Joe Flacco
 Flacco signing autographs at 2008 training camp | |||||||
| Baltimore Ravens | |||||||
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| Career information | |||||||
| College: | Delaware | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 2008 / Round: 1 / Pick: 18 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2008 | |||||||
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Joseph Vincent Flacco (born January 16, 1985) is an American football quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens 18th overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at The University of Delaware.
College career
Pittsburgh
Flacco redshirted for a team that went 8–4 in 2003.
In 2004, Flacco was the second-string back-up quarterback finding limited playing time behind starter Tyler Palko. He saw action in three games against Ohio University, University of Nebraska, and the University of South Florida. He finished the season with a completion for 11 yards.
Delaware
After the 2004 season Flacco transferred to the University of Delaware. Flacco was unable to get a release from his scholarship at Pitt, so he was ineligible for action or a scholarship in the 2005 season with Delaware.
Flacco saw his first full time action during the 2006 season. Flacco put up good numbers for the Fighting Blue Hens with nearly 3,000 yards, and 18 touchdowns as opposed to 10 interceptions. However, due to injury of starting running back Omar Cuff, Delaware struggled to a 5-6 record, missing the playoffs.
The 2007 season proved to be his most successful. Flacco led his team to an 8-3 regular season record while compiling over 3,300 yards, 18 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions. He was considered one of college footballs most accurate passers in 2007. Arguably his best game came against Division 1-A Navy where he threw for 434 yards and four touchdowns. Flacco showed another solid performance in the first-ever meeting against the Delaware State University Hornets in the first round of the playoffs. Behind Cuff's record-setting day, Flacco threw efficiently for 189 yards and a touchdown, leading the Blue Hens to an easy 44-7 victory. Flacco continued UD's playoff run by upsetting the Northern Iowa Panthers 39-27 in the FCS quarterfinals and upsetting the Southern Illinois Salukis 20-17 the next weekend in the semifinals. Flacco threw for over 200 yards and 2 touchdowns against both the Panthers and Salukis,[1] but went on to lose in the championship game to the Appalachian State University Mountaineers 49-21.
Professional career
Pre-draft
With a solid showing at the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine, Flacco solidified himself as a top 5 QB in the 2008 NFL Draft. Most experts agreed that he would be off the board before the end of the second round.[2]
Flacco won the long distance throw competition in ESPN's State Farm College Football All-Star Challenge with a 74 yard throw. He beat out Matt Ryan, Colt Brennan, Chad Henne, and John David Booty, then won the Taco Bell QB Scramble with a time of 15.74 seconds.[citation needed] He scored a 27 on the Wonderlic exam.[3]
Baltimore Ravens
Flacco was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens 18th overall in the 2008 NFL Draft, becoming the highest drafted player ever from the University of Delaware. On July 16, he signed a five-year contract with a maximum value of around $30 million and $8.75 million guaranteed.
Due to a season-ending injury to incumbent starter Kyle Boller and an illness to former Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith, Flacco became the starting quarterback in the 2008 season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. Flacco 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 did complete a 38-yard rushing touchdown[4], which was the longest rushing touchdown by a quarterback in Ravens' franchise history.[5] Flacco's touchdown put the Ravens up 17-3 and eventually won the game 17-10.[5]
With a 28 - 10 week 3 win over the Cleveland Browns (the week 2 game with the Texans was postponed due to Hurricane Ike), Flacco became just the third rookie quarterback to start 2-0 since 1970, joining John Elway and Ryan Leaf.[6]
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 TE Daniel Wilcox.
In a week 7 victory over the Miami Dolphins, Flacco earned his first career road victory. In doing so, he had his best career performance to date throwing for over 230 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. Through week 7, Joe also maintained a completion percentage of 64.2, this is 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 "Wildbird." Many analysts viewed this and the last game as the potential launching point into a career of success. 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.
Joe Flacco has already been 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, in his short NFL Career
In a week 13 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, he threw for a personal best 280 yards and 2 TD's, for the Ravens 6th win in their previous seven games. In that 7 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, 1 TD, 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 since Ben Roethlisberger.
In week 17 Joe Flacco had a new personal best 297 yards he was 17 of 23 for a QB rating of 115.8 as the Baltimore Ravens routed the Jacksonville Jaguars 27 to 7
Endorsements
Flacco signed a three-year contract with Reebok as a rookie in 2008.[7]
References
- ^ ESPN - Joe Flacco Stats, News, Photos - Delaware Fightin Blue Hens - NCAA College Football
- ^ ESPN - Flacco continues to improve; North return men are impressive - NFL
- ^ NFL teams weigh Wonderlic tests
- ^ http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/football/bal-sp.ravens08sep08002019,0,2365173.story
- ^ a b Flacco Answers the Call - BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved on September 8, 2008.
- ^ http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/ravens/home.htm
- ^ "Nike, Reebok Get Busy Signing NFL Draft rookies to Endorsement Deals". Retrieved 2008-04-29.
External links
