Joe Flacco Has A Chance To Build A Hall Of Fame Career

Joe Flacco may not be a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame now, but he still is building onto his resume…

There is a quarterback who has won more road games than anybody in the history of the NFL. There is a quarterback who has been a Super Bowl MVP and tied a Joe Montana and Kurt Warner playoff record (11 TD 0 INT). There is a quarterback who won at least one playoff game in each of his first five seasons. This quarterback has out dueled the likes of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger in the playoffs. His name is Joe Flacco and the resume is pretty impressive.

While Flacco may not be a lock to make the Hall of Fame right now, you can at least debate his merit. Right now, the Ravens, first and only franchise quarterback is in the conversation. In the coming years, Flacco will try to build an argument for enshrinement in Football’s most hallowed place. What does Flacco have to do to get there.

Flacco needs to prove that 2012 was no fluke. He has to win another Super Bowl. At a minimum, that has to be on his docket, if he wants a bust in Canton. It would not hurt to put up some bigger statistical seasons. Hurting Flacco’s argument is regular season stats that don’t scream, that magical word: elite.

But that’s not Flacco’s argument. The argument for this era’s “Joe Cool” is that he is one of the best playoff quarterbacks of all time. He’s done things in the playoffs that nobody else has done. In the beginning you could make the case that his team carried him. But on the biggest stage, at the biggest moments, Flacco has shined.

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Even in his rookie year, Flacco played huge role in the playoff success. Against the Titans he was stifled for much of the game. It was a defensive standoff that would be determined by one or two big plays. Flacco made those big plays. First he found Derrick Mason down the sideline for a key touchdown. Secondly he found Todd Heap over the middle of the field, to set up the game winning field goal. Early and often Flacco has been clutch.

The throw against Denver…oh…my…goodness. It might have been the greatest throw in the history of the National Football League. It was 70 yard rainbow that landed in the hands of Jacoby Jones like a pot of gold; the impossible becoming possible as the greatest underdog story in recent memory prevailed.

Nov 24, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) prior to kickoff of a game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

In 15 playoff games, Flacco has 3,223 yards, 25 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions. Six of those 10 interceptions were in the first two years of his career. Since 2011 he has thrown 21 touchdowns and three interceptions in postseason play. In his magical 2012 run, Flacco had a passer rating of 117.2. In two playoff games in 2014, he had a passer rating of 100.7.

You know those bumper stickers that say “My Dog is Smarter Than Your Honor Student?” The Ravens could have a bumper sticker that says “Playoff Joe is better than your Pro Bowl QB.” Everyone focuses on the numbers in the regular season, but the playoffs are what matters. If Flacco consistently gets his team to the playoffs, and out duels future Hall of Fame field generals, do regular season stats even matter?

My argument is not that Flacco has done enough to get in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. My argument is that Flacco is well on his way to building that type of career. Flacco is quiet and awkward. His temperament is mild to the point where people confuse it with a lack of emotion. His own father called him dull. Flacco may never win a popularity contest (outside of Baltimore) but he is a force to be reckoned with.

If you handed 100 people a list of Flacco’s accomplishments without telling you whose accomplishments they were, they’d have to be impressed. Now if you ask these 100 people if this person deserved consideration for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, I bet you’d get some people saying yes. Without any bias or knowledge of who the player was, the majority would say that it’s at least debatable.

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That’s the take home message. Flacco is on the doorsteps of all-time glory. He has done things that nobody else has. You cannot separate him from the Ravens success; as a quarterback playoff wins surely count. Flacco has a chance to add to those wins. He has a chance to add to his gaudy playoff stats as well. When it is all said and done, Flacco may be Canton material.

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