Joe Flacco

Football starts Thursday, so everyone who has access to the internet is publishing predictions for everything from who will win the Super Bowl to who will win the NFC defensive rookie of the year or some shit. Every year I read NFL predictions I say I'm going to keep track of what all the experts predicted then review their picks when the season is over to see just how accurate they are. I never do this. Except this year, for this one prediction that everyone is making that is driving me insane. 

The Ravens making or winning the Super Bowl because Joe Flacco is just so great he is going to take over the league.

3 of nfl.com's 7 experts have the Ravens making the Super Bowl. One dude says they are going to win it. 4 of espn.com's 16 experts have the Ravens winning the Super Bowl. One of them has Joe Flacco as MVP of the league this year. 

John Clayton ranked all the QBs in the NFL. About Flacco, he says:  

JOHN CLAYTON QB RANKING (12): In two seasons, Joe Flacco has passed for 6,584 yards and has guided Baltimore to three road playoff victories.

Joe Flacco's stats in those three wins:

2008 @ Miami: 9 for 23, 135 yds, 0 TD 0 INT 

2008 @ Tennessee: 11 for 22, 161 yds, 1 TD 0 INT

2009 @ New England: 4 for 10, 34 yds, 0 TD 1 INT

For the record, his stats in his two playoff losses:

2008 @ Pittsburgh: 13 for 30, 141 yds, 0 TD, 3 INT

2009 @ Indianapolis: 20 for 35, 189 yds, 0 TD, 2 INT

It seems that the Ravens have won in the post season in spite of Flacco, not due to his leadership. He has proven to be a solid regular season QB, but sometimes good regular season players struggle with the pressure of the post season. Maybe he'll turn it around this year, or maybe the loss of Ed Reed and Ray Lewis getting old (he's 35 now) will be too much for them to deal with and they won't even make the playoffs.

Anyway. I hate Joe Flacco.