Ravens rookie quarterback Joe Flacco joined elite company when he started his NFL career with two wins.
Flacco became just the third first-year signal caller since 1970 to go 2-0, joining Hall of Famer John Elway and first-round bust Ryan Leaf.
It’s still too early to determine which way Flacco’s career will go, but the 18th pick in this year’s NFL Draft proved the past three weeks he has a lot to learn.
Flacco’s season-high three interceptions during a 31-3 loss to the Colts on Sunday give him seven against just one touchdown pass —the worst ratio in the league. He has completed 90-of-144 passes for 844 yards and a 60.6 rating that is third-worst in the NFL.
Still, Harbaugh confirmed his confidence in Flacco, who’ll start when the Ravens (2-3) try to end their three-game losing streak when they travel to Miami for Sunday’s game against the Dolphins (2-3).
“We believe he’s our starter,” Harbaugh said. “Joe’s our guy. I’m never a guy who’s going to sit up here and say never, ever. But I don’t envision a day where Joe’s not going to be our starter this year, save an injury.”
Ravens coaches and personnel are confident Flacco has all the tools to succeed. But history has shown that the best quarterbacks don’t always get chosen among the first picks of the draft.
Entering the week, 13 teams are expected to start a quarterback who was a former first round draft pick and six of those teams — the Giants, Packers, Bills, Steelers, Titans and Broncos — are atop their respective divisions. But there also are six teams starting quarterbacks taken in the sixth or seventh round and five who were undrafted, including Arizona’s Kurt Warner and Carolina’s Jake Delhomme, who have guided their team the Super Bowl.
Warner, who was signed — and released — by the Green Bay as an undrafted free agent in 1994, said players in his situation succeed because they have to work harder to get an opportunity. Warner, 37, beat out 2006 first-round pick Matt Leinart to start this season. Warner has thrown for 1,708 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions for the Cardinals (4-2), who are in first place in the NFC West.
“I think there’s always some satisfaction with the way that I’ve had to do it and the situations I’ve been in,” said Warner, who won Super Bowl XXXIV with the St. Louis Rams in 2000. “People have tried to take it from me a number of times, tried not to give me the opportunity or tried everything to give it to somebody else. I think there’s always a little gratification in going out and being able to win a job.”
Eric DeCosta, the Ravens’ director of college scouting, said evaluating and developing quarterbacks is one of the most difficult tasks teams face.
“There are so many variables involved when drafting a quarterback,” he said. “A player may have the talent, but if he is placed in a bad situation with a bad team, it can ruin their career.”
DeCosta pointed to former first-round picks David Carr with the Houston Texans in 2002 and Akili Smith with the Cincinnati Bengals in 1999 as prime examples of players thrown into action too soon with horrible offensive lines. Carr is now a backup with the New York Giants and Smith is out of the NFL.
But the Ravens believe they have placed Flacco, who they signed to a deal worth $30 million, in a situation to succeed. They have adjusted the offense by utilizing running backs and tight ends to provide him with additional protection.
“During the week in practice, you try to learn as much as you can and try to study the film just so that you can learn as much as you think you can,” Flacco said. “You go out there on Sunday, and you play. You do what you know how to do. You come back on Monday and see what you can learn from it.”
