Mark my words: Boller will 'breakout' in '06 (1 Viewer)

[azcards33]

I wanted to go on record as saying that I truly believe that '06 will be the year that Kyle Boller turns things around and starts to look like the QB that the Ravens expected him to be when they used a 1st round pick on him just a few years ago.First of all, Boller finally has a legitimate #1 WR in Derrick Mason, and I think that being able to work with Mason in '05 and get used to him as a receiver is going to pay huge dividends for Boller next season.When Boller returned to the Ravens after injury, Boller finally started showing poise in the pocket and some good, solid decision-making skills as well. I really think that Boller is going to build on that momentum and start putting up some quality numbers for the Ravens in '06.Boller's first couple of years were kind of brutal, but with WRs like Travis Taylor and Kevin Johnson to throw to, what did you expect?I think that as Boller grows more and more comfortable with Derrick Mason, and as Mark Clayton continues to develop, he could be a guy for fantasy owners to take a flier on or draft late, and possibly as a #2 option at QB.Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying to go out and draft Boller in the first few rounds of your fantasy draft. I'm saying to grab this guy in the later rounds as a backup, or even as a bye-week fill-in, and he could be a nice surpriseWhat do you guys think and how do you think he will do in '06?

 

[diesel7982]

Boller was a solid #2 this year, was he not? As long as he keeps the job, Id say his downside is QB20, but you can bet they will bring in someone to compete with him, if not replace him.

 

[BlueOnion]

I think Boller could be ready to step up his game. I watched him in the Viking-Raven game and he did not look nearly as bad as he had in the past. He is entering this offseason with a lot of confidence.

 

[Mr. Pink]

I had the same impression watching that game. I also think M. Clayton is poised to benefit the most from this breakout.

 

[Godsbrother]

I think Boller could be ready to step up his game. I watched him in the Viking-Raven game and he did not look nearly as bad as he had in the past. He is entering this offseason with a lot of confidence.

Any thoughts that I had after that game about Boller being any good were quickly dashed by his week 17 performance against Cleveland. He was pitiful.

 

[Franknbeans]

Now this is what I call going out on a limb

 

[CBizzie]

The Cleveland comment is right on IMO. Boller needs to learn to play well on the road before he can be a solid #2. Until then, I wouldn't start him unless he is playing at home against an average defense.

 

[nygiants56]

you could be on to something. I think he's got a shot at becoming a good QB this year..the only problem i see is Jim Fassell as OC..Fassell has a habit of procrastination, in other words, the first 1/2 to 2/3rds of the 2005 season,the Ravens did NOTHING offensively..then media outlets started talking about Billick and Fassell being fired at season's end...Lo and behold, suddenly the Ravens start winning some games, the offense is creative, and boller has a couple 300+ yard games...and word then comes down that Billick will indeed, stay on as HC for 2006..funny how that works, because if you'll remember, back in 2000 Fassell pulled the SAME crap with the NY Giants..he was getting killed in the media for lousy coaching, underachieving offense and so on, and then he held a press conference and said he was taking over the offensive play calling, and guranteed they'd go to the SB..they did..and he kept his job another year..and undeachieved YET AGAIN..seems to me the same crap is happening in Baltimore...I wouldn't take a chance on Boller unless it was late in the draft...not with fassell still calling the plays on offense..

 

[Hoh]

Boller needs to cut himself a break. He has all the physical tools, but seems to be lacking in self-confidence. We all saw some games this year (the Vikings game stands out) where you could tell he was playing with confidence. But one little mistake can rattle the guy for the rest of the game and beyond. I'm sure it doesnt help that most of the Raven faithful are licking their chops waiting for him to fail, either.A sports psychologist would help this kid a ton, as will more time as a starting QB.

 

[CalBear]

you could be on to something. I think he's got a shot at becoming a good QB this year..the only problem i see is Jim Fassell as OC..Fassell has a habit of procrastination, in other words, the first 1/2 to 2/3rds of the 2005 season,the Ravens did NOTHING offensively..then media outlets started talking about Billick and Fassell being fired at season's end...Lo and behold, suddenly the Ravens start winning some games, the offense is creative, and boller has a couple 300+ yard games...and word then comes down that Billick will indeed, stay on as HC for 2006..

To be fair, the first 2/3rds of the 2005 season, the Ravens had Anthony Wright and Kordell Stewart at QB. Boller took real strides in 2005, both as an NFL QB and a fantasy QB. The trend lines look good:

+---------------------------------------+-----------------+ | Passing | Rushing |+----------+-----+---------------------------------------+-----------------+| Year TM | G | Comp Att PCT YD Y/A TD INT | Att Yards TD |+----------+-----+---------------------------------------+-----------------+| 2003 bal | 11 | 116 224 51.8 1260 5.6 7 9 | 30 62 0 || 2004 bal | 16 | 258 464 55.6 2559 5.5 13 11 | 53 189 1 || 2005 bal | 9 | 171 293 58.4 1799 6.1 11 12 | 23 66 1 |I had predicted 3100 yards, 20 TDs, and 6.0 Y/A; on an annualized basis, he came in a little bit above that. He was actually a top-5 fantasy QB from weeks 11-16. I haven't done the stat analysis for next year yet, but I think it's reasonable to expect improvement from the full-year 2005 levels, which will put him into solid QB2 territory.As an NFL QB, he still needs to establish some consistency, but as a fantasy QB, he should be a good backup or spot starter in 2006.

 

[Sheriff66]

Being considered a #2 is breaking out ???

 

[Destroyer]

I think Boller could be ready to step up his game.  I watched him in the Viking-Raven game and he did not look nearly as bad as he had in the past.  He is entering this offseason with a lot of confidence.

Any thoughts that I had after that game about Boller being any good were quickly dashed by his week 17 performance against Cleveland. He was pitiful.

To be fair, the Browns were extremely hard to pass on this year. They were 4th in the league against the pass(179.2). Carson Palmer had his worst game of the year against them going 13-27 for 93 yards.

 

[Bloom]

I think Boller could be ready to step up his game.  I watched him in the Viking-Raven game and he did not look nearly as bad as he had in the past.  He is entering this offseason with a lot of confidence.

Any thoughts that I had after that game about Boller being any good were quickly dashed by his week 17 performance against Cleveland. He was pitiful.

To be fair, the Browns were extremely hard to pass on this year. They were 4th in the league against the pass(179.2). Carson Palmer had his worst game of the year against them going 13-27 for 93 yards.

that was because of the intense wind that day more than the browns D.

 

[tommyboy]

he's out of the league in 4 years, if that

 

[trader jake]

without a running game it won't matterwith that being said boller should be a very good back-up fantasy QB...i just can't see the ravens putting up enough points through the air for him to be a #1 FF QB. playing in the division they do (steelers, bengals, and browns) doesn't help as well. those three division opponents look strong moving forward

 

[santo71]

he's out of the league in 4 years, if that

Really? SO you don't think he'll make it through this season, this being his 4th?

 

[3nOut]

he's out of the league in 4 years, if that

Really? SO you don't think he'll make it through this season, this being his 4th?

I htink he meant he will be out of the league completely four years from now.

 

[jeff_eaglz]

HC Billick is more problem than solution.After the 2 good performances in December, people in Ravens-land were singing the praises of both Billick and Boller. After the Cleveland game, Billick backpedaled faster then David Carr on 3rd and long, saying there would be a competition in '06 for the position and the Boller would not be handed the job.Does anyone remember when Billick was the OC in Minnesota for a 500+ point offense? Wasn't he an offensive guru that would instill an offense in Baltimore? Yeah, me neither. Billick should have been a goner before he pulled this Wayne Fontes impersonation this season.

 

[3nOut]

1. Who will Boller be turning things around with?2. A solid number #2 in FF terms or solid #2 in Baltimore? I still think Kitna will end up in Baltimore as the starter.3. Depending on how many QBs you can keep on your roster (I can keep only 2), I woldn't touch him, especially if your starter gets injured often, like Bulger, McNabb, etc. If your starter goes down, you're in trouble.

 

[CommuterMan]

Here is an interesting read from a columist with the Baltimore Sun - Mike Preston

"As the NFL continues to fill its head coaching vacancies, the Ravens should be breathing a sigh of relief because it appears Jim Fassel will remain the offensive coordinator for a second straight season.

Why should anyone be elated? Didn't the Ravens have one of the league's worst offenses last season? With Fassel's return, there is hope for improvement. During owner Steve Bisciotti's "Who's your Daddy?" speech to coach Brian Billick at the end of the season, he suggested that Billick had to turn more control of his offense over to Fassel.

After two preseason games in 2005, you could tell this was still Billick's offense, not Fassel's. But maybe now we'll see more of the Fassel influence. Fassel is well-received among the coaching staff and has a good knowledge of the game. But like previous coordinator Matt Cavanaugh, he had to compromise with Billick.

Maybe that won't happen as much anymore.

If Fassel had left and Rick Neuheisel become the coordinator, there would be no doubt this would be the same offense again. Neuheisel owes Billick because he gave him a job when no one else would.

Neuheisel wouldn't stand up to Billick. But with the new word coming down from the big boss, there's hope for a change."

Basically, Billick was told to take a hands-off approach to the offense and let Fassel call the plays and as for his "back-peddling" on Boller, this probably also has more to do with no longer wanting to tie himself to a sinking ship - especially if Billick is no longer as secure in Baltimore as he was at the start of the 2005 season....

Will Boller ever become a solid QB in the NFL? I have my doubts. He continues to faulter in key situations during the game - interception at a critical time, poor read of the defense, inaccurate throwing under pressure. If you cannot not get your brain to process hundreds of pieces on information almost instantly - and I don't think Boller has this ability - all the natural talent in the world will only take you so far before the pocket collapses on top of you.

 

[tommyboy]

he's out of the league in 4 years, if that

Really? SO you don't think he'll make it through this season, this being his 4th?

I htink he meant he will be out of the league completely four years from now.

exactly. I think he sucks.

 

[azcards33]

 

[beermutts52]

Until the Ravens can admit, which they refuse to do, that their OL needs some major re work, Boller will continue to run for his life...

 

[MLBrandow]

I wanted to go on record as saying that I truly believe that '06 will be the year that Kyle Boller turns things around and starts to look like the QB that the Ravens expected him to be when they used a 1st round pick on him just a few years ago.

First of all, Boller finally has a legitimate #1 WR in Derrick Mason, and I think that being able to work with Mason in '05 and get used to him as a receiver is going to pay huge dividends for Boller next season.

When Boller returned to the Ravens after injury, Boller finally started showing poise in the pocket and some good, solid decision-making skills as well. I really think that Boller is going to build on that momentum and start putting up some quality numbers for the Ravens in '06.

Boller's first couple of years were kind of brutal, but with WRs like Travis Taylor and Kevin Johnson to throw to, what did you expect?

I think that as Boller grows more and more comfortable with Derrick Mason, and as Mark Clayton continues to develop, he could be a guy for fantasy owners to take a flier on or draft late, and possibly as a #2 option at QB.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying to go out and draft Boller in the first few rounds of your fantasy draft. I'm saying to grab this guy in the later rounds as a backup, or even as a bye-week fill-in, and he could be a nice surprise

What do you guys think and how do you think he will do in '06?

He'd have broken out last year if it weren't for his injury in the first week of the season.I think he'll have a very solid year, but the problem is that now the defense is in decline... he just can't win :( .

I'm one of the few Boller supporters around here.... oh well.

 

[lod2005]

Boller couldn't break out of a paper bag.

 

[LHUCKS]

Boller couldn't break out of a paper bag.