The question that has plagued pro football for the past several years has finally been answered. By a head coach other than the one who coaches him.
Eagles coach Chip Kelly, after a pair of joint practices with the Ravens, has applied a label to quarterback Joe Flacco. Not any label. The label.
“I think he’s one of the elite quarterbacks in this league,” Kelly told reporters on Thursday. “He’s got a big‑time arm. He’s obviously a big -- when you kind of roll up on Joe, he’s a big human being. He’s tough to break down and tough to bring down. He’s also just so poised when he plays back there. You talk about when guys really get it, the game is slowed down for them. He’s such a good decision maker. He’s an unbelievable clutch player. You look at him in all the situations that he’s been in, he always just seems to have poise, and nothing seems to rattle him. I had the opportunity when I was at New Hampshire, we played against him when he was at Delaware, so I knew how good Joe was going to be a long time ago.”
The unknown comic known as PFT Commenter has consistently asked “Is Joe Flacco a elite quarterback?” in recent years, most recently holding a sign with that question outside the Republican presidential debate in Cleveland. It arguably has ruined the entire “elite” label in all contexts, prompting knowing smirks whenever the word is used.