The Ravens Would Be Worse Off Without Joe Flacco

At this point, the Ravens should be lucky that they have Joe Flacco as their quarterback

As long as Joe Flacco is in the league, the debate about him will never stop. Elite or not elite? That is the question.

The Baltimore Ravens quarterback will be entering his 10th year in 2017 and has high expectations ahead. He did not play his best last season, leading the Ravens to a mediocre 8-8 record. After signing a mega contract in 2013, he has not lived up to the money.

While many fans want him out and have seen enough, I am going to pull an Aaron Rodgers and tell them to “R-E-L-A-X.” The Ravens will be fine with Joe Flacco as their quarterback next season.

Providing Stability

Yes he may not put up the most glamorous stats, but that is not the kind of quarterback that Joe Flacco is. Even with the perfect offensive coordinator and scheme he is not going to go out and throw 40 touchdowns. But what Joe Flacco has done for the Ravens is provide stability for the quarterback position.

The franchise has never had this kind of longevity in the position before. In 8 out of his 9 seasons, Flacco has started all 16 games. The only exception came in 2015, when he suffered a torn ACL. Even after the injury, he was ready for the start of the next season. The 122 consecutive games started is good enough to put him at 5th all time for quarterbacks. Say what you want about him, but that is an impressive statistic.

Quality starting quarterbacks in the league are a rarity. Just look at the Cleveland Browns, who have had 26 different starters since 1999.

Could Be Worse Off

While Flacco does get his criticism, the Ravens could be much worse off.

Teams are willing to throw out money for quarterbacks who have not accomplished anything.

For example, let’s take a look at the Houston Texan’s quarterback, Brock Osweiler. After watching the Texans play the Patriots, it does not take a NFL analyst to see that Osweiler is not a good quarterback. He could not bit the broad side of a barn, but still earned a 4 year $72 million contract from the Texans. Quarterbacks like Jay Cutler, Tony Romo, and Ryan Tannehill have also received big paydays. But what have they accomplished?

At least Flacco got the payday after he won a Super Bowl. Do I think he should have gotten paid that much? Absolutely not, but at least he had some kind of proof to his worth. During the Super Bowl run he threw for 11 touchdowns and 0 interceptions during the playoff run. The only other quarterback to ever do that was Joe Montana.

Next: NFL Draft: Cam Robinson Can Upgrade Raven’s O-Line

If Joe is not the option for next season, then who would the Ravens get? The draft does not seem to have any game changers that would fall to the team’ pick and the free agent market is horrible. Other than Kirk Cousins,  who isn’t going anywhere, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Case Keenum, Matt Schaub, and Shaun Hill headline the group. Tell me any of those guys are better options and I’ll call you crazy.