Russell Street Report Camp Notes Flacco and Taylor, Polar Opposites

It’s interesting to observe the differences between the Ravens No. 1 and No. 2 offenses during training camp practices. And clearly those differences start with the wide disparity in skill sets between the No. 1 and No. 2 quarterbacks.

One is a 6’6” statuesque, classic drop back pocket passer. The other is a 6’1” (listed) poor man’s answer to RG III.

In the past, Cam Cameron has had Tyrod Taylor execute the offense the same way as Joe Flacco. But given the vastly inferior sight lines and release points, the former Virginia Tech star abandons the pocket quickly and attempts to make plays with his feet.

This has left his offensive mates with a mild feeling of helplessness, as they become mere spectators, while opposing defenses attempt to corral the elusive quarterback.

But executing a Joe Flacco-style offense given his physical shortcomings is a steep challenge for Taylor. Yet it was thought to be the best way to manage the offense should the Ravens be faced with the undesirable predicament of handing the reins over to their back-up.

Apparently that approach has been ditched.

Under Jim Caldwell, the Ravens now allow Taylor to do what he does best and attack defenses in a way that is most comfortable for him. And that method is a modified version of the pistol offense run by RG III and Colin Kaepernick.

Adopting such an offense for Taylor is more taxing for the Ravens offensive personnel, particularly in the classroom. However it’s consistent with Caldwell’s steadfast approach, which is to utilize the unique talents of his players in a way that allows them to succeed instead of forcing a system upon their talents.

If only Cam Cameron had been as wise…

QUOTABLES FOLLOWING PRACTICE

John Harbaugh

“Aaron Mellette has made good progress. He continues to get better every single day. He’s got lots of talent. I don’t think it’s too big for him, coming from a small school, but at the same time, he’s got a long way to go.”

Joe Flacco

On TE Visanthe Shiancoe and WR Deonte Thompson: “‘Shank’ [Visanthe Shiancoe] is catching on pretty quickly and he is learning the offense and getting better and better each day. You can see the improvement with his confidence in what he is doing. And then Deonte [Thompson], he is a young guy with a lot of speed. His potential is really high and he is getting better and better each day. He knows what he is doing. He’s a really good player, so it’s just a matter of getting some opportunities in these preseason games and seeing what he can really do to get that confidence going.”

On how the defense is progressing: “I feel like they are pretty darn good. They have a lot of pass rushers, a lot of guys in the secondary that can run and can cover. Daryl Smith, he looks really good. I don’t really notice those guys too much, but he’s seemed to impress me for some reason. Those guys, they feel pretty good out there, especially with those guys on the defensive line, and I think that’s a big part of being a good defense is having a solid defensive line. Same thing with offense, [it’s important] having a solid offensive line.”

On trash talking at practice with OLB Terrell Suggs: “We didn’t do anything today because we weren’t really competitive, but that’s just fun. We’ve always done that kind of stuff, whether it was me and Ray [Lewis] just kind of kidding back and forth. When you’re out here in practice, we play this game because we love to do it and we have fun doing it. That’s just another thing that makes it fun is kind of going back and forth with your teammates. I think it builds camaraderie, I think everybody likes it and it gets everybody more involved in the practice. I think [Terrell] Suggs has a little more experience in the matter, so I don’t know if I’d want to go too deep into it with him. It’s fun.”