After signing with the Baltimore Ravens in free agency, wide receiver Willie Snead has declared Joe Flacco to be an “elite quarterback.”
“I believe in myself, and I know I can be a a game-changer at any moment,” Snead said at his introductory press conference, per Jamison Hensley of ESPN. “Just given those opportunities, I can prove that. Joe Flacco is an elite quarterback. He’s a Super Bowl-winning quarterback. When you have a guy like that, you have the potential to be great on offense.”
Snead also said he was frustrated that he wasn’t a big part of New Orleans’ offense last year after coming off his suspension and then dealing with a hamstring injury.
Willie Snead said it was difficult not to be big part of the Saints offense last year after returning from suspension and a hamstring injury. ”Me, as a player that was in the offense heavily the past two years, that was frustrating,” Snead said. pic.twitter.com/abMtxWd9ZD
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) May 1, 2018
The declaration that “Flacco is an elite quarterback” is a bit tough to swallow. Sure, he did win a Super Bowl, and my goodness he was on an unbelievable tear during that championship run, which earned him a massive contract extension the following offseason.
But other than that, Flacco hasn’t been close to “elite” for most of his career.
Flacco has never thrown for more than 27 touchdowns in a season. He’s a below-average passer in terms of completion percentage (61.7 percent for his career), has averaged just under 1.3 touchdowns per game and has averaged nearly one interception per game on his career.
By definition, Flacco is an average NFL quarterback. It’s going to be interesting to see how he performs this year with a revamped receiving corps that includes Snead and Michael Crabtree. Especially now that the Ravens have young Lamar Jackson waiting in the wings.