Feb 3, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) after their game against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

The biggest NFL news to come out of this weekend wasn’t anything that had to do with free agency, the draft, of actual football games. No, the big story was Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco being chosen to portray Baltimore legend Johnny Unitas in a movie about the former QB’s life. It seems like a fair role to give to Flacco, who is coming off leading the Ravens to only their second Super Bowl title, and he’s made the playoffs every year he’s been in the league.

Unitas’ son, Joe Unitas, explained to the Baltimore Sun why Flacco was picked for the role.

Obviously, the Baltimore ties are very important to me. lot of the way [Flacco] plays and his demeanor reminds me a lot of my dad. He does things the right way and is a good role model for kids and he gets what hard work is and does everything he can for the team. There are a lot of parallels that can be drawn between [Flacco] and my dad.

John Unitas Jr., another son of Johnny, had a different take on the matter:

If you want a quarterback, go with Peyton Manning. My father was just like that. This is a joke. It is awful. The guy’s (Flacco) a turd. He never talked to me. He never talked to any of the first five children. He’s a guy that’s just making money off of my father.

The Cleveland Browns reportedly have no interest in free agent linebacker James Harrison.

Want more Bengals news? Like Stripe Hype on Facebook, or grab our RSS feed.

Follow @StripeHype

Follow @UK_Fans

Feb 3, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

It’s wholly possible that America’s football fan base is in the process of witnessing an evolution within the NFL.  Even in the face of Baltimore Ravens’ Quarterback, Joe Flacco, being signed to the largest contract in National Football League history, the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and its subsequent salary cap for franchises reached in the 2011 off-season may be challenging players, specifically quarterbacks, to re-think an institutionalized business aspect of the game.

One of the largest turn-offs to both fans and critics of professional sports alike is when athletes discuss six-digit contracts in negative lights or as if it’s not enough.  Several of the sound-bites from Joe Flacco’s press conference are perfect examples of this originating from a very benign and otherwise blue collar individual.  When asked why he didn’t sign a very reasonable deal from the Ravens in early 2012, Flacco responded,

I thought I was worth more…”

When questioned if he had any immediate plans for his new fortune,

Nothing immediately… hopefully not much… I’m just going to look at it, and like I said, be able to smile a little bit…”

Most profoundly, when asked about the risk verses reward of holding out after the 2012 franchise tag was placed on him, Flacco digressed to this statement…

…When guys that are drafted in the first round, when guys that win football games for you, quarterbacks like that, when the time comes up for those guys to get paid, they usually become the highest paid guy in the league. I’m sure in a couple of months from now, someone is going to sign a deal, and you guys are going to be talking to them about how they are the highest paid guy in NFL history. That’s just the name of the game. I know that this isn’t going to hold up for that long, but that’s not a priority of mine to be the highest-paid guy. The priority of mine was to get that respect that I felt, that I feel now from this organization.”

Feb 3, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Now that  Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco’s $120.6 million contract is done, he becomes the highest-paid player in NFL history. The Super Bowl MVP received a $29 million signing bonus and option bonuses of $15 million and $7 million. The deal also includes a $62 million payout through the first three years, and above all, has $52 million in guaranteed salary. 

But just because Flacco is being paid like he’s one of the best players in the NFL, should he be? Is he really “elite”, or is he just a “good” player who’s the benefactor of a hot-streak in the postseason that saw him throw 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions?

If you look at how he’s performed in the regular season, you might just guess the latter:

Joe Flaccos total QBR in Reg. Season 2012: 46.8, 25th 2011: 59.7, 15th 2010: 60.4, 13th 2009: 55.0, 16th 2008: 43.2, 29th

— NFL Stats (@NFL_Stats) March 4, 2013

Flacco is in the same class as Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers,Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, and will be expected to perform as such in both the regular season and postseason. For much of his career, he’s been the benefactor of elite Ravens defenses that carried the team, while Flacco played the role of game-manger. Now that Ray Lewis is retiring to go along with Ed Reed and Paul Kruger likely departing via free agency, it will be up to Flacco to carry the Ravens back to the playoffs to defend their Super Bowl crown.
Want more Bengals news? Like Stripe Hype on Facebook, or grab our RSS feed.

Follow @StripeHype

Follow @UK_Fans