During his annual visit to the Ravens Rap in Ocean City, Maryland I asked Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti what the organization has done differently since the arrival of John Harbaugh that has kept the window of opportunity open for the club with a league leading four consecutive playoff appearances.

Is it the coaching? The personnel? The front office? All of the above?

Bisciotti’s answer: “Joe Flacco.”

Here’s more on Bisciotti’s response.

Yet more than half way through his fifth season the Ravens still don’t know what they have with Joe Flacco.

Is he the kind of quarterback that can carry a team into the Super Bowl?

No!

If you want evidence, just look at the game against the Steelers in Pittsburgh last Sunday when facing a third and 2 with two minutes to play the Ravens asked Flacco to play it safe and only throw if there was a 100% chance of success – otherwise take the sack.

Despite having a wide-open Ed Dickson standing alone in the middle of the field for an easy first down, Flacco, perhaps driven by fear of failure, took the sack to keep the clock moving.
He played it safe.

Would Messrs. Brady, Manning, Manning, Rivers, Brees, Rodgers or Roethlisberger play it safe? Would Messrs. Ryan, Dalton, Luck, Griffin, Palmer, Cutler, Stafford or Bradford even play it safe?

The call was about playing afraid – playing not to lose.

This is what you want from your franchise quarterback?

Isn’t this the kind of play calling you might expect for a rookie quarterback?

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