It was draft day. John Harbaugh found himself in a tough position, as did everybody else in the room that day. As head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, Harbaugh held the fate of his team in his hands.
He and his scouting department had been debating who to select with the 8th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft for months. Harbaugh drove to Radio City Music Hall that day with peace of mind because he knew that he would draft Joe Flacco; the strong quarterback out of Delaware.
As the draft got closer and closer to their 8th pick, Harbaugh was delighted to see that Flacco wasn't even being debated as an option among other teams.
When the Atlanta Falcons choose quarterback Matt Ryan with the 3rd overall pick, however, that inner peace turned to turmoil. What was wrong with Flacco?
The decision to draft Flacco was not an easy one to make. Some draft projectors had this young quarterback going in the third or fourth round. To pick up Flacco any earlier would be considered by them as a rookie mistake.
Harbaugh was not without pressure this late April day. He was in his first year of coaching a professional franchise, coming off a decade of assistant coaching with the Philadelphia Eagles. The first nine years were spent in the unglamorous job of special teams coach. Harbaugh was dreaming big, though, and wanted to become a head coach.
Special teams coordinators are rarely hired as head coaches. In order to make Harbaugh's dream a possibility, head coach Andy Reid switched him to defensive backs. Sure enough, after just one year he was selected as the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens.
There were big boots left behind by former coach Brian Billick. Harbaugh's precedor was a football mastermind, and high expectations were thrust on his shoulders as soon as his plane touched down in Baltimore.
Now, just months after his hiring, Harbaugh faced a decision that would shape his team's future for years to come. Drafting a quarterback in the first round is never an easy choice to make, but in Harbaugh's position it was even tougher. The only quarterbacks on the Baltimore roster were Troy Smith and Kyle Boller, and if what certain scouts were saying about Flacco were true, he could easily wrestle his way to the starting position in training camp.
Flacco's coach at Delaware was determined to get his quarterback drafted as high as possible. In an interview with a Baltimore newspaper, K.C. Keeler said, "I asked a number of different scouts who has a better arm in the NFL (than Flacco) and they couldn't give me a name."
To those who thought Flacco would be a third- or fourth-round pick Keeler said, "Put Joe next to the other quarterbacks in the country, and he'll blow by them."
Flacco had won the long distance throw competition in ESPN's State Farm College Football All-Star Challenge, as well as the Taco Bell QB scramble. But it wasn't just his physical attributes that attracted him to Harbaugh.
Delaware runs an NFL-style offense, and any starting quarterback needs experience in that type of system before they can be thrown on the field and expected to perform well. On top of that, Delaware coach Keeler had been grooming Flacco for the NFL for years. They both felt he was ready.
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about 1 month ago
As a Ravens fan, I am delighted to have this guy. His stats aren't especially great (approx. 2000 yards, 10 TD, 9 INT). This is whne stats lie. Stats don't tell he has led the team to 7-4, something McNair, Boller and Smith couldnt do in 2007.
from about 1 month ago
As a Vikings fan, I am jealous of Flacco. Frerotte is putting up mediocre numbers, and leading his team to mediocre success. That is when numbers don't lie.
Thanks for the comment!
from about 1 month ago
Yeah I'm just incredibly ecstatic we have him locked up for 5 years.
about 1 month ago
I'm going to skin you alive for this article. Only Harbaugh knows what was going on in his mind when he was making that selection. Unless you have talked to him or have some inside information, I have to...oh wait...you covered that.
In that case...good article. I liked it.
from about 1 month ago
Haha, thanks Joe. I wrote that to protect me from guys like you. ;)
about 1 month ago
Nice article Andrew, but you failed to get into the single biggest part of the decision process here.
Ozzie Newsome. You really think Harbaugh created that trade? Maybe it was one of the more successful and savvy GM's in the NFL? Maybe?
And the running game, and finding a way to improve that offensive line, and keeping that defense as strong as ever. A little too much for Harbaugh(he deserves a lot of credit for the team's success mind you) for the Flacco pick, though. Flacco isn't THE reason the team is winning now.
To give him no credit in the selection of Joe Flacco is a crime IMO. More over, his number indicate that maybe, just maybe, there are other more significant reasons that the team is winning this year. What he has done is show his teammates that he won't cost them a game from a "bonehead" play. He will, and does make mistakes, but his awareness of the game itself is what makes the difference for him.
I would also add that I hope Ravens fans don't get too high on him, he hasn't shown enough to suggest that he will become the second coming of Joe Montana, but if they keep that defense up, and keep the running game strong, he can lead them back to the SB. He won't do it on his own IMO, he'll never be that type of quarterback.
BTW, you see my rant on the Cowboys?
from about 1 month ago
Thanks for the comment, Craig. Yes, I forgot Ozzie Newsome, and I will add him now. Thanks for noticing!
I'll check out your piece as well. I love rants on the Cowboys!
about 1 month ago
Joe's had a good rookie year, it remains to see if he can finish the task...the AFC is a crowded floor, and there's some serious knots to work out in the next few weeks.
If he's given the time to build around, he could make a good impression, and develop a strong offense. Would be ironic, considering that the Ravens have been more known for their defense than offense.
After all, try selling Trent Dilfer cards....they work better in bike spokes.
from about 1 month ago
Haha, thanks for the comment, Raider Card.
It would be fun to see the Ravens develop one of the better offenses in the league, because their stellar defense can't hold out forever.
about 1 month ago
One of the greatest things in the NFL is when a franchise is rebuilding and a new coach's fate is intertwined with the QB that teams typically take with their first pick in their first draft.
from about 1 month ago
Agreed, David. This is football at it's finest.
about 1 month ago
At first I thought Flacco was going to be a waste of a first round pick because they had Troy Smith(I feel that he still needs a chance) But Joe has turned out pretty well.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks, Nate. I also feel like the NFL is an unfair sport, because they give the chances to who they want to give the chances. Once again, I'll go back to the Vikings...Tarvaris Jackson (however bad) only had two chances to start this year, then was taken out for Frerotte. Now, I'm not trashing Frerotte by any means, nor am I supporting Jackson, but I feel that Jackson deserved more of a chance.
The same goes with Smith. Hopefully he can catch on somewhere else and live his dream.
about 1 month ago
I too feel sorry for Troy Smith. Heisman trophy winner and drafted in what, the 6th round!?! Just because he's short. And too be struck down with an illness in pre-season. Thats the ultimate bad luck.
Joe Flacco, though, has been great for the Ravens. Quietly efficient and a good game manager.
To saay he 'led' the Ravens to 7-4 is a very big of a stretch. Moreso, I say he has been an integral part to a once ailing offense and instill confidence in this team. For both offense and defense. I say, rebirth of the Ravens defense has led the Ravens to 7-4.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks for the comment, Kent. I don't mean "led" as if he was/is the most important player on the field. I mean it in the same light as I do every other quarterback. When you are behind center, you have the most control of anyone on the field, and Flacco is the field general of the Ravens.
But you are right; there are certainly other aspects of the Raven's game that has them where they are now.
about 1 month ago
Good article Andrew. You covered all the bases and even managed to shed light on the human side of the business of pro football.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks for the kind words, Danny!
about 1 month ago
I remember when he was drafted, I thought he was a reach. It was definitely a good pickup. He's got potential out there. It was a smart gamble on Baltimore's behalf, that's for sure.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks, Angel. The best time to see if it's a smart gamble will be three or four years down the road.
Right now the pick looks pretty good, though.
about 1 month ago
OK, 4.7% of the people voting in your poll think Flacco wasn't worth the 18th pick. I demand an explanation.
Nice job, btw.
from about 1 month ago
I think you lowered that to 4.4%.
Thanks! :)
from about 1 month ago
Maybe they thought he should have been selected even higher up in the first round?
about 1 month ago
Andrew, this is very well-written. However, I just wanted to agree with Craig in saying that Ozzie Newsome is really the man behind the Ravens' selection of Flacco. Eric DeCosta, Director of College Scouting, was seriously looking at Flacco in the fall of 2007. His standout performance against Navy (434 yards and four touchdowns) really grabbed the Ravens' attention.
While Harbaugh certainly has input, draft decisions are made by Newsome.
It's definitely interesting seeing a rookie head coach and rookie quarterback enjoy success in Baltimore this year.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks for the comment and kind words, Luke. Yes, you and Craig are absolutely correct. I overplayed Harbaugh's role in the draft, and underplayed the guys really behind the decision.
Thanks for pointing it out!
about 1 month ago
Mostly draft experts projected Flacco no worse than a mid second round pick, but then it was said he started flying up peoples boards just days before the draft and most thought he was the clear cut #2 QB in the draft. So when Ryan went off the board they knew someone would panic and they did what they had to do to get their man.
While I like Troy Smith I get a little tired of hearing about him. He is not only to short to look over offensive lines in the nfl (thats why they moved him out on an incredibly high percentage of passes at Ohio State) but he is also slower than everyone thinks he is. The one game he really played NFL calibur ends was in the Florida national championship game and he was exposed. He also has a horribly innacurate arm. As one friend said while we watched him at training camp "Smith couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat in the middle of the atlantic". Heck, Kyle Boller was out playing Troy in training camp and you can't argue that, heck even the sportswriters were commenting on that back during the QB competition. He was going to get the job by default because as well all know the kyle Boller ship has sailed. Once they had to go with Flacco that was it, theres no turning back.
Let's just be happy Ozzie, John, Eric, Steve or whoever made the choice drafted Joe Flacco. Looks like the Ravens could be in pretty good hands for many years to come. Anyone who says he hasn't been impressive obviously doesn't watch much football. Rookie QB's usually stink and stink badly, going into last weekends game Flacco had the second highest completion percentage for a rookie QB and he isn't even playing as well as his talents obviously say he can. Even some national writers are saying Ryan, Cutler and Flacco are the future of QB in the NFL. Pretty cool to actually hear good things a Baltimore QB for once.
Very well written btw.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks for the comment, Ron!
about 1 month ago
Really top rated work!
from about 1 month ago
Thanks! Glad you liked it!
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