So what you're telling me is that other teams don't get the ball out as fast as Joe did in the first eight weeks? You're telling me Brady doesn't get the ball out faster than Joe? You're telling me we had a low sack count because Joe "hold the ball and checkdown" Flacco got the ball out fast?
1. If you take a look at the stats, there is no correlation between sacks allowed and YPA. Saints had 8.1 YPA and 20 sacks. Chiefs had 8 YPA and 37 sacks. Tom Brady, with a usual 3 second release, took 35 sacks while averaging 7.9 YPA. On the other end of the spectrum, the Browns averaged 6.2 YPA while allowing 50 sacks. The Giants averaged 6.1 YPA while allowing 34. In the middle are the Jets, who averaged 6.9 while allowing 49. I think these numbers show there isn't really a correlation between YPA and sacks.
2. The problem was Joe checking down. Two of our three leading receivers averaged less than 9 YPC. Ben Watson led with 61 catches but averaged 8 yards a catch. Buck Allen was in third with 46 catches at just 5.5 yards a pop. Danny Woodhead had 33 catches with just 6 YPC. Boyle had 28 catches with an average of 7. Those are four of our top six receivers. If you combine their stats, you get 168 catches for 1,175, an average of 6.9 YPC. When 2/3 of your offense averages 6.9 YPC and one third of passes go for 0, you're gonna have a low YPA of around 5. 14/3 is 4.67.
I fully understand your argument but it's not supported by the data. The simple conclusion is that Joe likes throwing to the tight end flat and the RB button hook -- for no gain at all, a lot of the time. That's why we have such a low YPA.
You literally invented an argument that I was not making and argued with that. If I need to borrow any straw I know where to go.
I did not argue who had a faster release between Brady and Flacco, I did not argue that there is a general correlation, I argued (and you can see this by WATCHING the plays), that the Ravens were doing plays that made it impossible to give up sacks. The one read was a 5 yard throw and the check down was to the RB and those were going to happen before any possibility of a sack existed. We all watched it happen, we screamed to let the play develop but the problem was that that was the play. The couple times they did let the play develop ended in sacks or rushed throws so they basically stuck to these super quick throws underneath that the defense gave away.
We watched this be the playbook for weeks. I am not arguing about a correlation between sacks and time in the pocket. I am not arguing who has a faster release, I am saying that the Ravens would do these 4 yard underneath routes that the defense gave everytime and because of a combination of a shaky O-Line and an injured QB they did not trust more to happen.
Once the midseason rolled around and OLine was a stable unit instead of a revolving door, they opened up the playbook (and I would have to check but they either gave up less sacks in the 2nd half of the season outside of the game where Hurst was LT or and I can guarantee this part were able to much more safely open up playbook) and it exposed the weak receiving crew for what it was.