I remember the first time I saw Joe Flacco live. It was July of 2008, and the Ravens had just begun training camp at McDaniel College. Joe stood with fellow quarterbacks Kyle Boller and Troy Smith, all adorned in their protective red jerseys, slinging balls all over the yard. And while there were three QBs ripping throws, my eyes were focused on just one – the first round pick out of the University of Delaware. Joe became one of ours. Upon his shoulders rested the collective hopes of Charm City.
The velocity of his passes was markedly different. I say this not to undermine the arm talents of Boller or Smith, but more to accentuate those of Flacco. The ball came out of his hand differently. The spin rate was greater. The spirals were wound tighter. The throwing motion, smooth and natural without wasted motion. His “swing” if you will, was football’s answer to PGA great Freddie Couples.
Friends asked for my opinion of the new franchise quarterback. My reviews were glowing. His potential was vast and despite his towering 6’6” frame, he could tuck it and go with speed I didn’t expect. I couldn’t wait for my friends to see for themselves. You already know the rest of the story.
Full disclosure, I became a bit frustrated with Flacco during the years following his Super Bowl MVP achievement. He had all the tools to be great, but from my vantage point he lacked the work ethic and commitment to his craft. And that denied him of greatness.
Now I get that in retrospect, there are Ravens faithful who view Flacco through a lens that is heavily tinted in rose. Many forget the blemishes and shortcomings because in their minds, Joe could win in the playoffs. And while that’s true, he’s had some unsavory playoff performances. You member that deer-in-headlights look, right? It’s not unlike that which you see today from the Ravens head coach.
Joe was good, not great. He was never even voted in or named to a Pro Bowl roster, and we all know that they used to give away those trips to Honolulu like our friends at LifeMed happily hand out t-shirts. But time has a way of altering our perspective and authoring revisionist history.
Since Joe was traded to Denver back in 2019, we’ve observed his struggles, bouncing around from the Broncos to the Jets to the Eagles, back to the Jets and then the Browns, Colts, a second tour with the Browns and now the Bengals.
But there’s something different about the newest version of Joe Flacco. He’s playing the game with a joy we haven’t seen. He’s playing for the love of the game, and I can’t help but wonder what he might have achieved had he done the same during his prime years in Baltimore.
The nostalgia aside, it was easy for Ravens fans to get caught up in the success Joe enjoyed on Thursday night in Cincinnati while taking on a familiar foe, the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was Flacco’s 12th career victory over Mike Tomlin and the Towel-a-ban. The only team that Joe has beaten more is the Cleveland Browns who ironically kicked Flacco to the curb for the second time in two seasons. Joe holds an 18-3 mark against the Browns.
This morning in Cleveland after Joe Flacco’s performance last night:
(via @ESPNCleveland)pic.twitter.com/NxunCIfpks
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 17, 2025
Thursday was special. It was easy to get caught up in Joe’s joy. On one autumn night in October, we remembered what if felt like to root for Joe, to pull for him as if he was still a Raven taking on Baltimore’s most bitter rival. For three hours we lived vicariously through Flacco’s heroics, maybe even took a trip down memory lane through his Fu Manchu, his elite-ness and Super Bowl MVP.
It was as if he was one of our own again.
Come to think of it, he always will be.
Still cannot believe I watched Joe Flacco run the read option in year 18 in a big moment. pic.twitter.com/6KyuLB2QgC
— Zach Bollinger (@zachbollinger18) October 17, 2025
mike tomlin looking at the browns right now pic.twitter.com/YHD3hiPgMh
— Annie Agar (@AnnieAgar) October 17, 2025
Just like old times pic.twitter.com/t8TMyNu4kN
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 17, 2025
Joe Flacco with the Bengals:
– 550+ Pass Yards
– 5+ Pass TD
– 0 Interceptions
– 60+ Completions
– 65.0+ Comp%No other player in NFL HISTORY has reached those marks through 2 starts with a single team. pic.twitter.com/Yg7LiFR4gn
— Greg Harvey (@BetweenTheNums) October 17, 2025
Thursday night marked Joe Flacco’s 12th career win over the Steelers, including playoffs.
It’s the most wins by a starting QB vs. Pittsburgh since 2008, when Flacco entered the NFL. No other QB has more than 7 wins vs. Pittsburgh over this span.
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) October 17, 2025
Bengals fans chanting “Thank You Cleveland” after Joe Flacco beats the Steelers pic.twitter.com/DiUEbxSNXw
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) October 17, 2025
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) October 17, 2025
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