Flacco's moment of decision turned the Ravens' fate
It would not be inaccurate to say the Ravens' history of quarterbacking misfortune turned decisively one day two years ago when Joe Flacco strode into K.C. Keeler's office and said he wanted to play baseball.
This is relevant because Flacco at the time was a junior quarterback at the University of Delaware, playing for Keeler, the coach, and spring practice was imminent. He was not quitting the football team, just investing himself in another sport.
Keeler didn't think twice.
"Do you realize you're going to be a draft choice in football?" he said to Flacco.
According to Keeler, Flacco said he didn't.
Just to make sure he didn't lose his quarterback to baseball, Keeler told his offensive coordinator to call Flacco's father and tell him that Joe would not be playing baseball. End of discussion.
Flacco went to spring football practice, where he wowed a number of NFL scouts with his arm, and then took the Blue Hens to the Division I-AA championship game. By late April, he was the Ravens' first-round draft pick and, well, you know the rest of the story.
It's a story that bears repeating because the Orioles just drafted Flacco's 22-year-old brother Mike, a power-hitting third baseman who slugged 14 homers and drove in 51 runs in 46 games at CCBC-Catonsville.
Who knows what might have happened had Joe gone over to baseball?
"He could have been a possible draft choice in baseball," Keeler said Tuesday after visiting Flacco at the Ravens' complex in Owings Mills. "But I knew he'd be a draft choice in football. Spring practice was going to be too important for us as a team, and the scouts were all going to come then, so it just didn't make any sense to do it at that time."
It was a decision that keeps paying dividends, both for the Ravens and for Keeler, who enjoyed the best recruiting season of his eight at Delaware. Even though Delaware won a national championship in 2003, Keeler believes the program has gotten a bigger jolt from Flacco's success than from their national titles.
"The national championships are impressive," Keeler said. "But all the notoriety Joe brought our program in such a positive way, the way he handles himself, the fact he was a first-round pick ... all those things made a major impact on our recruiting."
What really registers with recruits is the fact Flacco landed at Delaware after an unhappy two years at Pittsburgh. Delaware may not have been the upper echelon of college football, but it was the right place for Flacco to build his foundation.
"Joe just needed the opportunity," Keeler said. "He's not a first-round draft choice if he doesn't play. So bigger's not better, better is better. We use Joe's story in our recruiting. Joe had to go someplace to play, he came to our place and he found out that better was better."
And everybody won.
in Ravens, Today's Special
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Comments
Flacco's getting out of Pitt to go to Delaware shows his intelligence. Why would a quarterback want his progress retarded by playing under the tutelage of Tweedle-Dee (Dave Wannstedt) and Tweedle-Dum (Matt Cavanaugh)?
Raven fans should all know what Matt Cavanaugh does to quarterbacks. Getting away from the worst head coach/offensive coordinator in the pros or college was a very smart thing to do for young Flacco.
Posted by: Harlan | June 17, 2009 8:09 AM
thats not the whole story of flaccos
baseball it was only a quark of fate
he didn't play baseball instead of
football. i am the only person alive
who knows the entire story.
Posted by: john manders | June 17, 2009 8:38 AM
john - do you mean besides flacco himself? Do you know something he doesn't?
Posted by: q | June 17, 2009 11:21 AM
So Mr. Manders (or is that e.e. cummings?),
Are you going to enlighten us with your Deep Throat-esque insider knowledge of the Flacco's as a latter day Kennedy family?
And what flavor is this quark?\
"x" is for the spot that only "john" can see is marked.
Posted by: Big Daddy (not Lipscomb) | June 17, 2009 12:11 PM
"But just to make sure he didn't losing his quarterback to baseball,..." Wow. No wonder newspapers are going defunct. Such great writing. Such great editing.
Posted by: Traveler | June 17, 2009 12:40 PM
Go Hens!
Posted by: Bayne | June 17, 2009 1:19 PM
As a coach at both the high school and collegiate level (though not of football or baseball), I think this story sends the wrong message to young athletes. 2 reasons:
1. A coach is totally wrong to forbid a player to follow his desire to participate in another sport - period. I don't care what level you are at or what the future prospects are. People improve at sports when they ENJOY playing, not when someone else forces them into it. There is ample evidence that the majority of the time this kind of heavy-handedness does not work out as well as it seems to have here at this point. Many coaches wrongfully use an athletes desire to play at the next level as leverage to get him/her to play club ball or attend offseason workouts. These coaches probably think they are still players. Whose career is it anyway? Let a 20 year old kid find his own way - if its meant to be, it will be. Keeler is not a hero in this story.
2. Often the best thing for an athlete is to experience real game competition, whether it is in his/her "first sport" or not. It helps to build mental toughness, which is entirely under-rated, IMHO. Spring ball certainly has competitive aspects, but its nothing like a real game that really counts. I always encourage my athletes to play other sports in the offseason, especially at the HS level. Too much of one too often leads to burnout.
On an entirely different note, compare the earnings potential of an NFL to a MLB player. If he could have been either, Keeler did Flacco's wallet a major disservice.
Posted by: Tim | June 17, 2009 1:49 PM
John Manders is FOS
Posted by: Anonymous | June 17, 2009 1:51 PM
who cares that there may be more to the "baseball" connection? Joe's a raven, now ,and his brother will be the orioles next third baseman.
i'll settle for it!
Posted by: mike bohle | June 17, 2009 4:54 PM
Good story .. let's hope Joe builds on last year's very impressive year .. and let's hope enjoys a similar rookie season with he O's in a few years. Wouldn't that be one for the books??
Posted by: GregA | June 17, 2009 10:57 PM