Andy Benoit: Flacco is a silent Superstar

We all know the argument well; it has been researched, written about, and regurgitated by the Baltimore media and blogs like us, over and over again. Flacco is a top quarterback, a winner, we wouldn't trade him for any other quarterback. Around the rest of the country, the media and fans think of him as mediocre, overpaid, and just plain old boring. They do not bother to look past the surface, look into the numbers, and discover just how good Joe Flacco really is. All they care is: he does not put up stats which will win me my fantasy league.

So it will come as a great surprise, that a writer from a national site, MMQB, had just thrown it out there: Joe Flacco is a superstar! Out of nowhere, Benoit has flown in the face of convention and asked the question everyone ignores: When will people realize Joe Flacco is one of the NFL's superstars.

He brings all the same stats and accomplishments, but of course it means more because no one can call him a Ravens 'homer'.

Here is what he says about the man dubbed by fans as 'January Joe':

Joe Flacco is the most underappreciated quarterback in football—by far. He’s an elite superstar blessed with all the physical traits you look for: size, arm strength, precision accuracy, and even mobility. Though he’s not "off the charts" in the latter category, he’s much better at moving than his gangly frame suggests. These characteristics enable the eighth-year veteran to fit the ball into the tight windows, a requirement for beating man coverage in the NFL. Flacco is also cerebral, which shows in the way he identifies and picks apart defensive zones.

And for those who believe in the old barroom debate about who’s a "winner" and who’s not, Flacco checks out as strong as any QB in the league. His 10-5 postseason record is the best among all active quarterbacks not named Tom Brady. Seven of those victories have come on the road, an NFL record. On his way to winning a Super Bowl at the end of the 2012 season, Flacco had arguably the best postseason of any passer ever: 11 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 285 yards a game and a much-deserved MVP award in the end. (The only other similar playoff run was Joe Montana’s in 1989: in three games he threw 11 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, averaging 267 yards an outing.)

Flacco’s biggest problem is one of perception, because he comes across as bland. But if you listen to what he says and not how he says it, you realize that he’s thoughtful, refreshingly honest and eloquent—yet he continues to get overlooked and underestimated. Maybe that will change this season during Super Bowl 50 Media Day. If all goes right, that’s where his Ravens will end up.