Yes, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has the hardware and the cold-hard-straight-cash-homey. But is he ready to become a true franchise quarterback? The kind of guy who acts like an unofficial member of the coaching staff, getting in guys’ faces when they screw up and/or periodically firing off a primal scream, Tom Brady-style, in order to keep his head from exploding, Scanners-style.
Linebacker Terrell Suggs wants to see Flacco act more like Brady and Peyton Manning, pissing and moaning and generally having tantrums when guys don’t show the same abilities and smarts as their on-field leaders do.
“Joe is just ‘Cool Joe,’” Suggs said upon arrival at training camp, via the team’s official website. “Most of the time he’s not the most vocal. But sometimes we may need that. He may have to cuss somebody out. He may have to cuss me out. It’s good to hear your quarterback get after somebody sometimes. I think it will be a good thing.”
Suggs suggested that Flacco has in the past been more passive-aggressive when it comes to making his points. Suggs wants Flacco to be aggressive-aggressive.
“He has cussed me out before, but Joe knows how to do his little subliminal slick shots,” Suggs said. “We’re looking for a little bit more direct. . . . I’ve said it from the jump: We have a lot of leaders on this team. I’m really looking forward to seeing Joe Flacco come into his own. Be one of those premier, elite quarterbacks and talk to his team. We’re definitely going to stand behind Joe, stand behind Haloti [Ngata] and hopefully they all stand behind me.”
The knock from some on Flacco is that he doesn’t seem to care enough. Basically, Suggs is trying to get Flacco to care more. Or to at least act like he does.