The Denver Broncos will have their third starting quarterback in as many seasons this fall when Joe Flacco gets the call. The team will officially trade for the Baltimore Ravens quarterback when the 2019 league year starts on March 13.
Feelings among the Denver fan base have been mixed in relation to the pending trade, but it’s a good move for several reasons.
Fans know that Flacco is a former first-round pick and has spent his entire career in Baltimore, for whom he was Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XLVII. But what about some things fans may not know about Flacco?
Here are five more:
1. He transferred from Pittsburgh in college
Born in Audubon, New Jersey, Flacco went to Pittsburgh on scholarship in 2003 and redshirted his freshman season. He wasn’t a highly recruited player and was a backup to a guy named Tyler Palko for the Panthers.
After being used sparingly as a junior, he transferred to Delaware, an FCS school. There, he became arguably the best player in school history, taking the team to the FCS championship game in 2007.
He set 20 school records for the Blue Hens.
Career NFL stats:
Flacco: 38,245 yards passing, 212 touchdowns
Palko: 831 yards passing, 2 touchdowns
2. He was first FCS QB drafted in the first round since 1995
Many analysts felt the Ravens reached for Flacco with the No. 18 overall pick of the 2008 NFL draft. Matt Ryan was the only quarterback chosen ahead of him that year.
But Flacco also made a little history by being the first FCS quarterback drafted in the first round in 13 years. Steve McNair, who played at Alcorn State, was the previous one.
Coincidentally, McNair was one of the Ravens’ starting quarterbacks the year before they chose Flacco.
3. He showed off his arm in a skills competition before the draft
Prior to the 2008 draft, ESPN aired the College Football All-Star Challenge, which featured college players competing in several contests.
In the long-distance throw competition, Flacco’s 74-yard toss was tops. He beat out Ryan, Chad Henne, Colt Brennan and John David Booty with the throw.
4. He was the Pepsi 2008 NFL Rookie of the Year
Flacco had a tremendous rookie season, even if he had to play before the Ravens were ready for him to.
Going into the 2008 season, Flacco was No. 3 on the depth chart behind Kyle Boller and Troy Smith. Boller suffered a season-ending injury, and Smith wasn’t ready to start in the season opener because he was he was sick.
Flacco got the ball and never gave it back.
He completed 60 percent of his throws for 2,971 yards and 14 touchdowns that season. He also had a 38-yard rushing touchdown in the season opener, the longest touchdown run by a quarterback in franchise history.
He became just the third quarterback in NFL history to win his first playoff start and he was the first to ever accomplish that on the road. He led the Ravens all the way to the AFC championship game that season.
These efforts allowed him to become the Pepsi Rookie of the Year.
5. He had one of the best postseasons for a QB in history
The Ravens had a solid team in 2012, but they shouldn’t have won the Super Bowl. Even though Ray Lewis motivated his team by announcing his retirement before the playoffs started, Flacco was the reason the team pulled it off.
Starting with a ridiculous Hail Mary throw to Jacoby Jones that went over the head of Rahim Moore, the Ravens upset the Broncos in Denver. The Ravens then went to Foxborough and beat the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game before winning it all.
But Flacco’s stats from that postseason must be seen to be believed: 73-of-126 passing, 1,140 yards, 11 touchdowns, zero interceptions and a 117.2 passer rating in four games.
Not bad.
