Joe Flacco won the Super Bowl and finally, after five straight years of postseason appearance, he was crowned champion. The question came up, is Flacco now elite?
For me, the answer is immediately no way!
Flacco is a great quarterback, but nothing beyond this title. All because you win a championship doesn't mean you're automatically an elite quarterback.
There's still a gap between Flacco's game and dominance in comparison to the top quarterbacks in the NFL. There are six quarterbacks you would place ahead of Flacco: Tom Brady, the Manning Brothers, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger. I'm just not ready to add Flacco tothis list of truly elite quarterbacks.
These guys can win with anybody on the field. Look at the numbers Brees piled up amidst all that went down in New Orleans with the Saints this past season. 5,177 yards, 43 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. Brady is still among the everyday best quarterbacks in the game and he's already 35 years old.
The running game and defense overshadow the production of the quarterback in Baltimore.
Flacco isn't the main guy the Ravens depend on to get their offense since they have a dynamic running game in Ray Rice, who ran for over 1,600 yards this season. Flacco is also surrounded by great receivers that are developing or have consistently put up big numbers year after year.
On top of this, the Ravens are still a team known more for it's defense. When you think of the Ravens these past five years, you don't think of Flacco, it's Ray Lewis' team.
You won't find this in the elite squads. The Pittsburgh Steelers were naked with out Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning transformed the Denver Broncos into a force in the NFL, meanwhile the New York Giants have been fortunate enough to have Eli Manning on the field at all times.
The Ravens could probably win a couple of games without Flacco behind center. They might be in a little disarray, but with Anquan Boldin and Rice on offense, a quarterback receives a lot of help. Not to mention when this defense wants to step it up, they can beat anybody.
Now, this is what I noticed in Sunday's game, the Ravens' quarterback was cutting up a pretty decent secondary at will. If Flacco can continue performing like he did during this postseason and became the face of the franchise, then I will be more than willing to say Flacco is in fact elite.
However, that time hasn't arrived yet. People are always rushing to find the next big thing in sports, Flacco has the talent, but he some work to do before being considered one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
What do you think? Is Flacco elite in your eyes?