“Play Like Raven”, “The Team”, “Four Fights Everyday” all graced Ravens head coach John Harbaugh’s garb each and every day throughout training camp. All are mantras of a team that will fight to the end whether winning or losing as one.
Perhaps this year’s mantra should have been “When It Rains, It Pours.”
For the first time since 2007, the Ravens will be without their franchise QB Joe Flacco when they take on the Browns on Monday Night Football. Long considered one of the “Ironman” quarterbacks of the NFL over the last eight seasons, Flacco’s 122 consecutive games played was the third longest active streak, only to Eli Manning of the Giants (177) and Chargers QB Philip Rivers (155).
Like him or not, Flacco showed up to work each day ready to compete.
With Joe out for the remainder of the season, the Ravens will turn to backup Matt Schaub. While many have little to no confidence in the former Houston Texan and Oakland Raider, his teammates do.
Here’s a look at what some of Schaub’s teammates have to say about him taking over for Flacco:
“I see him prepare every day, see him practice every day, see the balls he’s throwing – you can start with that. There are plenty of track records for Matt Schaub. This is not a guy that has never played before. It’s not a guy who nobody has ever seen. He has a track record in this offense, too, and he’s a professional. I know one thing: I come in here about 5:30 in the morning, and many times he’s walking right in with me. He’s a worker. He’s in here early. He studies. He’s a real pro. Obviously, he’s an experienced quarterback. We’re very fortunate to have him in this situation that we’re going into. I’m sure glad we got him.” – Head Coach John Harbaugh
“He’s competitive. I know from the looks we’ve been having the past few weeks up to this point, he has been giving us great looks on defense. I know one thing he’s going to do: He’s going to go out and compete and try to earn a win.” – OLB Elvis Dumervil
“You can definitely feel when he commands the huddle, you can tell that he’s been there before, and he’s played at a really high level. You can notice that in the huddle when he’s calling the plays. He’s confident calling the plays and managing the huddle.” – Guard Marshal Yanda
I know what you’re thinking, “No one is going to say how they really feel about him.” But Schaub does provide the Ravens with the veteran experience and leadership. By all accounts, he’s practicing well.
While we can speculate on just how much progress he’s made from training camp to now, with just six games left in the season, he is the best choice for the job.
It truly can’t get any worse.
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