Even Joe Cool knows wins will judge him
Let the Joe Flacco era begin with a heartfelt wish. May Joe Cool last longer as the Broncos’ starting quarterback than the errors John Elway made by trusting Case Keenum, Paxton Lynch and Brock Osweiler to do a job far beyond their capabilities.
When Elway claims Flacco is in his prime at age 34, it sounds suspiciously like fake news. But Flacco has indeed won 96 regular-season NFL games and thrown 212 touchdown passes, as well as being named the most valuable player of Super Bowl XLVII, during his 11-season profes
sional career. That’s not exactly chopped liver.
After a training-camp session beneath a blazing Colorado sun, the new starting quarterback stepped into the shade of a doorway leading into the locker room to answer my question: To what does he attribute
his longevity in a brutally tough league known as the Not For Long?
“Winning,” Joe Cool replied. “It’s very simple. When you win football games, especially as the quarterback, you keep your job.”
Flacco has never thrown 30 TD passes in a season, nor has he ever topped 4,500 passing yards during any year in his prime. But with 10 victories in 15 playoff starts, Flacco owns a better postseason winning percentage than Peyton Manning (14-13) and has won at the same success rate as Elway (14-7) did when the games mattered most.
During 163 regular-season starts as an NFL quarterback, Flacco has seen some stuff, stuff rookie quarterback Drew Lock cannot possibly understand.
“The biggest advantage is you’ve seen so many things,” Flacco said. “It’s not that you’ve seen everything in this game, because NFL defenses are always changing. But the fact you’ve seen so much in game situations allows you to adapt to those changes at a quicker pace. And maybe more important, it allows you to realize: ‘Hey, at any point there is going to be something I was not expecting. But I have the tools to adapt on the fly.’ ”
Playing quarterback in the NFL is all about crisis management, whether the crisis is in the form of reacting to a safety blitz or leading a fourthquarter comeback in weather so frigid it’s difficult to feel the football in your hand. What experience has provided Flacco is the confidence to no longer be shocked by whatever unpleasant surprise the game might present him. This is what makes him Joe Cool.
Prior to his final season in Baltimore, Flacco hurt his back lifting weights. A hip injury sidelined him after nine games in 2018 This dude knows how to play quarterback. But can the Broncos, with holes to patch in their offensive line, keep Flacco in one piece throughout the entire regular season?
“As good as I feel standing here right now, I know you definitely have to pay attention to your body, because little, tiny things that never ever grew into any significant at (age) 23, 24, 25 or 26 years old, things you shoved into the background back then, can become a problem now,” Flacco said.
“Listen, I feel great physically. But I have to pay more attention to my body, because as a 16-game season goes along, it wears on you. You’re going to get your bumps and bruises, and you’re going to have to deal with that stuff. I remember when I came into the league with Baltimore, (linebacker) Ray Lewis told me: ‘I’ve got this guy who helps take care of my body. Go see him.’ As a young player, I always said: ‘I don’t need that guy.’ But now, after 11 years in the league, I see where (Lewis) was coming from.”
For better or worse, the terminology and concepts of this Denver offense are complex enough that Flacco has no real competition for his starting job. In his 12th pro season, Flacco has shown during practice sessions there’s plenty of juice left on his fastball, and he can pick apart a defense if given the clean pocket every quarterback craves.
So here are the two things I will be most interested in observing as Flacco works during the preseason.
No. 1: Can this reworked Denver offensive line consistently give a veteran QB time to do more than check down and throw to rookie tight end Noah Fant and running back Phillip Lindsay on conservative underneath routes?
No. 2: Does Flacco have enough spring in his step at age 34 to get moving and do damage downfield on the rollout/bootleg packages that seem to be favored by new offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello?
Before Flacco takes his first snap Thursday in Seattle, it’s apparent he will start every game for the Broncos this season unless his body breaks down or the team falls out of the playoff race.
Joe is Cool. But the way he plays quarterback isn’t always pretty. So the only stat that has ever really mattered to Flacco is really the only thing that will determine how long he’s the starter in Denver:
How many games can this guy win?