Flacco to start!? Hell no

AOL's Ryan Wilson today posted an article with the title, "It looks like Joe Flacco will be the Ravens starter at some point in '08," and he proceeds to offer no evidence that I could see other than the fact that Flacco took most of his mini-camp snaps from the shotgun formation. There might be other evidence hiding in there somewhere. I only read the post once. And even that was a struggle. It physically pains me to read anything that suggests someone other than Troy Smith as the starter for the 2008 Baltimore Ravens. If anything, I think Flacco taking shotgun snaps is strong evidence that the team doesn't plan to start Flacco this year. Baltimore will be pounding the ball between the tackles, not running a shotgun offense. Besides, Flacco's "advantage" is his strong arm, but to whom exactly do you suggest he throw the ball? Who does Baltimore have that is capable of stretching the field? Derrick Mason? No. Mark Clayton? No. Demetrius Williams? Sorry, but I'm not drinking the Kool-Aid quite yet. If Flacco is to be the future starter of the Baltimore Ravens, it's in everyone's best interest that it not happen this year. Give Troy Smith a chance to fail, and give Flacco time to improve his footwork and decision making. He also needs to learn how to play out of a formation other than shotgun, and the front office needs to pull the trigger on a wide receiver who can better complement our strong-armed, gulp, future.