The Baltimore Ravens slid down in round one of the 2008 draft, and then jumped back up again, as part of a strategy to draft a quarterback in just the right spot. They supposedly wanted Boston College’s Matt Ryan, but couldn’t get in front of the Falcons at No. 3.
And with Joe Flacco of Delaware not quite worthy of top-ten status, the Ravens flip-flopped with the Jags, giving up the eighth overall spot to Jacksonville.
But No. 26 was too low to snare Flacco, so the Ravens sprang back into the teens.
Now, with Flacco in the fold, the Ravens are getting him ready to play, possibly right away.
“He’s doing everything in his power to give himself a chance,”
Ravens quarterbacks coach Hue Jackson said, according to the Baltimore Sun. “And that’s the kind of guy we were looking for — a guy willing to do whatever it takes to be the best.”
Flacco realized that, in order to play, his brain will need to be prepared for the speed of the other bodies on the field. “In my mind, the speed of the game is mental,”
Flacco said. “If you let yourself believe that you are unsure about what you’re doing, then the game is fast. But if you go out there and you’re confident and have an idea of what you’re supposed to do, then the game slows down for you.”
Due to an NCAA rule that kept him away from offseason workouts until classes ended at Delaware, Flacco had to work out on his own for a while, using his brother and father to play the roles of Derrick Mason and Todd Heap. With Flacco’s father, however, the simulation was a little loose.
“Well, he’s getting a little old, so we would just kind of place him in an area,”
the younger Flacco said.
Offseason workouts are over. Until training camp begins, Flacco likely will continue to put in the time necessary to get himself ready to play right away, even if that means using his dad and brother again as targets.
