Flacco shows no emotion? Please.
Take a look -- and I mean a good look -- at the great photo by Ken Lam on the front page of today's Sun sports section.
See that wild-eyed guy wearing the no. 5 uniform who's thrusting his fist in the air and whooping with joy at Pittsburgh's Heinz Field?
The guy who has tight end Todd Heap and running back Ray Rice running toward him to celebrate?
Yes, that's Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, who's just thrown the game-winning touchdown pass to T.J. Houshmandzadeh in Baltimore's 17-14 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday.
The same Flacco who's been accused of being too laid back, too unemotional, not fiery enough to be a great NFL quarterback.
Lam's terrific photo puts a lie to those charges, and shows just how intense and competitive Flacco really is.
Yes, he's Joe Cool most of the time, which is what you want from a quarterback who operates in the pressurized environs of the NFL.
But let's not hear any more about the guy being some kind of bloodless animatronic signal-caller who never shows his emotions.
He showed plenty of emotion in the Ravens third win of the season, and his performance (24-of-37 passing for 256 yards and one touchdown) against a top-tier NFL defense was one of the best of his career.
Comments
What's all the stink about Joe being cool? There's nothing wrong with that.
Iv'e been watching Baltimore football for over 50 years and I distinctly remember one quarterback who was called absolutely bloodless and who had "ice water running through his veins." You might remember him...
Johnny Unitas
Posted by: Fran from Glen Burnie | October 4, 2010 11:52 AM
Agree with your assessment. Of course, he shows motion, but as you point out, he's cool and efficient when running the offense, which is exactly what you want in a QB. We had a pretty "fair" QB once by the name of Unitas who was said to have "ice water" in his veins and who always had the same non-plused expression whether he had just thrown a TD pass or....interception!
Posted by: Jerry B | October 4, 2010 12:05 PM
Flacco's fist-pump Roger Daltrey-"Won't Get Fooled Again" "YEAAHHH!!!" exclamation after the winning TD catch by Houshmandzadeh might have been bested by Roy Scheider when the shark blew up from the exploding scuba tank
in Jaws. But the adrenalin and cortisol levels appeared to be in the normal range for come-from-behind last-minute victories over the Steelers.
His voice should be fine in a few days.
Posted by: Unitasland | October 4, 2010 1:07 PM
That's just Joe. That's the same Joe we saw when he was in college. That's the same Joe we now see in the pro's. Never too high, never too low.
When he throws a garden variety TD, he goes back to the sideline and acts as though it's happened to him before (more people should try this). When he throws an interception, he goes back to the sideline to figure out what to change and doesn't just sit there and pout (again, more people should try this).
People are too used to the self aggrandizing in the NFL, where every first quarter first down tackle is celebrated like somebody just won the frickin' lottery. Flacco's teammates don't question his intensity. Ray Lewis doesn't question his intensity. Everybody not on the Raven's roster should take note of that.
Posted by: Blue Hen | October 4, 2010 1:46 PM
I grew up watching John Unitas. He was ice cold, methodical, and got the job done. Nothing wrong with that attitude.
Posted by: Jim | October 4, 2010 6:22 PM