Dear Joe,
I knew this day would come. It wasn’t a matter of “if” Joe Flacco got traded but “when”. Well, I guess today is the day and on this bittersweet day, as a Baltimore Ravens fan, I salute you.
#5, you were the first NFL jersey I ever got way back in 2010 on Christmas. You were a rising name in the quarterback ranks, in your third year as a pro QB. You were promising, guiding us to back to back to back winning seasons since you arrived in Charm City in 2008. 13-year-old me was proud to wear your number on my back. Living in South Dakota, you didn’t see a lot of Ravens fans around our neck of the woods, but there I was, wearing a Flacco jersey.
2011 felt like our year to get to a Super Bowl. We had the defense and we had the offensive pieces. It was a matter of time that we would finally get to the big dance again. We knew Ray Lewis was close to calling it quits and that our time had a window that was closing. We got a first round bye in the playoffs, beat the Texans in the divisional round and we were off to Foxborough, just one game away.
Then Billy Cundiff happened.
I didn’t blame you, Joe. You played a great game. You could have thrown the game-winning touchdown had Lee Evans not have had butter on his hands and your kicker hit a 32-yard field goal to at least give us another chance in overtime. But it wasn’t our year, AGAIN! Another disappointing year in the books.
2012, the world was supposed to end. I felt like it did when we lost to the Bengals and dropped to 10-6 for the year and when Ray Lewis finally decided he was going to hang up the cleats after this year. We still made the playoffs, but we’d have to win four games to be world champs, and not many teams can do that. It started off great–we beat the rookie Andrew Luck in the first round at home. Okay…..but……..then we had to go to Denver and play Peyton Manning.
HOLY SH-T! MILE HIGH MIRACLE! FLACCO, YOU CLUTCH SON OF A GUN! I COULDN’T BELIEVE IT! WOW, WHAT A PLAY!
And in overtime, we ended up winning. But……we had to go to Foxborough……AGAIN!
And just like that, we left Tom Brady flustered, and Joe, you played another good game, showing off your playoff dexterity. We, for the first time since 2000, were headed to the Super Bowl. And a lot of that reason was because of you, Joe!
18 heart attacks and a power outage later, you were the Super Bowl MVP. You did it, Joe! You guided us to the Super Bowl and won it for us! You sent the legendary Ray Lewis off into the sunset with another ring on his fingers. You gave great players such as Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs and Anquan Boldin ice on their fingers, too! Seeing you lift that Lombardi was an amazing moment for me to witness. Joe Cool was who you became, one of the best postseason runs ever in NFL history.
Then you signed a big contract and became Joe Un-Cool.
Through 2013-2018, it was kind of disgruntling to watch you play, except the 2014 season when you had a great season with Gary Kubiak as offensive coordinator. But injuries and a lack of weapons plagued you and our winning ways. We wondered when we were going to get a new quarterback, even after the postseason greatness you gave to us years ago. But, that was YEARS AGO. You have to win NOW in this league.
I went to see you play live last year in Minnesota. We got wrecked. You tripped over yourself to the amusement of many Vikings fans, and nothing but a face palm from me to show my displeasure. It was at this time I finally decided that maybe it was time to move on from you, and so did the Ravens.
Lamar Jackson was selected in the first round and eventually took over the team, leading us to our first playoff berth in four years and going 6-1 down the stretch while you sat on the bench. It was the end of an era. Flacco time had run out.
And now today, with the news coming out that you are going to be a Denver Bronco next season after 11 seasons in Baltimore, the era has officially come to a close. But Joe, hang your head high.
You will always have a special place in my heart. I grew up watching you and enjoyed the great moments that you flashed for us Ravens fans, one of those moments lifting the greatest prize of them all — the Lombardi. We had our ups and downs throughout these 11 seasons –absolutely– but I am forever thankful for what you did as a Raven. It was time to move on as we say hello to our new guy under center, but I will root for you, always. Once a Raven, always a Raven.
Thank you, Joe.
Sincerely,
A Ravens Fan
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