Joe Flacco played 11 seasons for the Baltimore Ravens, earning a Super Bowl MVP honor after the 2012 season. Once he retires from the NFL, his place in the team’s Ring of Honor is all but assured.
But he is now with the Indianapolis Colts, his sixth different team since leaving Charm City. With Colts QB1 Anthony Richardson out with a hip injury, Flacco has filled in admirably.
Flacco has completed 71-of-108 passes (65.7%) for 716 yards and seven touchdowns with one interception across four games.
While Flacco has put up some stellar numbers, what he does beyond the box score has impressed Colts running back Jonathan Taylor.
“Joe brings something that you can’t just go and get anywhere,” Taylor said in an exclusive with RG.org. “You can’t just draft that and trade for it. Someone who’s played winning football for a long time and it comes with experience. There’s not much defenses can throw at him that he hasn’t already seen.”
The 25-year-old former Badger back wasn’t done praising his elder statesmen (Flacco turns 40 in January) backfield mate.
“He’s very calm, cool, and poised in the huddle — no matter what the situation is,” Taylor continued.
“It’s actually pretty cool to see how he operates and see how he works. He’s super knowledgeable and focused, which is amazing to see. I love watching him because it’s amazing he’s still going.”
It is amazing that he’s still going, and it’s likely those top-notch intangibles that have kept him in the game this long. Flacco saved the Cleveland Browns season last year, a feat that (although it won’t exactly win over hearts and minds in Baltimore) earned him the 2023 NFL Comeback Player of the Year award.
Flacco also appeared on this week’s edition of the Monday Night Football “Manningcast” program with Peyton and Eli Manning. During his appearance on the show, which covered the Baltimore Ravens’ 41-31 win at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he made it clear that he won’t be rooting for the team with which he is most synonymous.
“I literally wish all the other 31 teams could lose somehow,” as quoted in the Indy Star. “I don’t root for another quarterback. I don’t root for another team.”
While that includes Baltimore, and it may not be what Ravens fans want to hear, it’s the right thing to say. It’s the words of a seasoned veteran who knows how to convey leadership in the locker room and the media.