Baltimore Ravens QB Joe Flacco
Play-Caller First Rookie QB To Win Two Playoff Games In NFL History
Jan 13, 2009
Joe Flacco has been Joe Cool all season, shrugging off doubters that a rookie quarterback cannot lead a playoff team and now the former University of Delaware 6-foot-6 play-caller has become the first rookie QB in NFL history to win two games in the post-season - and has the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game.
New Jersey Up-Bringing
Flacco was born on January 16, 1985, in Audubon, New Jersey. At Audubon High, Flacco was a three-year starter at quarterback and threw for 5,137 career yards, including a single game South Jersey record of 471 yards. He also played baseball and basketball.
No Playing Time At Pitt
Flacco enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh in 2003 and spent his first season on the scout team. In 2004, he played in just three games, hitting just one of four passes for 11 yards while rushing six times for zero yards and recording one punt for 25 yards. Frustrated with the lack of playing time behind Tyler Palko, Flacco left the school after 2004 but was not released from his scholarship so he had to sit out the 2005 campaign.
Move To Delaware
The quarterback moved to the University of Delaware and in 2006 he started 11 games and hit on 264 of 417 passes (63.3%) for 2,783 yards, 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He ran for 54 yards on 83 carries and scored five TDs. In 2007, Flacco earned All-American honors as a senior and was the ECAC Player of the Year, setting school records with 331 completions for 4,263 yards on 521 attempts (63.5%) with 23 touchdowns and just five interceptions. His 460.6 yards per game of total offense ranked him sixth in the nation. And his 7,046 career passing yards ranks second in school history behind only Matt Nagy (8,124 yards, 1997-2000).
Nearly A National Champion
Flacco's 2007 campaign nearly ended with him winning a national champion. He led Delaware to upsets of Northern Iowa and South Illinois University to reach the I-AA National Championship game against two-time defending champions Appalachian State University. But the Blue Hens could not keep up with Appalachian State in losing 49-21.
Drafted By Baltimore At No. 18 Overall
Seen as a self-taught prospect and a work in progress who would need time to learn the intricacies of the quarterback position, the Baltimore Ravens took the big-armed quarterback with the 18th pick in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He signed a five-year contract with a max value of about 30 million dollars and 8.75 million dollars guaranteed.
Opening With Boller Injury And Smith Illness
The incumbent starting QB Kyle Boller went down with a season-ending injury and former Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith went ill, giving Flacco the nod as starting quarterback for the 2008 season opener against Cincinnati. Flacco did not throw a touchdown or interception in leading the Ravens to a 17-10 victory.
His first professional touchdown pass came in a Week 4 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers - his third game of his career. And in Week 7, he guided Baltimore to a win at the Miami Dolphins for his first road win. And he had already turned the corner. After throwing seven interceptions and just one touchdown in his first five games, he tossed just five picks while totaling 13 TDs the rest of the regular season.
Play-Off Victories
After helping Baltimore reach the play-offs, Flacco became just the third rookie QB in NFL history to win his first post-season start, knocking off the Dolphins again 27-9, joining Shaun King and Ben Roethlisberger as the other play-callers to win first play-off game. Flacco then guided the Ravens to a 13-10 win over the Tennessee Titans to reach the AFC Championship Game. The rookie completed 11 of 22 passes for 148 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions for the fourth straight game - becoming the first NFL rookie QB to win two post-season games.
