With the Ravens getting set to play in Super Bowl XLVII next week in New Orleans, the national media is starting to put together their pieces on Ravens players.
The first of these such articles that came to my attention was a wonderful profile of Joe Flacco in the New York Post by Kevin Kernan.
Kernan spoke to Joe’s family members, neighbors, and others who knew him during his years as a youth growing up in Audubon, New Jersey.
There are a number of entertaining anecdotes in the story, including tales of Flacco’s impressive arm strength (hitting the flag on the uprights from midfield), sense of humor (teasing his younger brother with current teammate Dennis Pitta), and poise (calming his high school teammates during timeouts).
The story that made me chuckle most though, was this tidbit:
Flacco played safety, too, in high school. His dad taught him to use his long arms to horse-collar opponents, which you could get away with back then.
“We used to call him the ‘Long Arm of the Law,’ ” Steve said. “He’d yank them out of their shoes.”
Joe Flacco, The Long Arm of the Law!
That’s the first I’ve ever heard of Joe playing safety. I look forward to reading many more new revelations like this about Ravens players as national journalists chase down their stories during Super Bowl week.
