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Re: John Clayton: Joe Flacco is an elite QB
Originally posted by flippy
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Actually, my post was NOT about you...but, if the shoe fits, feel free to lace that &!+€# up and wear it. -
Re: John Clayton: Joe Flacco is an elite QB
Flacco brings unflappable nature to Ravens
By Ralph N. Paulk, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, November 4, 2011
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Quarterback Joe Flacco walked slowly into the Baltimore indoor practice facility with a look of indifference, as linebacker Terrell Suggs drew an imaginary line in the sand, then dared the rival Steelers to cross it.
Flacco resisted the urge to laugh. If he had, it would have been out of character.
The Ravens' sometimes-placid quarterback is as up and down as the stock market, a stark contrast to his steady persona.
Flacco put together perhaps his best effort in nine career games against the Steelers when the AFC North rivals met in the season opener in Baltimore. Flacco, with his emotions buried, threw for 224 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-7 rout.
He'll attract plenty of attention Sunday night when the Ravens step onto Heinz Field in a highly anticipated rematch.
Even amid the resonant thundering of cheers at M&T Bank Stadium in Week 1, Flacco wouldn't pop the cork to celebrate a victory that seemingly cemented him as the unquestioned leader of a team desperate to remove an albatross.
The Steelers have blocked Baltimore's postseason path to the Super Bowl three times since its championship season a decade ago. And when the Steelers turned back the Ravens, 31-24, in a divisional playoff game last season, Flacco was seemingly as unmoved in defeat as he is in victory.
"(Flacco) is a tough guy who is calm under pressure," Ravens offensive tackle Michael Oher said. "He talks a little more because I think he understands this is his team."
Flacco, though, defers the leadership role to his more vocal teammates, linebacker Ray Lewis and safety Ed Reed.
"It's just Joe's personality," tight end Ed Dickson said. "He's calm whether we're up big or down big. It's a good trait to have in a quarterback.
"Sometimes, you want the rah-rah guy. But those guys tend to get down on themselves when they throw an interception or fumble. It's something that will affect the rest of your teammates."
Flacco didn't flinch when the Ravens spotted the Arizona Cardinals 21 points on Sunday. He didn't throw his helmet in frustration or chastise his receivers for dropping slightly wayward throws.
Instead, for one of the few times in his four-year career, Flacco challenged his teammates in the locker room. It wasn't a long, vociferous diatribe. He simply reminded the uninspired Ravens that the Cardinals weren't their equal.
"Joe said we couldn't get it all back on one drive," Dickson recalled. "There was no panic. All of a sudden, other guys stepped up."
Flacco doesn't have a reputation for snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, but he earned plenty of respect in rallying the Ravens to a 30-27 victory.
Even for Flacco, the largest comeback in team history was worth getting excited about.
"I don't know what happened to Joe," rookie receiver Torrey Smith said. "I was in la-la land, and Joe comes running full speed, and he about knocked me over. Then he came after me again.
"It was fun to see Joe get excited. It isn't something he does often."
Flacco typically is bailed out by one of the stingiest defenses in the league. Last weekend, however, he propped up the defense with plenty of help from running back Ray Rice, who scored three times.
"If we don't recover in the second half (against Arizona), then I might be worrying about some of the guys and our confidence," said Flacco, who completed 31 of 51 passes for 336 yards said. "But the way we rallied and stuck behind each other, I think that will help us out this week."
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said earlier this week there was little doubt the Ravens would mount a second-half charge. In the past, Flacco said, only New England and Pittsburgh had a reputation of winning no matter how dire the situation.
"Now we're one of those teams," Flacco said. "We know how to win football games, and we can win the game in a lot of different ways.
"We like to get out ahead of you and be able to control the game the rest of the way. People around the league understand that we are a good football team. They're probably hoping for us to lose."
Flacco is often criticized as being an underachiever. He can counter by pointing to his results: Only Dan Marino has as many wins (36) in the first three years of an NFL career.
Flacco can further enhance his dossier by again leading the Ravens to victory over the Steelers.
[url="http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_765451.html#ixzz1cnJj5iFS"]http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... z1cnJj5iFS[/url]Comment
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Re: John Clayton: Joe Flacco is an elite QB
If 53.8% completions and the complete inability to move the ball without a stud RB makes you elite, then, yes, Flacco is right up there with the best of 'em.
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Re: John Clayton: Joe Flacco is an elite QB
Flacco is often criticized as being an underachiever. He can counter by pointing to his results: Only Dan Marino has as many wins (36) in the first three years of an NFL career.
Yup, he is exactly like Dan Marino.Comment
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Re: John Clayton: Joe Flacco is an elite QB
Flacco admits offense played 'like crap' recently
November 4, 2011
Posted by Ryan Wilson
Joe Flacco on the type of offense we'll see Sunday against the Steelers: 'A good one.'
Eight weeks ago, the Ravens beat the Steelers like they stole something. Earlier this month, Rice told CBSSports.com that that game won't mean much when the two teams get together this Sunday night because Pittsburgh has a history of getting better as the season progresses.
Turns out, Rice was right; the Steelers have played well the past month, highlighted by last week's win over the Patriots. The Ravens, meanwhile, have struggled, losing to the Jaguars on national television two weeks ago, and beating the Cardinals last Sunday but only after trailing by 21 points.
Both teams have issues -- the Ravens' passing game is a mess and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron and quarterback Joe Flacco have taken plenty of heat for it. The Steelers' have injuries to key defensive players and that could be a factor Sunday.
Flacco, who completed 58 percent of his passes the last two games with two picks and a touchdown, thinks the Ravens' offense, despite recent history, can play well against the Steelers.
“A good one,” Flacco said Wednesday when asked why type of offense we'll see Sunday. “We are going to go in there with a game plan, one that we can be successful with – things that we do well – and we are going to go execute it to the best of our ability. That’s going to be the key. We have to go in there, and we have to play the way we know how to play. We can’t go out there and make mistakes, not execute things, [and] look like crap like we have for a little bit the last couple of weeks. We have to go in there and just play the football we know how to – which was most of this season and the second half of last gam
No one would dispute the charge that the Ravens' offense has been dung-tastic at various points this season. Either way, Flacco is using the Week 1 matchup as inspiration for this one. “We have to look back at it and see what we did well, and see what we can carry over to this game plan,” he said, according to the Baltimore Sun.
In that game, Flacco had career highs in touchdowns (three) and passer rating (117.6 passer rating), wide receiver Anquan Boldin scored his third touchdown in four meetings with Pittsburgh, and running back Ray Rice ran for 107 yards, only the third 100-yard rushing performance against the Steelers in their previous 58 games.
But it was Baltimore's defense that was the difference in Week 1. They created seven (!) turnovers, gave their offense great field position, and sacked quarterback Ben Roethlisberger four times, three courtesy of Terrell Suggs who announced earlier this week that he owns Big Ben.
“God can have his soul, but his [butt] belongs to me,” said Suggs, who has 15.5 career sacks against Big Ben. “You all know the numbers. There’s nobody that does it better than me."
Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens will travel to Heinz Field to take on Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night. Who will come out on top? Jason Horowitz and NFL.com's Pat Kirwan preview this upcoming game.
Roethlisberger, when apprised of Suggs' remarks, offered this (via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette):
I've heard that quote," Big Ben said. "I've got no problem with it. It is what it is ... I know Terrell a little bit. He's actually a good guy. We joke around on the field, so I don't think he meant anything bad by it. I just think he let out a little emotion after finally beating me."
Receiver Antonio Brown, who has quietly emerged as one of the young Steelers playmakers, added this: “We really owe [the Ravens] one this time around,” he said, referring to the Week 1 loss. “You always remember that, seeing those guys celebrate like they won the Super Bowl, seeing those guys get really hyped.”
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