Jim Caldwell: Joe Flacco 'improving by leaps and bounds'

Though he's no longer the Ravens' offensive coordinator, Jim Caldwell was highly complimentary of his former quarterback.

Speaking at the NFL combine on Thursday, the Lions head coach was asked about Flacco and his progression under the two years he coached him.

Caldwell offered nothing but praise for Flacco.

"He's improved. He's done extremely well." Caldwell said. "He's got a great grasp of protections. He's got a great grasp of systems. He's got a great grasp of being able to get you into the right runs and things of that nature. And those things aren't easy to come by. He works at it. He cares about it. He's committed to it. And I think you're just going to see him, even in a new system, whatever they ask him to do, you're going to see that he's going to be able to do."

A lot of that can be construed as coachspeak, though Caldwell's class can certainly be seen here. He goes on to mention that while Flacco's numbers may not have been gaudy, there was evident improvement.

"I still think he's a talented guy, which he's proven," Caldwell said. "He's got skills and ability. Not every year is going to be a perfect year. Also, guys can't do it alone at that spot. But I do think he made progress. Sometimes it's tough for you to see just in terms of numbers. If you look at numbers strictly, they can be a bit deceiving at times. But when you take a look from the inside out, we had an opportunity to work with him day after day. He's been improving by leaps and bounds each and every year, and I would anticipate that's going to continue"