Joe Flacco’s Profile at Pro-Football-Reference

10 in 15:  Jersey Joe registered the 4th best rookie QB fantasy performance over the last 15 seasons.

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Poise and Potential

Joe Flacco is a Jersey Boy with a promising career ahead of him.  He's the "bridge and tunnel" version of Vincent Chase.  He's Vinny after "Head On", but before "Queen's Boulevard".  He does not pull near the amount of trim that his fellow east-coast cohort does, as his talents are limited to the "playing" field only.  Joe's potential was obvious in week four of '08 as the rookie went up against the #1 defense in the league on Monday Night Football at Heinz Field.  He didn't do anything too dramatic, besides maybe making ageless Spartan 35-year old Derrick Mason look like a fantasy juggernaut (eight catches for 137 yards).  Even though the Ravens didn't win the game, he played a solid four quarters throwing for 192 yards, one TD, no INTs, and looked like he had been in the league for years.  He had arrived, or at least that's what Tony Kornholeizer told us.  He played shoulder to shoulder with Ben Roethlisberger, and in many ways, is cut from the same cloth as the Iron City's signal caller.  Both of them are tall at 6'5"+, played in small college programs, and both have that look in their eyes like they may not be at the top of the Wonderlic scoreboard.

Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron has done a great job of developing QBs since becoming a coordinator in the NFL (Brees and Rivers in San Diego).  He made sure to keep Flacco's attempts low (428 Atts ranked 31^st) in '08.  Joe managed a 60% completion rate (18^th overall), and scored 16 total TDs (14 pass and two rush) on 12 INTs.

The thing that has been the biggest surprise is Flacco's ability to run.  In his first game as a pro, he ran the longest TD by a QB in Ravens history; a game-winning 38-yard TD against the Bengals.

Solid cat, drives a 1990 Volvo

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. Even so, he reportedly came to training camp driving his grandmother's 1990 Volvo.

2009 Fantasy Outlook

Flacco will remain a fantasy backup QB in '09.  The Ravens were rumored to have been interested in TO, but nothing ever materialized.  It's really too bad, because Flacco's cannon of an arm is a waste with the Ravens current stable of WRs.  Our guess was that Ray Lewis may have had something to say about that transaction...

In a pre-draft all-star challenge last year, Flacco beat out Matt Ryan, Colt Brennan, Chad Henne, and John David Booty in a longest throw contest with a 74-yard throw.  After grabbing Joe, it was a real shock to watch the Ravens completely ignore the WR position in the draft, as they chose to further bulk up their defensive and offensive lines.  The strategy has worked well for the franchise, so we can't knock it too hard, but from a fantasy perspective, there is nothing exciting coming from the city that plays host to the best show on cable TV:

If they ever decide to get Joe some stud receivers, he could be a fantasy starter.  Until then, he's an average fantasy backup in 2009.