Joe Flacco News: Pro Sports Daily

Club's nurture, Flacco's nature proving to be promising fit

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November 19

Baltimore Sun

columnist Rick Maese

"Ten days ago in Houston, the Ravens were fresh off a big win and the team's media relations staff had corralled Joe Flacco for the post-game news conference. But the rookie quarterback had to stand off to the side and wait his turn. While coach John Harbaugh was answering questions, eight-year veteran Todd Heap came into the room. Kevin Byrne, the Ravens' public relations whiz, flashed a look that told Flacco that Heap would be cutting ahead and speaking with reporters first. "I know," Flacco said. Then three-year veteran Haloti Ngata entered the room, and Byrne again turned to Flacco. "I know," Flacco said. "Him, too." And so Flacco patiently bided his time, allowing everyone else to step ..."

Unable to stop Flacco, unit accepts flak

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November 10

Houston Chronicle

"The Texans’ defense started with a game plan against the Baltimore Ravens that worked somewhat. Somehow during the third quarter, the strategy crumbled. The defense was slapped with costly penalties. It also gave up big plays in the passing game and put up very little fight in the red zone. The solid first-half effort vanished as the Texans ended up allowing a season high in points in the 41-13 loss at Reliant Stadium. “I never would have thought they would put 40 points on us,” middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans said. “It’s not good for our defense at all. It’s not how we expect to play. We feel like we are a lot better defense than we showed today. They came out and put the points on the ..."

Flacco a fast learner

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November 9

Baltimore Sun

"Through one tumultuous training camp and the first seven games of his Ravens career, Joe Flacco impressed with his demeanor, his aptitude and his ability. Last week, he made a bigger statement: He bent a rookie's learning curve into a veteran's declaration. Six weeks after Flacco first faced the Cleveland Browns' defense, he devoured it. Forty-two days after he beat the Browns with a second-half splurge, he did it again. No fluke there. "There were a couple plays in the first Cleveland game where he had a chance to throw it over their head," offensive coordinator Cam Cameron said. "Those same opportunities came up in the second game, and he took advantage of it." Flacco threw no touchdown ..."

The start of something beautiful

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October 26

Baltimore Sun

"Joe Flacco doesn't remember exactly how the first conversation with his favorite receiver, Derrick Mason, went, but the Ravens' rookie quarterback has a pretty good guess at how it played out. "It was probably Derrick being nice and talking," Flacco said, "and I was making grunting noises." When it comes to the personalities in the Ravens' locker room, it doesn't get much different than Flacco and Mason. Flacco is a quiet and reserved soul who might relax by turning on the radio. Mason is a verbose and animated leader who has his own radio show. Mason comes from Detroit and played in the BigTen. Flacco grew up in the New Jersey suburbs and threw passes in DivisionI-AA. Flacco is 8 inches ..."

Harbaugh gives Flacco vote of confidence

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October 14

Baltimore Sun

"A day after Joe Flacco's worst game of his rookie season, Ravens coach John Harbaugh reaffirmed his commitment to him, saying once again that he will stick with his rookie first-round pick as the starting quarterback for the rest of the season. "We believe he's our starter. Joe's our guy," Harbaugh said today. "I'm never a guy that's going to sit up here and say, 'Never ever.' But I don't envision a scenario today where Joe is not going to be our starter this year, save an injury." Last week, Harbaugh named Flacco the starter for the final three-quarters of the season when he said Troy Smith would have a chance to compete only for the backup job. But Flacco followed up that vote of ..."

Should the Ravens stick with Joe Flacco as starting QB?

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October 14

Baltimore Sun

"Granted, the numbers are not good. In fact, during the past two weeks, Ravens rookie quarterback Joe Flacco's statistics have been horrible - zero touchdown passes and five interceptions. However, Flacco - despite a 60.6 passer rating and just one TD pass to go along with seven interceptions over five games - should remain the starter for the rest of the season, barring a meltdown. Admittedly, back in training camp before a shoulder injury ended Kyle Boller's season and Troy Smith's illness caused him to20 to 30pounds, I advocated for either over Flacco. I cited the damage that can be done to a young quarterback tossed into the NFL crucible too soon. But circumstances changed drastically, ..."

Harbaugh names Flacco starting quarterback for remainder of season

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October 10

Baltimore Sun

"Ravens coach John Harbaugh has given rookie first-round draft pick Joe Flacco the starting quarterback job for the rest of the season. It was previously unknown whether Troy Smith, a contender for the starting job in the preseason, would be able to compete with Flacco when Smith recovered from a tonsil infection. But Harbaugh said yesterday that Smith would remain the No.3 quarterback this week and would be able to vie this season only for the backup job, which is held by Todd Bouman. "That'll be [Smith's] role this year - possibly into a role where he can contribute playing quarterback for us down the road," Harbaugh said. The 29th-rated passer in the NFL, Flacco has completed 58.5percent ..."

Flacco will start for remainder of season

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October 9

Baltimore Sun

"Ravens coach John Harbaugh has given rookie first-round draft pick Joe Flacco the starting quarterback job for the rest of the season. It was previously unknown whether Troy Smith, a contender for the starting job in the preseason, would be able to compete with Flacco when Smith recovered from a tonsil infection. But Harbaugh said today that Smith would remain the No.3 quarterback this week and would be able to vie this season only for the backup job, which is held by Todd Bouman. "That'll be [Smith's] role this year -- possibly into a role where he can contribute playing quarterback for us down the road," Harbaugh said. The 29th-rated passer in the NFL, Flacco has completed 58.5 percent ..."

Flacco takes blame

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October 6

Baltimore Sun

"Joe Flacco wasn't any different after two straight losses than he was after two straight wins. The Ravens quarterback stood at the post-game podium with the same body language he has had for the past month. He answered questions in the same soft-spoken voice. He acknowledged his mistakes bluntly, without a trace of self-pity or dramatic flair. Joe Cool was still Joe Cool after the Ravens' wrenching, 13-10 loss to the Tennessee Titans yesterday, two critical interceptions notwithstanding. No panic, no finger-pointing, no attempt to evade blame. That was the good news for Ravens fans. The bad news came when Flacco got out of the pocket and tried to hit receivers on the run. He threw a ..."

Flacco starting well, but so did Young

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October 5

Baltimore Sun

columnist David Steele

"Not to throw ice water on the Joe Flacco story, but everyone surely is aware of who will be on the opposite sideline from him at M"

Flacco keeps poise, shows nerves of steel

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September 30

Baltimore Sun

columnist David Steele

"Shouldn't Joe Flacco have fallen apart after coughing up that ball? That should have done it for him, and for the Ravens, and for the idea that a rookie quarterback could win his first NFL road start. It didn't do it, though. What Flacco had done, how Flacco had played, how Flacco had acted as if he had been there before, had carried the Ravens through the thicket of another typical defensive battle at Heinz Field last night and pushed them in front 13-3 at halftime. And after Flacco got caught in a Steelers sandwich back deep in his own end, when James Harrison - there goes that man again - separated him from the ball, when LaMarr Woodley dove on it, picked it up, danced with it into the ..."

Flacco to get second look vs. Houston

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September 9

Baltimore Sun

"A day after leading the Ravens to a season-opening 17-10 victory, rookie quarterback Joe Flacco received some good-natured ribbing from his teammates and a vote of confidence from his head coach. "Flacco will be the starter this week," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said at yesterday's news conference. Selected 18th in the draft, Flacco essentially won the starting job last week by default because the team's other quarterbacks - Troy Smith (tonsil infection) and Kyle Boller (season-ending shoulder injury) - were sidelined with medical issues. But Flacco earned this next start after completing 15 of 29 passes for 129 yards and recording some impressive marks. Along with the Atlanta Falcons' ..."

Flacco leads way in debut

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September 8

Baltimore Sun

"The Joe Flacco era commenced today with little fanfare from the strong arm that made him the Ravens' franchise quarterback. Instead, Flacco's initiation into the NFL was defined by his legs, his wits and his grit. Running 38 yards into the end zone off an audible and providing the key block on the Ravens' other touchdown, Flacco placed his hard-nosed stamp on the Ravens' season-opening 17-10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. In a town where a blue-collar defense has dominated the football landscape for the past decade, Flacco supplied a workmanlike performance of his own, one that was warmly embraced by the sellout crowd of 70,978. In the first half, fans waved purple placards that ..."

For adoring fans, Flacco looking like no average Joe

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September 8

Baltimore Sun

columnist Mike Preston

"It's the kind of beginning that can start a love affair between a quarterback and a city. The Ravens' rookie quarterback made his NFL debut yesterday, and it couldn't have been scripted much better. The former University of Delaware star and product of Voorhees, N.J., ran for one touchdown and threw a block for another. He managed the game well - running a no-huddle offense and completing 15 of 29 passes for 129 yards. He had no turnovers as the Ravens opened the 2008 season with a 17-10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals at M"

Does Flacco have the answer?

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September 7

Baltimore Sun

"The longest-running riddle in Ravens history is Baltimore's hot topic once again. Who's the quarterback? It reads like the film comedy Groundhog Day but is perhaps better suited to a 1939 radio speech by Winston Churchill: It's a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. And now it's coach John Harbaugh's turn to unravel the mystery, more or less. For the season opener today, the answer is Joe Flacco. Next week, it might be Troy Smith or Todd Bouman. Next month, it might be someone not even on the roster now. Know this about quarterbacking for the Ravens: There is a long list of failure. "Baltimore," ex-Ravens safety-turned NFL analyst Rod Woodson said last week, "is a graveyard for ..."

Ready or not, Flacco's time is here

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September 7

Camden Courier-Post

"Joe "Cool," as he was known to teammates during his University of Delaware days, will have to be as unflappable as ever today at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. Those who've been there say the odds are against Joe Flacco, who a year ago this weekend quarterbacked the Blue Hens to a 41-14 win over West Chester. Today at 1, he faces a much greater challenge. Flacco will be the starting quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens in their National Football League opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. Only one other rookie quarterback is scheduled to start an NFL game today -- Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons. Ryan, out of Boston College, was selected third overall in April's draft. The Ravens ..."

Flacco will start against Cincinnati

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September 2

Baltimore Sun

"Rookie quarterback Joe Flacco was officially named the Ravens' season-opening starter today, an announcement that seemed implausible only just 10 days ago. Medical issues to the Ravens' other quarterbacks -- Troy Smith (tonsil infection) and Kyle Boller (shoulder) -- vaulted Flacco from last in the quarterback race to the uncontested winner. "If anyone wrote this in a movie script, no one would believe it," John Harbaugh said. "The thing that is kind of exciting is that you couldn't envision this scenario. It wasn't one that we planned." Harbaugh, the Ravens' rookie head coach, had no other option than to go with his highly touted rookie quarterback. Smith, who seemed like the front-runner ..."

Next step for Ravens QB Flacco could be big one

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August 31

Baltimore Sun

"The preseason has taught Joe Flacco some vital lessons, from understanding how to take care of the football to dealing with surprise starts. What the rookie quarterback will learn next is how the Ravens will continue his education. Do you give him the ball to start the season opener? Or do you hand him the clipboard and tell him to observe from the sideline? There is no question in Flacco's mind. Asked whether he felt ready to start the season opener, he responded without hesitation, "Yes." He doesn't want to be a spectator for a season the way Carson Palmer was. He wants to be thrown into the huddle as Kyle Boller was. "How are you going to learn when you are sitting?" Flacco said. "You ..."

Flacco could still be factor in QB battle

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August 25

Baltimore Sun

"From Steve McNair's abrupt retirement to Troy Smith's sudden illness, the Ravens' quarterback situation has been filled with unexpected twists. After Saturday night's 24-10 loss to the St.. Louis Rams, John Harbaugh provided another one. The Ravens coach left open the possibility that rookie first-round pick Joe Flacco could jump back into contention for a starting job that seemed to be between Smith and Kyle Boller. Rushed into his first start Saturday, Flacco completed 18 of 37 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown. Asked whether the competition might now include three quarterbacks instead of two, Harbaugh said: "We'll see. That's a fair question. I just don't know the answer." Flacco, ..."

Flacco waiting in wings to start

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August 6

Baltimore Sun

"The decision by Ravens coach John Harbaugh to start Kyle Boller at quarterback in the first preseason game against the New England Patriots tomorrow night was inevitable. For starters, Boller has earned the right to that distinction, however temporary it might be, over the other quarterback with some experience, Troy Smith. Boller has 42 career starts to Smith's two. Secondly, to cast rookie Joe Flacco as a presumed starter is to do him a disservice in that it establishes unrealistic expectations along with the attendant pressures. But as obvious as the decision to hand Boller the ball for the first half of the first preseason game was, it is just as obvious that in the bigger picture it ..."

Flacco's story gives hope to CAA athletes

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July 24

Baltimore Sun

"As quarterback Joe Flacco spent another day adjusting to NFL training camp with the Ravens, the league he used to play in held its preseason media day at the ESPN Zone and boasted about the competitiveness of its teams and how much a player like Flacco helps it get even stronger. "Joe Flacco sets the bar for us," said Colonial Athletic Association commissioner Tom Yeager. "Having him be a first-round draft choice out of our conference resonates with every kid on every team and with every recruit out there. Every kid thinks he can play in the NFL, and we can say, 'That dream is achievable at CAA schools.' " The CAA is a league in which a lot of its players, said Yeager, have been told, ..."

Ravens rookie QB not shying away from attention

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July 22

Baltimore Sun

columnist Peter Schmuck

"If you wandered into the Ravens' training camp headquarters yesterday afternoon and witnessed the news conference to make official the signing of rookie quarterback Joe Flacco, it would have been hard not to come to the same conclusion that I did:Flacco is the man.(Well, maybe not The Man. This team still has some major stars who wouldn't take kindly to a rookie from a Football Championship Subdivision school already being mentioned as a possible The Man candidate, but Flacco clearly was The Guy at the center of everything yesterday as the Ravens began reporting to the Best Western Westminster Catering and Conference Center Hotel.(Pardon this brief detour in my stream of ..."

Ravens to meet with Flacco rep

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July 15

Baltimore Sun

"The Ravens will meet with the agent for first-round quarterback Joe Flacco over the next two days (Tuesday and Wednesday) as the sides try to reach a deal before training camp begins July 22.Flacco, the 18th overall pick, will compete against Troy Smith and Kyle Boller for the starting quarterback job. He will increase his chances of starting the season opener if he can avoid a holdout."

At Rookie Camp, Ravens' Flacco Continues to Learn

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June 19

Washington Post

"Joe Flacco is slowly getting used to all of the changes that come with making the jump to the NFL, particularly as a quarterback who also is a high-profile first-round pick. "It's obviously different than being in college, when you're the starting quarterback and you know everything that's going on," the Baltimore Ravens rookie said. "When you're the rookie and not familiar with running the offense, you try and go out there and act like you are.""

Advantage, Flacco

May 29

Baltimore Sun

columnist David Steele

"As for any contract problems delaying his arrival in training camp in July, nothing about the early stages of negotiations raises red flags. "They have a ton of leverage," Joe Linta, Flacco's agent, said yesterday, "and we have a ton of leverage. We both know the urgency the other side has." That's an encouraging sign that this won't be an inflammatory, antagonistic process. But all things considered, give the leverage edge to Flacco."