BALTIMORE RAVEN JOE FLACCO---SUPER BOWL 47 MVP
Joseph Vincent Flacco (born January 16, 1985) is a quarterback who plays for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Delaware after transferring from Pittsburgh, and was drafted by the Ravens in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft.
In his rookie year, Flacco started every game and led the Ravens to two road wins in the 2008–09 NFL Playoffs, becoming the first rookie quarterback in league history to win two road playoff games. As a rookie starting quarterback he won 13 games, 11 during the regular season. In his second season, he improved his numbers, setting single season franchise records for completion percentage (63.1) and quarterback rating (88.9), and in his third season he became the all-time leader in Ravens history for passing yards and passing touchdowns. He is the only quarterback in NFL history to win a playoff game in each of his first five seasons.
With Flacco as Baltimore's starting quarterback, the Ravens have won the AFC North twice, appeared in three AFC Championship Games, and defeated the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII. Flacco was named Super Bowl XLVII's MVP, concluding a postseason run in which he tied Joe Montana's single postseason record for touchdown passes (11) without an interception. That offseason, Flacco signed a six-year contract worth $120.6 million, a record high for a quarterback at the time. Flacco has become known for his outstanding performance in the postseason, having established a career playoff record of 10-5 and holding the record for most postseason road victories by a quarterback with 7.
Flacco is known for having one of the strongest arms in the NFL,[3] which allows him to use an "aggressive, high-risk deep downfield passing game."
Flacco was drafted by the Ravens 18th overall in the 2008 NFL Draft after the team traded out of the eight overall selection to the 26th, then up again.[18] The selection made Flacco the highest drafted player ever from the University of Delaware. He was also the first Division 1 FCS (formerly 1-AA) quarterback selected in the first round of the draft since Steve McNair went third overall to the Houston Oilers in the 1995 NFL Draft. Draft commentators initially criticized the pick as a "reach", feeling Flacco would likely have still been available in the middle of the second round. DeCosta, however, stated waiting was too much of a gamble and that choosing Flacco in the first round was "an easy decision to make."
2008: Thanks to a season-ending injury to incumbent starter Kyle Boller and an illness to formerHeisman Trophy winner Troy Smith, Flacco became the starting quarterback in the 2008 season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. He completed 15 of 29 passes for 129 yards, his longest pass being a 15-yard play to Derrick Mason. He threw no touchdowns and no interceptions in his debut, but he had a 38-yard rushing touchdown, which was the longest rushing touchdown by a quarterback in Ravens' franchise history. Flacco's touchdown put the Ravens up by 17–3; the team eventually won the game by 17–10. He led the Ravens to a 28–10 week 3 win over the Cleveland Browns despite a sub-par performance going 13/19 for 129 yards and throwing 2 interceptions (the week 2 game with the Texans was postponed due to Hurricane Ike).
In a week 4 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Flacco played his first road game, his first Monday Night Football game and also threw his first professional touchdown pass on a three-yard corner to tight end Daniel Wilcox. However, the team still lost the game 23-20 as the young QB was sacked five times and lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown by linebacker LaMarr Woodley. In Week 5, the Ravens lost 13-10 to the Titans with Flacco's futility continuing going 18/27 for 153 yards but throwing two interceptions in the loss. His stats got even worse in Week 6 in a 31-3 loss at the Colts as he went 28/38 for 241 yards in his first professional 200 yard or more passing game but in the midst of things, he threw three interceptions. In a week 7 victory over the Miami Dolphins, Flacco earned his first career road victory, throwing for over 230 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. Through week 7, Flacco also maintained a completion percentage of 64.2, the tenth best in the NFL.
In a week 8 win over the Oakland Raiders, Flacco not only passed for a touchdown but also ran for one. Flacco also caught a 43-yard pass in a trick formation deemed the "Wildcat". Many analysts viewed this and the last game as the potential launching point into a career of success.[citation needed] After the week 8 win, head coach John Harbaugh announced that the "Suggs package", a two quarterback offense using Flacco and Troy Smith, would be part of the offense the rest of the season.
In a week 13 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, he threw for 280 yards and two touchdowns, for the Ravens' sixth win in their previous seven games. In that seven game stretch, he compiled a passer rating of 99.1, the best of any quarterbacks in that span.
In a week 16 win over the Dallas Cowboys, he was 17-for-25 throwing 149 yards, one touchdown, a lost fumble and a passer rating of 96.9. In winning the game, he became the last quarterback to win at Texas Stadium as this was the last game ever played at Texas Stadium. This would also make him the second rookie quarterback ever to win at Texas Stadium, behind Ben Roethlisberger.
In week 17, Flacco had a new personal best, 297 yards. He was 17-of-23 for a quarterback rating of 115.8 as the Baltimore Ravens routed the Jacksonville Jaguars 27–7.
In his first season, Flacco was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week, NFL Rookie of the week, the NFLPA Rookie of the week, and NFL Rookie of the Month for November.
Flacco finished his rookie season 257/428 for 2,971 yards with a total of 16 touchdowns (14 passing, 2 rushing), and 14 turnovers (12 interceptions and 2 lost fumbles).
In the wild card round of the 2008–09 NFL playoffs, Flacco became only the third rookie quarterback in NFL history to win his first post-season start, and the first to do it on the road, when his Ravens defeated the Dolphins, 27–9. Flacco completed 9-of-23 attempted passes, accumulating 135 yards without throwing a touchdown or interception. He also scored the victory-sealing rushing touchdown on a quarterback draw in the 4th quarter. Shaun King, Ben Roethlisberger, Russell Wilson, and Mark Sanchez are the only other rookie quarterbacks to ever win their debut playoff game.
He then won his second game versus the Tennessee Titans. Flacco led the Ravens to a 13–10 win in the divisional playoff round. Flacco made tight-window throws to Todd Heap and Mark Clayton on the go ahead scoring drive in the 4th quarter to set up a game winning field goal from Matt Stover. On the day Flacco was 11-of-22 for 148 yards and a touchdown, without turning the ball over for the second straight game. He is the first rookie quarterback to win two playoff games.
In the 2009 AFC Championship Game versus the Steelers, the Ravens lost 23-14, with Flacco throwing for 141 yards, being sacked a trio of times and throwing three picks, one being the game clincher to Troy Polamalu, who returned the pass for a touchdown.
Flacco was awarded as the Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year on January 29, 2009.
2009: In the season opening game in Baltimore against the Kansas City Chiefs, Joe Flacco led the Ravens to their first win of the season. He threw for 307 yards and three touchdowns, both career highs, along with 18 yards rushing. He also threw one interception and had a quarterback rating of 95.8. During this game, the Ravens broke the franchise record for most offensive yards in a game with a total of 501.
In week 3 against the Cleveland Browns, Flacco threw for a career-high 342 yards and accumulated a quarterback rating of 111.8 He also threw for one touchdown, a 72-yarder to Derrick Mason. He then surpassed his own career high of 342 in week 6 against the Minnesota Vikings, with 385 passing yards, along with two touchdowns, though Baltimore lost the game by two points.[citation needed] In Week 12, Flacco defeated the Steelers for the first time in his career, 20-17, on Sunday Night Football. In Week 14, Flacco threw another long touchdown pass to Mason, this one 62 yards, in a 48-3 demolishing of theDetroit Lions.
In week 15 against the Chicago Bears, Flacco broke his personal record for most touchdowns thrown in a game with four, while notching 234 passing yards and completing 72 percent of his passes, earning him a career-high passer rating of 135.6. The Ravens would go on to win the game 31-7. With 3,613 yards and 21 touchdowns, Flacco became the first Ravens quarterback since Vinny Testaverde to throw for more than 3,000 yards and more than 20 touchdowns in a single season.[citation needed] He also tied his interception number from his rookie season of 12.
After the season, Flacco was named to USA Today's annual "All-Joe" team.
An injury limited Flacco's performance Wild Card Weekend against the Patriots. The Ravens routed the Patriots 33-14 despite Flacco throwing 4-10 for just 34 yards with one interception. The following week against the Colts, Flacco again performed poorly; thus, the Ravens lost 20-3.
2010: In the season opener, Flacco and the Ravens opened New Meadowlands Stadium against the New York Jets. Flacco threw for 248-yards while completing 52.6% of his passes, throwing one interception and losing a fumble. In a defensive contest, the Ravens came away with the 10-9 win over their former defensive coordinator Rex Ryan.
In week two at the Cincinnati Bengals, Flacco had arguably his worst NFL start of his young career, throwing for 154-yards while completing just 43.6% of his passes and throwing a career high 4 interceptions, while throwing one touchdown and accumulating a passer rating of 23.8. Coming off of the worst start of his career,[citation needed] Flacco and the Ravens had their home opener against theCleveland Browns. Flacco bounced back from his week 2 loss to the Bengals and had his best game of the young season, throwing for 262-yards and completing 71% of his passes. He then hooked up with prized offseason acquisition wide receiver Anquan Boldin for 3 touchdowns, while throwing no interceptions and accumulating a passer rating of 128.7. The Ravens would win the contest 24-17.[citation needed]
Going into week 4, Flacco had never won against the Steelers in Pittsburgh, who were 3-0 and boasting the league's best defense but without franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger due to suspension. Late in the game on a fourth and 1 play, the Ravens called a fade pass to Boldin in the endzone but the pass was overthrown. The Steelers got the ball back with two minutes and forty seconds left but were not able to keep possession for the rest of the game. The Ravens got the ball back and Flacco embarked on the greatest drive of his young career. With 68 seconds left on the game clock, down 14-10, he drove the Ravens 40 yards down the field and threw the game winning 18-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Flacco threw for 256-yards and a touchdown, while completing 65% of his passes and achieving a passer rating of 82.7 in the victory. In a 2009 playoff rematch, the Ravens traveled to Foxborough to take on the New England Patriots. Flacco had a relatively good game throwing for 285-yards and 2 touchdowns while completing 77.1% of his passes and a passer rating of 119.3, but in a losing effort as the Patriots came back from losing 20-10 to win the game in overtime 23-20.
In week 7 the Ravens played the Buffalo Bills at home. To start the game, the Bills unexpectedly scored 2 touchdowns, putting the Ravens in a 14-0 hole. But Flacco responded by throwing for 250-yards and 3 touchdowns, and the Ravens eventually won the game 37-34 in overtime, despite one lost fumble by Flacco. In this game, Flacco tallied over 8,000 passing yards for his career.
In week 9, coming off a much needed bye week, Flacco and the Ravens took on the Miami Dolphins in Baltimore. The Dolphins were an undefeated 4-0 on the road that season and the Ravens were 3-0 at home. Flacco threw for 266-yards and 2 touchdowns and a passer rating of 129.6, posting his third straight 100-point passer rating of the season and fourth overall. The Ravens won the game 26-10.
The next week, on Thursday Night Football, the Ravens traveled to Atlanta to take on the Falcons, led by Flacco's fellow 2008 draftee, and close friend, quarterback Matt Ryan. Flacco went 22/34 with 215 yards passing, three touchdowns and an interception, but was outdueled by the Falcons and their magnificent QB-WR tandem of Ryan and Roddy White, as the Ravens lost 26-21. In week 12 at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Flacco threw his 53rd career touchdown pass, becoming the Ravens all-time leader in passing touchdowns. He finished the game with 289 yards and two touchdowns as the Ravens won 17-10, despite being sacked four times and throwing a pick.
On December 26, 2010, with a win against the Cleveland Browns, Flacco became one of only four NFL quarterbacks to lead his team to the playoffs in all three of his first three seasons. During this game, Flacco reached 10,000 career passing yards.
Ending the season, Flacco set season highs in passing yards (3,622), passing touchdowns (25), passer rating (93.6), and a season low in interceptions (10), yet set a career high with four lost fumbles.
In defeating the Kansas City Chiefs (30-7) in the wildcard round of the 2010–11 NFL playoffs, Flacco completed 25 of 34 passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions (yet he did lose another fumble), for a post-season-high passer rating of 115.4. With the win, Flacco became the first quarterback in NFL history to start and win a playoff game in each of his first three seasons, and tied Len Dawson, Roger Staubach, Jake Delhomme, and Mark Sanchez for most career post-season road wins by a quarterback.
In the divisional round, Flacco and the Ravens would once again head to Pittsburgh to play their arch-rival Steelers. The difference this time would be the season was on the line. The Ravens got out to an early 21-7 lead after a 12-yard rush by running back Ray Rice, a fumble recovery run back for a touchdown by defensive end Cory Redding, and a four-yard touchdown pass from Flacco to tight end Todd Heap. But in the third quarter, which the Ravens had been dominant in all of the regular season, Baltimore fell apart. The Ravens turned the ball over three times in their own territory with an uncharacteristic fumble by Rice, an interception by Flacco, and a fumbled snap by Center Matt Birk (Flacco was credited with the lost fumble), and with those the Steelers took a 31–24 lead. But even after all of the Ravens miscues and errors, the Ravens still had a shot to win it at the end when Flacco threw a dart to Houshmandzadeh, but it was dropped. Flacco finished the game 16 of 30 for 125-yards, one touchdown and one interception.
2011: After the 2010 season, the NFL began airing a yearly series on their TV channel, NFL Network, called the NFL Top 100. It would rank the league's best 100 players entering the upcoming season. The first ever list, the Top 100 Players of 2011, had Flacco ranked at number 90.
Shortly after the end of the 2010 season, the Ravens fired quarterbacks coach Jim Zorn, to Flacco's dismay.
On July 28, 2011, Flacco's leading receiver over his three professional years Derrick Mason was cut to clear cap space. Additionally, 2010 number 3 and number 4 receivers T. J. Houshmandzadeh and Donté Stallworth were not re-signed, and longtime Ravens tight endTodd Heap was cut and signed by the Arizona Cardinals.[26] Flacco was left with Anquan Boldin and recently drafted rookies Torrey Smithand Tandon Doss sitting atop the wide receiver depth chart until the Ravens traded for Lee Evans, a speedy target to take advantage of Flacco's arm strength. Second-year tight ends Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta stepped in to replace the former Pro-Bowler Heap. Of the ten Ravens with a reception in the 2010–2011 season, only four returned for the 2011–2012 season, leaving Flacco with many new targets.
Flacco and the Ravens started their 2011 season off with a bang. Taking on the arch-rival Steelers for a playoff rematch, Flacco went 17/29 with 224 yards passing, three touchdowns and a 117.6 quarterback rating. He and his Ravens routed the Steelers 35-7, as he beat Ben Roethlisberger for the first time in his career.
Flacco had his best game of the season in Week 3. He went 27/48 with a season-high 389 yards through the air and three touchdowns, all in the first quarter and to rookie wideout Torrey Smith (who actually finished the game with a five catch, 152-yard breakout performance). Flacco had a 103.6 rating, as well as 27 yards rushing and a lost fumble. The Ravens scored a season-high 37 points in the 30-point blowout victory, and also gained a franchise record 553 offensive yards.
Flacco had three more 300 yard games during the regular season, against the Texans, Cardinals and Steelers in a Sunday Night Football matchup. He won all three of these games, sweeping Pittsburgh for the first time in his career, but also lost fumbles in each one. Despite losing to the Chargers in Week 15, the Ravens clinched the playoffs for the fourth straight year that week.
2012: Despite Flacco's success—the Ravens were in the playoffs each of his first four seasons—few saw him as among the NFL's best quarterbacks. Before January 2015, he had never been selected for the Pro Bowl. In April 2012 Flacco was, as The New York Timeslater stated, "almost universally mocked" when he stated that he was the best quarterback in the NFL, superior to Brady, Peyton Manning, or Aaron Rodgers. "I don’t think I’d be very successful at my job if I didn’t feel that way", Flacco said. In July he turned down the Raven's offer of a new contract, reportedly for $16 million a year, telling his agent that he believed he could improve and earn more.
In Week 1, Flacco looked sharp going 21/29 for 299 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 44-13 win at home against the Bengals on Monday Night Football. In Week 2, Flacco went 22/42 for 232 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in a surprising 24-23 loss to the Eagles. In Week 3 during a Sunday Night Football game, Flacco went 28/39 for 382, 3 touchdowns and an interception in a surprising 31-30 comeback win over the Patriots. This would be the first time ever the Ravens had defeated the Patriots in a regular season game.
In Week 4, Flacco went 28/46 for a season-high 356 yards with a touchdown and an interception and rushed for a touchdown in a 23-16 win against the Browns. In Week 5, the Ravens barely survived a close game against a struggling Chiefs team. Despite the 9-6 win, Flacco went 13/27 for 187 yards and an interception. In Week 6, Flacco went 17/26 for 234 yards and a touchdown as he led his team to a close 31-29 win at home against the Cowboys. In Week 7, the Ravens traveled down to Houston to take on the Texans (whom they played in the 2011 season and in the playoffs). Flacco struggled going 21/43 for 147 yards, a touchdown but 2 costly interceptions in a 43-13 loss.
In Week 8, Flacco's stats looked semi-sharp during the Ravens' bye: 150/252 on pass attempts with 9 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, and 18 sacks. Also, Flacco had a rushing touchdown and a lost fumble. Combined: 10 total touchdowns and 7 total turnovers. In Week 9, a struggling Flacco traveled to Cleveland with his Ravens team for game 2 against the Browns. The Ravens were down 15-14 heading into the 4th quarter. Flacco was able to move the Ravens down the field on 2 drives to set up a total of 11 unanswered points for a 25-15 comeback win over the Browns. Flacco went 15/24 for 153 yards and a touchdown in the game. His record improved to 10-0 all time along with coach John Harbaugh against the Browns. In Week 10, Flacco had a strong showing in a win over the Oakland Raiders, completing 21 of 33 passes for 341 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, while rushing for his second touchdown of the season. The following week, Flacco threw for only 164 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in a 13-10 win against the Steelers at Heinz Field. In another low-scoring win, this time against the San Diego Chargers, he went 30/51 for 355 yards, including a short pass to Ray Rice, who broke numerous tackles to a turn a critical fourth-and-29 into a highlight reel conversion.
The Ravens had amassed a 9-2 record. However, Flacco played poorly once again in a Week 12 rematch with the Steelers, completing only 16 of 34 passes for 188 yards with one touchdown and an interception. The game saw the Ravens squander a ten-point lead and lose 20-23, despite their division rival starting backup Charlie Batch at quarterback. The following week against the Washington Redskins, Flacco went 16-of-21 with three touchdowns but again amassed less than 200 passing yards in the season's first back-to-back losses. With the offense remaining inconsistent and the team missing opportunities to win their division with each loss, offensive coordinator Cam Cameron was unexpectedly fired and replaced by quarterbacks coach – and former Indianapolis Colts head coach – Jim Caldwell. The change at coordinator was followed by a lopsided loss to the Denver Broncos, leading to widespread criticism of Flacco in the media.
Flacco and the Ravens responded with a decisive, 33-14 win over the defending Super Bowl-champion New York Giants in which Flacco threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns, with another rushing. With the division finally clinched, the team rested many starters in the regular season finale, a loss to the Bengals.
Despite the victory over New York, much of the local and national media wrote the team off as Super Bowl contenders, with ESPN writing that the team had "backed into the playoffs with a disastrous December."
On January 6, 2013, in the Wild Card Playoffs round against the Indianapolis Colts, Flacco finished the game 12 of 23 for 282 yards, two touchdowns, and a career postseason high 125.6 passer rating. The 24-9 win at home set up a Divisional round rematch with the Broncos, who entered the game as nine-point favorites after their regular season win over the Ravens, which included a 98-yard interception touchdown return by Broncos' cornerback Chris Harris that marked the lowest point of Flacco's season. Continuing his postseason success, Flacco played one of the best games in his career, throwing for 331 yards and 3 touchdowns. In the 4th quarter, the Ravens were down 35-28 and had one last chance to tie the game. After an incomplete pass and a 7-yard scramble, on 3rd down and 3, Flacco heaved a 70-yard touchdown pass to Jacoby Jones, sending the game into overtime. The pass has been called the "Mile High Miracle", and "one of the greatest plays in NFL history" and drew comparisons to Roger Staubach's "Hail Mary", Terry Bradshaw's "Immaculate Reception", and Joe Montana's "The Catch". The Ravens would go on to win the game in double overtime 38-35 after an interception by Corey Graham from Peyton Manning and a 47-yard field goal from Justin Tucker, sending the Ravens to face the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship for a second straight year.
On January 20, 2013, Flacco and the Ravens avenged the previous year's AFC Championship Game loss to the Patriots with a 28-13 win, securing their spot in the 2013 Super Bowl. Flacco threw for 240 yards and three touchdowns, notching his third straight game with a passer rating over 100. With this win, Flacco became the second NFL quarterback to defeat both Peyton Manning (with the Broncos) andTom Brady in the same postseason since both became starting quarterbacks in 2001 (the first to do so was Mark Sanchez in 2010).
In a 34-31 win over the favored San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII, played on February 3, 2013, Flacco completed 22 of 33 passes for 287 yards and another three touchdowns, tying him for first place on the list of most consecutive playoff games with at least three touchdown passes(3 games). With a record fourth playoff game with a 100+ passer rating in a single postseason, Flacco was named the game's Most Valuable Player. For winning the award, he was given a then-brand-new red Chevrolet Corvette.
Flacco finished the postseason having completed 73-of-126 (57.9 percent) passes for 1,140 yards with 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions, tying Montana and Kurt Warner for the most touchdowns in a single postseason and additionally tying Montana for the most touchdowns without an interception in a single postseason. Flacco's 117.2 passer rating tied him for third place all-time with Steve Young in a Super Bowl-winning postseason.
These accomplishments gave Flacco what The New York Times stated "might be the best start to a player's free agency in the history of professional sports", as his contract expired after the season.
2013: On March 4, 2013, Flacco became the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history when he signed a six-year contract worth $120.6 million. However, within months, he was surpassed by the Packers' Aaron Rodgers and the Falcons' Matt Ryan.
Flacco was ranked #19 on the NFL's annual Top 100 Players list heading into the season. In the presentation, several defensive players attested to Flacco's ability to deliver throws under heavy pressure, and his tendency to step up in big moments.
In the regular season opener, Flacco faced off against the Broncos in a rematch of the previous season's AFC Divisional Playoff game. Flacco threw his first touchdown of the season on a two-yard pass to Vonta Leach to take a 7-0 lead, but the Ravens ended up losing the game 49-27. He completed 34 of 62 passes for 362 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, beginning his season 0-1 for the first time.
In week 4, Flacco threw a career-high five interceptions against the Buffalo Bills in a loss, despite throwing for 347 yards. The Ravens fell to 2-2. This resulted in a first place tie between the Ravens, the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Cleveland Browns, who shared at least first place for the first time since 2007. The Ravens went on to beat the Dolphins but found themselves losing three in a row to the Packers, Steelers, and Browns (his first career loss to Cleveland).
Flacco finally seemed to have found his rhythm in Week 6, throwing for 342 yards and two touchdowns against the Packers. However, the Ravens still couldn’t pull out the win, as Flacco was sacked five times and lost a fumble. Flacco made a lot of big plays in Week 9, throwing for 250 yards, two touchdowns, running for 25 yards and throwing a two-point conversion pass, but was once again sacked five times and threw an interception in the loss to the Browns.
Against Cincinnati, Flacco completed 20 out of 36 passes with a pair of touchdowns and interceptions, lost a fumble and was again sacked five times in a 20-17 win decided in overtime. In week 11, Flacco threw two costly interceptions against the Bears, one of which was returned for a touchdown by David Bass, and lost the game in overtime 23-20.
Flacco threw his first deep touchdown of the season when he hit Jacoby Jones for a 66-yard score in a 19-3 victory over the New York Jets. He then threw for 251 yards and a touchdown on Thanksgiving against the Steelers, winning 22-20. Flacco's best game of the season may have been in Week 14 against the Vikings. He threw for 245 yards, three touchdowns, three interceptions, ran for 22 yards and threw a two-point conversion as the Ravens won their third straight game, 29-26.
Flacco's 2013 season was statistically the worst of his career. For the first time as an NFL quarterback, Flacco threw more interceptions than he threw touchdowns. His 22 interceptions in the season were 10 more than he had thrown in any other season. His 19 touchdowns were also his lowest since his rookie year. His passer rating was a career low 73.1, approximately 7 points lower than Flacco's previous worst season passer rating. He was also sacked more times (48) than he was in any other season in his career. Despite all this, he also set a high in passing yards, with 3912.
The Ravens would finish 8-8 for the season and Flacco would miss the playoffs for the first time in his career.
2014: Despite Flacco's incredibly rocky 2013 campaign, he still made the Top 100 Players list, coming in at a considerably high ranking of 58, three spots behind Ravens' superstar offensive lineman Marshal Yanda.
In their 2014 season home opener, the Ravens played against the division rival Cincinnati Bengals. The game saw the Ravens trailing practically the entire time; however, their one lead of the game came off of an 80-yard touchdown pass from Flacco to wide receiver Steve Smith Sr.. As of the 2016 season, it was the longest throw of Flacco's career. However, the Ravens would go on to lose the game 23-16, after Bengals' quarterback Andy Dalton connected with receiver A.J. Green for an even more stupendous 77-yard touchdown that would ultimately be the game winner. It would be the first time since 2005 that the Ravens lost their home opener. Flacco finished the game completing 35 of 62 passes and throwing for a season-high 345 passing yards along with a touchdown and an interception, with a passer rating of 71.0.
In Week 2 of the season, the Ravens took on the division rival Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football. In the game, Flacco completed 21 of 29 passes for 166 yards, two touchdowns to tight end Owen Daniels and threw no interceptions with a passer rating of 103.9. He also wasn't sacked. The Ravens beat the Steelers 26-6, giving them their first win of the season.
In Week 4, Flacco completed 22 of 31 passes for 327 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions with a passer rating of 137.4, as the Ravens routed the Carolina Panthers 38-10. He once again wasn't sacked either. His first touchdown pass came off of a ball that tipped off of the hand of Daniels and into the hands of Smith Sr., who raced down the sideline for a 61-yard score. His second started with a fumbled snap, which he picked up and heaved to the endzone, where Smith Sr. again hauled in the pass, this time in the back of the endzone (while being held by cornerback Melvin White) for a 21-yard score. His third was a 29-yard pass to Torrey Smith.
From Weeks 2-4, Flacco was not sacked at all.
In Week 6, Flacco had his best game of the season, and one of the best games of his career. He completed 21 of 28 passes for 306 yards and a career high five touchdown passes to four different receivers (Smith Sr., Torrey Smith, Kamar Aiken and Michael Campanaro) with no interceptions. He once again wasn't sacked and had a season-high passer rating of 149.7. Flacco became the fastest quarterback to throw five touchdown passes, as it only took him 16 minutes and 3 seconds. The Ravens blew out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48-17.
In Week 13, the Ravens took on the San Diego Chargers. Flacco once performed very well, completing 19 of 31 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns without an interception or a sack with a passer rating of 104.9. He also rushed for a touchdown. Despite leading the game until the final two minutes, the Ravens took an unexpected and rare home loss. San Diego scored a touchdown late in the game for their first lead in a very hard fought shootout that ended in a 34-33 score.
In Week 14, the Ravens made up for the unexpected loss to San Diego by beating the Miami Dolphins 28-13 and getting their fourth road win of the season. Flacco started out sloppy, but ended up completing 25 of 33 passes for 269 yards, two touchdowns and an interception with a passer rating of 106.8. He also rushed for a touchdown and was sacked only once.
In Week 16, the Ravens took on the Houston Texans with a chance to clinch the playoffs. Flacco played his worst game of the season, and arguably the worst of his career. He ended the first half with only 27 passing yards and two interceptions, as the Ravens trailed 16-0 going into halftime. The Ravens would rally in the second half, as Flacco threw two touchdown passes to Torrey Smith, but the Ravens never held a lead in the entire game and ended up losing 25-13. Flacco finished completing 21 of 50 passes for 195 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions with a season-low passer rating of 41.7. He was also sacked twice.
In Week 17, the Ravens took on the Cleveland Browns in Baltimore. They had the chance to clinch the final playoff seed, but they needed a win and for the Kansas City Chiefs to beat or tie the San Diego Chargers. Trailing 10-6 in the fourth quarter, Flacco stepped up big time. He heaved a deep pass to Torrey Smith, who caught the ball at the Browns' 16 yard line. On the next play of the game, Flacco connected with Smith again, this time for a touchdown, which put the Ravens up 13-10 for good with 7:33 left in the game. With 3:44 left in the game, Flacco threw another touchdown pass to Kamar Aiken, sealing a 20-10 win. Kansas City would beat San Diego 19-7, giving Baltimore the final AFC playoff spot. Flacco finished the game with 22 of 36 completed passes, 312 passing yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions with a passer rating of 107.6. Flacco was also sacked one time, which caused one of his two fumbles in the game (he did not lose either).
In 5 of Flacco's last 6 games of the season, his passer rating was 99 or higher, with the one exception being the 25-13 loss to Houston.
2014 saw Flacco have the best regular season of his career. He set highs in passing yards (3,986), passing touchdowns (27), times sacked (19), fumbles (5) and fumbles lost (0). He also attempted and completed the second most single-season passes in his career (344 completions out of 554 attempts) and tied his mark for second lowest amount of interceptions thrown in a regular season. He led Baltimore to a 10-6 record.
In the Wild Card round of the playoffs, the Ravens played the AFC North-winning Steelers at Heinz Field. Flacco completed 18 of 29 passes for 259 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions with a passer rating of 114.0, as the Ravens beat the Steelers 30-17. He was sacked once, after getting tripped up by his offensive lineman on the Ravens' first offensive play of the game. This became the first time that the Ravens beat the Steelers in the postseason. Flacco also continued his streak of winning a game in his team's first round of the playoffs. His biggest accomplishment, however, may have been that he became the first quarterback in NFL history to start and win a playoff game in six of their first seven seasons.
In the Divisional round of the playoffs, the Ravens traveled to Foxborough to take on the number-one seeded New England Patriots, where they lost to the eventual Super Bowl champions in a 31-35 shootout, despite two back-to-back 14-point leads. Flacco still performed well, going 28/45 with 292 passing yards, a career-postseason-high 4 touchdown passes, 2 interceptions and a 92.1 passer rating. He was once again not sacked either.
For his efforts during the 2014 season, Flacco was invited to the 2015 Pro Bowl as an alternate but turned down the opportunity to play because his wife, Dana, was due to give birth to the couple's third child the same month.
On the NFL Top 100 Players of 2015, Flacco was controversially ranked number 97, the lowest that he has ever been ranked on the NFL's Top 100 Players list. He fell 39 spots from the previous year, where he was ranked number 58.
2015: The Ravens began their 2015 season in Denver, the place where Flacco had his breakout playoff performance nearly three years earlier. Leading the game 13-9 with less than a minute left in the third quarter, Flacco threw a pass down the middle of the field, aiming for Steve Smith Sr., but missed the pass terribly. It was intercepted by Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib, and returned 51 yards for a touchdown. It was Flacco's first pick-six since the 2013 season finale. With less than a minute left in the game, the Ravens had the ball at the Denver 16 yard line and were trailing 19-13. Flacco threw a pass into the endzone, intended for double-covered tight end Crockett Gillmore, which was intercepted by safety, and former Raven, Darian Stewart, officially ending the game for Baltimore.
In Week 2, against the Oakland Raiders, Flacco bounced back by going 32/45 with 384 yards and two touchdowns passes to Crockett Gillmore, with a 102.5 passer rating. However, while trying to rally the Ravens back at the end of the game, he was picked off by cornerback Neiko Thorpe with less than 30 seconds left, giving the Raiders a 37-33 upset win. It was the first time in his NFL career that Flacco had started out a season with a 0-2 record.
The Ravens faced the division rival Bengals for their first home game in Week 3, and Flacco once again had a solid showing, completing 32/39 passes for 362 yards and two touchdown passes, both of these going to Steve Smith Sr., with a 92.4 quarterback rating. He also wasn't sacked for the second straight game. However, the Ravens would suffer another close shootout loss, the score being 28-24 this time, giving the Ravens their first ever 0-3 start to a season.
In Week 4, Flacco had a rough performance against the arch-rival Steelers, throwing his fifth interception, losing his first fumble since Week 10 of 2013 and being sacked five times. However, the Ravens still managed to pull out their first win of the season in a 23-20 overtime triumph.
The Ravens traveled back to Baltimore for a Week 5 game against the usually-easy-to-beat division rival Browns. Flacco showed off his versatility as an offensive player, completing 19/35 passes with 210 passing yards and a passing touchdown, with an 81.8 passer rating, while also having two rushing attempts, two rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. It was the first time Flacco had ever rushed for multiple touchdowns in a game during his professional career. However, the Ravens suffered a shocking 33-30 overtime home loss. It was the first time since 2007 that the Ravens lost to the Browns at home, as well as the first time Flacco lost to them at home and the second time he lost to them in his career.
In Week 8, the Ravens faced the San Diego Chargers. Flacco went 25/37 with 319 yards, a touchdown, a rushing score and a 103.3 quarterback rating. He scored both of the Ravens touchdowns. Baltimore won on a last-second Justin Tucker field goal, giving them their first home win of the season and second overall win of 2015.
Coming off a bye week in Week 10, Flacco passed the ball sharply, going 34/45 with 316 yards, three touchdowns and a 98.0 passer rating, while also rushing twice for 17 yards. However, Flacco also threw two interceptions and lost a fumble. The Ravens would lose 22-20 to the Jacksonville Jaguars that day, after outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil had a facemask penalty on Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles on the final play of the game, giving Jacksonville the chance to kick a successful game-winning field goal. However, it was determined after the game that the Jaguars had not been set on the line during the play that they got the facemask penalty, and that the Ravens should have won the game after all.
On the final drive of the Ravens' Week 11 game versus the St. Louis Rams, Flacco suffered a torn ACL and MCL, ending his 2015 season. He did, however, stay in the game to complete the drive and put Baltimore into a position to kick the a game-winning field goal, giving the Ravens a 16-13 win at home. After the game, the media began praising Flacco's toughness, as it was shocking to believe he could actually complete a drive with both a torn ACL and MCL.
The Ravens managed a 3–7 record with Flacco at starting quarterback, due to the many injuries surrounding the team. Flacco finished the season with 266 completed passes out of 413 attempts, 2,791 yards, 14 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, an 83.1 passer rating, three rushing touchdowns and five fumbles, losing 2. During the offseason, he signed a three year contract extension to remin with the Ravens and free up some cap space for the team. (Source: Wikipedia)
RICK on JOE FLACCO
I had the opportunity to watch Flacco during the two years he played at the University of Delaware. His surprising mobility and strong throwing arm had people speculating that he may get drafted in the fourth or fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. I used to never watch the NFL Combine but did when Flacco was in it and he clearly outshined all of his competition; including the more heralded Matt Ryan. His coach K.C. Keeler told me after the Combine that he wouldn’t be surprised if he went in the first round. I kept thinking how cool it would be if the Ravens drafted Flacco and moving up to the 18th pick in the first round, they did exactly that. He took his cool, confident demeanor right into the NFL and has become one of the top quarterbacks in the league. He has plenty of critics, but he is already far and away the best signal-caller the Ravens have ever had. His big game and come from behind success remind me of another great quarterback who called Baltimore home.
Joe Flacco’s Greatest Strength ... 8/23/13 ESPN the Magazine
JOHN HARBAUGH HAD seen enough. It was a cold and windy January night in Gillette Stadium, and his Ravens were on track to cede the AFC Championship game to the Patriots For the second straight year. That they were merely trailing 13-7 as the first half ended was a gift, in light of the team’s plodding and conservative play. The coach yanked off his headset and marched toward the locker room, jaw clenched, chin leading the way. When he’s in that mood, his players would rather lower their shoulders and take on a 250-pound fullback than lock eyes with their boss. But one Raven dared to stare him down: Joe Flacco. And after the two men exchanged glances, they nodded in agreement. For the entirety of Flacco’s five-year NFL career, they’d been having the same debate. What kind of team do we want to be? What’s our identity? When do we decide it’s on the quarterback, not the defense, to get us to the Super Bowl? In that moment, in that one shared look, the debate was over. “I think we all realized,” Harbaugh recalls, “that it was time.”
The coach marched into the locker room and straight to the leaders of Baltimore’s defense, players with big personalities and bigger egos, some future inhabitants of the Hall of Fame. Harbaugh did not need their permission for what he was about to do, but he did want Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and Terrell Suggs to hear it from him first.
Here is the deal! All second half, we’re cutting loose on offense. We’re going to spread them out, run no-huddle, attack on every play. I’m putting the ball in Joe’s hands. He’s going to win the game for us. Let’s go!
The defense erupted in approval. Harbaugh then shared the news with the offense, and the energy inside the locker room surged even more—Flacco’s teammates had been waiting for this moment too.
And so in the second half a new era of Ravens football began. There was Flacco, rushing his team to the line of scrimmage, barking out audibles from the shotgun, controlling the game’s ebb and flow. And with one razor-sharp throw after another, the quarterback carved Bill Belichick’s defense apart — a perfect fade to Anquan Boldin; a frozen rope to Dennis Pitta; a back-shoulder arrow to Torrey Smith; a skinny post to Boldin; Pitta, again, over the middle.
The Ravens scored 21 unanswered points on three touchdown throws by Flacco. When he walked off the field up 28-13 with 2:11 remaining, he made a beeline for Harbaugh, a playful smirk on his face. He gave him a shove, then another. Harbaugh grinned, planted two hands on Flacco’s chest and drove him backward in mock anger. Flacco came at Harbaugh one last time, grabbing him by the collar as if he might slam his coach to the turf. Both men laughed.
The entire interaction lasted under 10 seconds. But it was years in the making.
AT AGE 28, Flacco is among only seven starting quarterbacks in the league with a Super Bowl ring, but there isn’t another player in the NFL whose supporters and detractors are further apart in their assessments. (Eli Manning probably comes the closest.) Those who see Flacco as the prototypical winner cite the fact that he’s been under center for 63 victories (including the playoffs) over his first five years in the league, the most to start a career in the Super Bowl era. But his critics find it hard to believe he did anything other than ride Ray Lewis’ coattails.
And that’s just the beginning of the bile thrown Flacco’s way. He’s been called a flake, a choker, an overrated game manager and a Sesame Street character (owing to his resemblance to Bert). People have made fun of his eyebrows, haircut, inconsistency, cliché-heavy news conferences and goofy wedding photos. But in the end, the most frequent jab fired at Flacco is that he’s just … so … boring.
It’s a common misconception, albeit an understandable one. Part of it comes down to numbers: Flacco has never thrown for 4,000 yards or 30 TDs in a season, and he’s never been ranked in the top 10 in yards per attempt. Analytics experts have constructed entire mathematical theorems to argue he’s the very definition of average. When Flacco signed a $120.6 million contract in the offseason, briefly making him the game’s highest-paid player, The Onion joked that Aaron Rodgers now needed $989 trillion to reflect his true market value.
But the boring label is not just a reflection of his playing style, of course. Flacco is a type-B personality in a type-A profession, a distinction that makes him not only unique at his position but oddly disquieting. A few years ago, then-offensive coordinator Cam Cameron approached Flacco the night before a big game. He had a proposal: How about you get up in front of the offense tonight and give us a fiery speech, the kind Ray Lewis gives to the defense? I think this is your night to get us going. Flacco looked at him as if he’d just proposed swimming naked across Chesapeake Bay.
“That’s not me,” Flacco says. “I love Ray, and I love how he always spoke from the heart, but if you listened to those speeches, a lot of them didn’t even make sense. He meant everything he was saying, but I didn’t know what he was talking about 90 percent of the time.”
Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta, one of Flacco’s closest friends, says: “It takes a lot to get to know Joe. When you first meet him, you might think, Joe doesn’t really like me, and he’s kind of rude. But it’s just because he’s shy. He’s not a very outgoing person.”
Away from the fishbowl of fame, Flacco is dry-humored and sarcastic. And he can be surprisingly self-aware, willing to poke fun at his own reputation. Asked once if he’d ever agree to star in a reality show about his life — he’s the father of one (with another on the way) who married his high school sweetheart and spends most Friday nights eating pizza with his parents and grandparents — Flacco deadpanned, Sounds like the most boring reality show of all time.
“You think I’m boring? I think that’s cool,” Flacco says. “I don’t know if I’m an everyday person, but I don’t think I’m an a—hole. If you think I’m boring, I don’t see why it’s a negative thing. All I’ve ever wanted was to be respected within the building.”
That’s something all quarterbacks say, even as they privately throw tantrums. But Flacco really doesn’t care what anyone outside the Ravens organization thinks. A few years ago, a Baltimore sports-talk-radio host asked him where he thought he ranked among the league’s quarterbacks. When he replied that it was important for him to believe he was the NFL’s best, his comments were virally mocked. “I guess I should have said, ‘You know what? I think I’m the 20th best,'” Flacco says now with a shrug. “That’s exactly what you want to hear from your quarterback, right?”
It’s perhaps not surprising to learn that growing up in Audubon, N.J., the player he longed to emulate was Niners quarterback Joe Montana. Classy, reserved, confident and respected. And when he retired, he gave his life back to his family. To Flacco, it almost seems as if Montana belongs to a different era. No one ever questioned his leadership or complained that he didn’t scream at his receivers when they dropped catchable passes. Flacco doesn’t understand why the fact that he has a similar mentality is cited as one of his shortcomings.
“Look at Peyton [Manning],” Flacco says. “He has guys on eggshells all the time. If they do the wrong thing, they’re thinking, ‘S—, he’s going to kill me.’ And that works for him. But at the same time, I think it’s tough to play in that environment. Sure, if you’re not consistently putting in the effort, that’s when I’m going to call you out. But if you’re putting in a full effort and you do something that costs us the game, what the f— is yelling going to do? The game’s over. Let’s move on and get better.”
FLACCO’S BACKSTORY IS both improbable and explains so much about how he’s wired. His father, Steve, a mortgage broker, is all of 5’11”. His mother, Karen, a stay-at-home mom, is 5’6″. Yet somehow Joe, the oldest of six kids, grew to be 6’6″. And thanks to the bazooka dangling from his right shoulder, he became the best football player that tiny Audubon has ever seen.
Even if his folks hadn’t raised him to be humble, his experience at the University of Pittsburgh, where he got stuck behind Tyler Palko on the depth chart, would have beaten it into him. After Flacco transferred to Delaware in 2005 and began setting passing records, he still seemed unaware of what possibilities the future might hold. Prior to his senior year, he told his coach, K.C. Keeler, that he was interested in playing baseball for the Blue Hens in the spring. Keeler was flabbergasted, informing him that NFL scouts were already calling, asking if they could come watch practices. You have a chance to be a first-round pick, Keeler told him. Flacco seemed taken aback.
The Ravens ended up grabbing him with the 18th pick in the 2008 draft, but they weren’t sure what they had at first. Cameron was confident that Flacco’s flawless mechanics, big arm and huge hands would help him succeed in the wind and cold of AFC North games. But he didn’t want to put him on the field as a rookie; Flacco barely knew how to take a snap from center after playing in the shotgun most of his career at Delaware. In the end, the team had no choice: After the two quarterbacks ahead of him on the depth chart, Kyle Boller and Troy Smith, were set back by injury and illness, the rookie was the only QB left standing.
Soon enough, a meme that has dogged Flacco throughout his career was born: The defense doesn’t trust him. He quickly hit rough waters — one touchdown, seven interceptions in his first five games. Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs voiced his frustrations during a midseason radio interview. “I think [Flacco] is all right,” Suggs said. “But like I said, in the end, Troy should be the starter. He’s the better man for the job.” Flacco rebounded to help Baltimore sneak into the AFC championship game, only to throw three interceptions in a loss to the Steelers at Heinz Field.
In his second season, the contours of the debate that consumed Flacco and his coach began to take shape. How do you change the philosophy of a franchise, especially one that’s winning? “Joe’s first few years in the league, he wasn’t able to showcase everything he had,” says Pitta. “A big part of that is because this is the Ravens. We were built on defense. That was the philosophy: Limit mistakes, control the ball, let the defense win the game.”
Flacco’s extremes were maddening as recently as 2011. He slayed Pittsburgh with three touchdowns, then threw two interceptions in a road loss to a bad Titans team. He carved up Houston with Brady-like precision, then looked lost and confused the next week in an embarrassing loss to Jacksonville. Columnists started to question his intelligence and lack of fire. The Baltimore Sun even suggested, in 2011, that the Ravens hold a quarterback competition and let over-the-hill vet Marc Bulger try to win the starting job—failing to consider how Bulger would handle Lewis’ screaming that they should have run the ball every time he threw a pick.
“The whole Why can’t you just play safe? philosophy, I don’t think those guys would ever outwardly put it that way,” Flacco says. “But the overall sense of the program, there was a little bit of that. The defense felt like they had the kind of ability that they did in 2000, and that wasn’t necessarily the truth. My point was: That’s not going to give you the best odds of winning. You might be able to pull it off now and then, but I don’t think they’d won more than one playoff game from the time they won the Super Bowl in 2000 to the time I got there. So we obviously needed to take another step.”
HARBAUGH IS NOT annoyed, or even surprised, when some of Flacco’s quotes are read to him on the eve of training camp. He’s leaning forward in a chair as he listens, elbows pressed to his knees, half smiling. Harbaugh is a football lifer, raised in the game by his father, Jack, another football lifer. His greatest strength as a head coach isn’t X’s and O’s, it’s always been how well he understands the complex cauldron of locker room egos and emotions, abilities and ambitions.
It’s true, Harbaugh says, there were plenty of times early in his career when Flacco wanted to push the ball downfield, take more chances, make mistakes and not get grounded after every interception. It’s also true that the defense, which for years was the home to every alpha dog in the Ravens’ locker room, was slow to accept that the NFL is all about offense now. But in Harbaugh’s mind, the real story behind Flacco’s first five years in the NFL isn’t what he could have accomplished had the Ravens opened up their offense sooner; it was Flacco’s willingness to adapt his game depending on Baltimore’s week-to-week approach.
“To suggest Joe has been on some great teams and we’ve won in spite of him, or regardless of how he played, is absolutely false,” Harbaugh says.
The moments that speak volumes about Flacco’s strengths, the coach thinks, aren’t any a Ravens diehard would likely volunteer. For starters, he cites a 33-14 playoff win in 2009 over the Patriots in Foxborough, a game frequently cited by Flacco’s critics as a perfect example of his irrelevance. The QB was just 4-of-10 for 34 yards that day, as the Ravens rushed for 234 yards and four TDs. What most people don’t realize, Harbaugh says, is that Flacco’s hip was so badly bruised that half his thigh was the color of an eggplant. Late in the game, however, with New England threatening to creep back into the contest, Flacco dropped back on third and seven, saw no one open, then scrambled for his life, extending the ball over the marker at the last second as a defender closed in on him. First down. “That is one of the greatest examples of why he’s a winning quarterback,” Harbaugh says. “People point to that game like he should be embarrassed because he only completed four passes. But Joe chases wins. He doesn’t force things. He throws balls away to keep us in games.”
Doesn’t force things? Throws balls away? To Flacco’s critics, that just bolsters their argument that his job wasn’t to win games, but to not lose them. By 2011, even though the Ravens came within a last-second Lee Evans bobble of reaching the Super Bowl, Flacco had earned the derision of every stats guru and had become the butt of jokes in countless fantasy leagues for his reliably mediocre numbers.
The issue of who or what was holding him back is still a touchy subject for anyone on the Ravens. Privately, Flacco pushed for more control. Publicly, he backed the company line, but the debate over when he would be able to cut loose was getting tense. And Flacco’s relationship with Cameron, the man who had fought to draft him, had become visibly strained at times.
“Our relationship was good, he was just a tough person to communicate with,” Flacco says now, carefully choosing his words. “When you don’t feel like you can communicate at a great level, obviously there are going to be times when you see things differently.”
A contract dispute at the beginning of the 2012 season, when Flacco turned down a $90 million deal, didn’t help. “I felt, Am I your guy or am I not?” he says. “Because if I’m your guy, you’re going to end up paying me anyway. I’m not getting cheaper. You should pay me now or it’s going to cost you if I win a Super Bowl.”
Seems like a shrewd move now, but it sure didn’t seem like it when the Ravens lost two straight games toward the end of the 2012 season. Finally, Harbaugh decided it was time to act. Firing Cameron was the most agonizing moment of his career as a head coach. Cameron had hired Harbaugh as an assistant at Indiana University in 1997. He owed a lot to Cameron. But now he saw the offensive arms race in the NFL and the gray in the hair of Lewis and Reed, and he felt the team needed a new spark. “Something needed to be shaken up,” he says. “Cam recognized that.” With just three games left in 2012, Cameron was replaced on an interim basis by Jim Caldwell, who, rather than rewrite the Ravens’ playbook, simply emphasized the passing plays already in it.
Flacco responded with a shaky performance in a loss against the Broncos, then went on the hottest streak of his career. In his next five games, excluding a meaningless regular-season finale, Flacco completed 60 percent of his passes for 1,449 yards, 13 touchdowns and no interceptions under Caldwell. After Flacco’s breakout performance in the playoff win over the Patriots, Harbaugh named Caldwell the permanent offensive coordinator for 2013.
Is it possible that Flacco was capable of this all along? It’s hard for him, looking back, not to view it that way. “I wish we’d been more willing to take risks,” he says. “We were never willing to fail to get better. We always played safe. And we won, but we didn’t really get better. I had no margin for error. I’d love to throw 40 touchdown passes a year. But I didn’t even have a chance to do that.”
THE NEW SEASON hasn’t even officially started, and already questions about Flacco have begun again. That night in New Orleans when Flacco sliced up the 49ers defense with the precision of a chef dicing onions has faded from memory. It’s not Flacco’s pinpoint accuracy that most people remember from the Super Bowl, or the bombs he threw to Boldin over the middle on third down, or even that he was the MVP. It’s Colin Kaepernick and the way he seemed to invent new angles every time he ran, terrifying the Ravens defense with his feet and arm. Flacco won the game, but Kaepernick became the face of the NFL.
And now that Pitta, Flacco’s favorite third-down target, is done for the season with a dislocated hip and Boldin was traded to the Niners, the haters have returned too. “He’s never made anyone else better,” one national columnist recently wrote. The difference this time is that Flacco has his teammates from the other side of the ball to back him up. “He doesn’t have to do any talking,” says Suggs, who has become the QB’s fiercest defender the past two years. “All he has to do is flash his ring.”
Flacco too has evolved, albeit in his own way. That lanky, awkward kid the Ravens drafted has become a weight room regular. Shake his hand these days and you could almost mistake him for a Baltimore stevedore or a bouncer at a Federal Hill corner bar. There is a swagger to him this year that wasn’t apparent in previous seasons. He’s been verbally sparring with Suggs during scrimmages; he’s been more at ease with the media’s endless questions about his leadership.
“He seems more confident to me,” says Ravens cornerback Lardarius Webb. “He’s jawing a little more. He’s making some throws he wouldn’t usually try before this year, and he’s putting it in there.” He even agreed to portray Johnny Unitas in a biopic about the Baltimore Colts quarterback that began filming this summer. “I’m only in the action scenes,” Flacco says. “There’s no way I would have agreed to do it if they said I had to act.”
Make no mistake: It’s Flacco’s team now. Away from a microphone, he’ll even concede this. Something changed during that playoff run, particularly that night in New England. He’s not a fan of simple narratives, the notion that one player must lead while others follow. But with Lewis in retirement and Reed wearing a Texans uniform, he knows all eyes will be on him when the seas get rough. The new contract has obviously changed people’s expectations. Outside pressure will be enormous. And he likes it that way.
Hours after signing the contract that guaranteed him at least $52 million, he celebrated by pulling into a McDonald’s drive-thru in Aberdeen, Md. He ordered a 10-piece Chicken McNugget meal with fries and iced tea. “I can’t really complain,” Flacco says. “We won last year, I’m going to get a lot of money, and we’re going to win football games. That’s the way it works around here. We’re not going to apologize for acting like a good football team. We don’t care if that comes with pressure or not.”
For now, Flacco is expecting that the new, wide-open offense will carry into 2013 and that he will get to throw more than he ever has. But that doesn’t mean the debate is dead. Should he throw a few picks, it’s easy to imagine the game plan calling for Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce to run the ball 30 times. In which case Flacco would go back to sliding for third downs, sitting on leads, grinding out the clock and throwing the ball away. He wouldn’t be thrilled, but the Ravens would trust that he’d do whatever they ask of him to win.
So let the world continue to be dazzled by the read-option, by the next generation of young, dynamic quarterbacks. And good luck with your fantasy draft. Joe Flacco plans to keep collecting victories, both beautiful and flawed, week after week, regardless of who gets the credit, regardless of how it’s done.
Even if it’s boring.
