FOR THE PAST (7) YEARS, JOLTIN' JOE FLACCO HAS BEEN CALLED UPON, AND ABLE TO BAIL OUT OVER A HALF-DOZEN NFL FRANCHISES. JOE'S RESCUE JOURNEY HAS TAKEN HIM ACROSS THE COUNTRY, EVEN A "MILE HIGH". HE THEN CAUGHT FLIGHT ON SOME JETS TO "GOTHAM CITY" AND "TOUCHED DOWN" FOR A SEASON, BACKING UP AN OFT INJURED #1 UPSTART. HE LIKED BEING IN THE AIR SO MUCH HE FLEW TO PHILLY TO RUB FEATHERS WITH SOME EAGLES. JOE BACKED UP HURTS WHO RARELY GOT HURT AND JOE NEVER SAW A SNAP OF BROTHERLY LOVE, NOR BROTHERLY SHOVE IN THE REGULAR SEASON.
JOE WAS SITTING ON THE BENCH AT THE LINC, FEEDING THE PIGEONS, WHEN HE WAS REQUESTED BACK TO NEW YORK AS A CO-PILOT FOR ZACK WILSON. JOE GOT TO PILOT (2) GAMES BUT THE JETS WEREN'T MUCH TO TALK ABOUT AND NEITHER WAS THE COVID-19 HE CONTRACTED. IN '22, JOE TOOK THE HELM FOR (4) FLIGHTS AS THE JETS IMPROVED BY THREE WINS. HIS APPLE- POLISHING WAS FINISHED IN THE BIG CITY AND IT WAS ON TO THE SHORES OF LAKE ERIE.
THEN, AGING LIKE FINE WINE, THE (37) YEAR YOUNG, FLACCO DISPLAYED HIS TALENTS AND EXPERIENCE IN THE SHADOWS OF THE HOF OF ROCK AND ROLL, AND THAT OTHER OVER AT CANTON. AT THAT TIME, JOURNEYMAN JOE, WOULD HELP LEAD THE CLEVELAND BROWNS, GETTING (4) WINS IN RELIEF FOR DESEAN WATSON. AT (11-6), THE BROWNS REACHED THE POST SEASON AND "MIGHTY JOE YOUNG" WAS THE "NFL COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR".
THOUGH FLYING HIGH WITH HIS CPOY AWARD, JOE WAS THROUGH WITH FLYING AND FOR 2024, JOE RODE THE BUS OVER TO INDIANAPOLIS FROM CLEVELAND. THE COLTS HAD A YOUNG COLT UNDER CENTER AND JOE STOOD IN FOR THE BIG AND STRONG, YET VULNERABLE SIGNAL CALLER WHO'S "OUT OF THE POCKET STYLE" IS SUBJECT TO STRETCHER CALLS. AT (39), POCKET PASSING AND JONATHAN TAYLOR WERE JOE'S FORTE', ENJOYED IN HIS 17TH SEASON.
FOR 2025, JOE WENT BACK TO HELP RELIEVE "COACH K" IN "BELIEVELAND". FOUR GAMES A STARTER, JOE WAS RELIEVED IN BELIEVELAND BY A COUPLE OF ROOKIES. IT WAS NOW TIME FOR JOE TO TAKE HIS TALENTS TO ROYALTY IN "THE QUEEN CITY" ON HIS 8TH PILGRIMAGE. HE WOULD GO TO REPLACE ANOTHER JOE, WITH "TURF TOE", AND A JAKE WHO WAS SLOW OUT OF THE GATE. IN CINCI, JOE WASN'T SLOW, PASSING FOR OVER 400 YARDS HIS FIRST TIME EVER, FOR A CAREER HIGH (470) YDS. HOWEVER, OVERALL, JOE DID NOT GET THE BENGALS TO FLOW. WILL ZACK LET JOE GO AFTER WINNING ONLY 1 OF 6 IN 2025? OUR PRO JOE SAID YO, LET'S GO, GO, GO, IS BACK AGAIN IN '26, FOR ANOTHER YEAR, LET'S MOVE THE STICKS!
BUT HEY, WE'VE GABBED ON ABOUT HIS LAST (7) YEARS, IN HIS "TWILIGHT" BUT WHAT ABOUT THE FIRST (11) AS A PREMIUM WARRIOR, A BALTIMORE GLADIATOR?
THAT WAS WHERE THE FLYING BEGAN, BUT VERY HIGH-ALTITUDE FLIGHTS AS A LEADER OF A FLOCK OF RAVENS, FROM 2008 TO 2018. WHEN THE RAVENS WERE CHARMED TO BAY TOWN IN '96, AND FOR SO MANY YEARS, THE PACK IN PURPLE WERE NOTORIOUS FOR PAIN AND PUNISHMENT ON DEFENSE. IT WAS A FORTE' THAT DEFINED THEIR EXISTENCE, WINNING SB35 WITH THE STINGIEST DEFENSE EVER. ON THE OTHER SIDE OF SCRIMMAGE WAS A THOUSAND YARD ROOKIE RUSHER. IN '08 ENTER THE "6'5' DAVID WITH HIS SLINGSHOT" AND HIS HISTORICAL "GOLIATH FLINGS", WHO MADE HISTORY IN SB47 IN 2012.
IN THE BLACKOUT/HARBAUGH BOWL IN THE NEW ORLEANS, MERCEDES-BENZ SUPERDOME, IT WAS JOE'S JACKPOT ARM THAT ACCOUNTED FOR A MOST IMPORTANT "3 STRIKES ON THE HOUSE", CONNECTING ON 22 OF 33 TRYs, FOR 287 YDS. HE FINISHED THE GAME WITH A 124.2 PASSER RATING. HIS OFFENSE REGISTERING 34 OVER 31. FOR THE AGING BUT ABLE-BODIED RAY LEWIS, IT WOULD BE HIS LAST HARRAH, AS HIS DEFENSE MADE ITS LAST STAND DENYING THE NINERS A LAST-MINUTE RUSH AT THE SILVER.
FOR HIS TOTAL RUN AS A RAVEN, JACKPOT JOE FINISHED WITH (3,499) COMPLETIONS AND (38,245) YDS, MAKING (212) STRIKE CONNECTIONS TO WORTHY, RAVEN RECEIVERS. THAT SB47 MOST VALUABLE PLAYER AWARD IN CHARM CITY FOR 2012 FOLLOWS HIM WITH HIS EXPERIENCE THROUGHOUT THE NFL.