Despite saying that he wouldn’t take the bait, Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, just added some new-found pressure to his franchise quarterback.
Asked if Joe Flacco has grown from a game manager to an elite player, “Harbaugh referred to his quarterback as a superstar.”
“I’m not going to swallow that hook,” he said, via the team’s official website. “Joe Flacco has been a great quarterback from the day he got here, OK? You want to look back and say, ‘This has been the most talented offense in the National Football League for the last seven years, and they’ve carried Joe Flacco?’ You can say that if you want, but it’s ridiculous.
“Joe Flacco is a great player. He’s only going to get better. I think he’s hitting his stride, hitting the peak of his career, and I wouldn’t want any other quarterback in the National Football League – period. End of story. So, just write that and be done with it, because that’s the last I really want to hear about it.
“This guy is a superstar in the National Football League, and I’m thrilled to have him, and I can’t wait to see what he does this year with all that young talent around him. I love the young talent around him. I’m thrilled with what we have, and I just want to coach them. I just want to coach them with our guys and get out there and get after it and see where we can go with it.”
What else was Harbaugh supposed to say?
It’s clear that the Ravens have immense faith in Flacco, but his $100 million contract will always place elite expectations on him.