and return.to playoff contention? Thats all they have to do. I think they can. I am liking the moves.

Elway wants to win now with Von while he still can. I am happy they are doing everything possivle to get better on OLine amd improve the QB position. Im getting veru excited about the Draft FA and next year.

Broncos will be vastly improved next year IMO

Originally Posted by Shazam!

Broncos got Munchak to fix the OLine issues.

Better Coach? Check.

Better OLine play, even marginally improved would be great? Ok i can buy that. Check.

Can Denver run the ball? Check.

Upgrade the Secondary and LBer via FA and Draft? I can buy that. Check.

Better WRs than in Baltimore for Flacco? Likely. Check.

QB thats not afraid to throw the ball? Check. Even marginally he is a better passer than Case.

Can this team win more than 8 games and return.to playoff contention? Thats all they have to do. I think they can. I am liking the moves.

Elway wants to win now with Von while he still can. I am happy they are doing everything possivle to get better on OLine amd improve the QB position. Im getting veru excited about the Draft FA and next year.

Broncos will be vastly improved next year IMO

That’s alot of IFs, hopes and dreams