Recovering from any sort of injury is never an easy process for a NFL player. Whether it’s a minor injury or a major one, the battle isn’t an easy one. There are the obvious hurdles, including surgery and rehab. Those are grueling, but the mental hurdles can be just as challenging.
Several key members of the 2016 Baltimore Ravens have spent time this offseason fighting to get back to the field. Steve Smith Sr., Terrell Suggs, Jimmy Smith are a few of the big names.
But the biggest name of all is quarterback Joe Flacco.
Watching From the Sideline
During his podium session following the final day of OTA’s, Flacco provided some insight about his internal struggle while sitting on the sideline last season.
When asked how much he missed the game of football while on the sideline, Flacco made it clear that the answer is a lot. “No doubt. Are you kidding me? I love to do this,” Flacco said. “We all love to do it; that is why we are here.”
Before his injury, Flacco was one of the NFL’s ironmen. His streak of 122 consecutive starts ranks 5th all time among quarterbacks. Flacco was crushed when it ended.
“It was definitely very tough. I wanted to be the guy that played 15, 16 or 17 years and didn’t miss a snap. To come to grips with that was definitely tough to begin with,” said Joe. “To see your teammates out there and not be out there with them, [to] see them come back in the locker room on Monday or Tuesday after the game and see the fun they had or even the distraught [feeling] that was in their eyes because they lost a game…”
To football players, the game of football is more than just about Sundays. It’s a bond between teammates. It’s about the friendships that are forged along the way as they fight to become the best. When you’re no longer able to be on the field, it takes a toll.
“It was all stuff that you missed out on being a part of. You very quickly get isolated and tossed aside when you’re not on the team and not playing. That is just the reality of this game. It goes very quickly; it moves on very quickly,” stated Flacco. “You have to make adjustments quick in order to win football games. Yeah, there is no doubt about it. I would love to be out there with those guys, and it was tough.”
When exactly Joe Flacco gets back on the field is anyone’s guess, but the Ravens quarterback expects to be ready day one of training camp barring any setbacks. Whether or not the coaches feel the same way is a different story. While they will limit his practice reps this summer, it’s vastly important he takes to the field to establish rapport with newly acquired weapons Ben Watson and Mike Wallace.
The most important thing, however, is a clear head. It appears that Flacco has one as training camp approaches.
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