Flacco won't win starting job, but hasn't lost confidence
The odds of Joe Flacco earning the starting quarterback job to begin the regular season were slim from the day the Ravens chose him with the 18th overall pick in April's NFL draft.
Baltimore had gone that route before, having 2003 first-round pick Kyle Boller start right away, and Boller's career hasn't exactly taken off from there. This time around, General Manager Ozzie Newsome was more likely to let his "quarterback of the future" learn from the bench, and take the reigns once he was ready.
That mindset will come to fruition on Sept. 7, as head coach John Harbaugh has made it known that either Boller or Troy Smith will get the start under center when the Ravens face the Cincinnati Bengals in the opener.
Flacco hasn't performed poorly in his two preseason appearances, going a combined 10-for-18 passing for 74 yards, but he has been sacked four times. The sacks might be as much a testament to the inexperienced third-string offensive line as it is to Flacco, but the rookie QB has seemed to struggle with his timing in the pocket.
It's all part of the NFL education for the 23-year-old.
"When you're a rookie, you always have a lot to learn," Flacco said. "I think I'm coming along pretty well, and I've still got a lot to learn and a lot of experiences to go through, so time will tell."
Harbaugh says that his announcement that the quarterback competition is down to two has had nothing but a positive effect on the odd man out.
"I would say that Joe is more determined than ever. We saw it in him yesterday. He's nursing a little throwing issue here in his side, and he goes out and throws the extra 7-on-7, throws extra balls with Demetrius [Williams] after. He just goes harder. And, that's what we thought we saw when we drafted him."
Flacco he has a long way to go.