The day after the Super Bowl, it seems like everyone reviews the commercials and decides which one was best. The sports channels review every detail from the game and the players who made the big plays. The news focuses on the weird blackout at the Superdome. However, the best lesson to be learned from the Super Bowl is in the story behind the story of Baltimore Ravens’ Quarterback Joe Flacco.
A lot of emphasis will be put on Joe Flacco’s performance in the Super Bowl but let’s look at Joe’s history for the real lesson. Coming out of high school, Joe was a three-star recruit and was rated the 39th best high school quarterback in the country. Being a three-star recruit isn’t shabby, but those kids don’t get the attention of the four- and five-star recruits. In last year’s Super Bowl, somebody did a review of each player participating and came up with only a couple of players who were four- or five-star recruits out of high school. The rest of the players were one-, two-, three- or even no-star recruits. The bottom line is this: A whole lot of people will spend a whole lot of time judging you and they will often be wrong. Joe Flacco did not listen to people judging him as a three-star recruit. He persevered and used the one judgment that mattered in the end: his own.
Joe Flacco was offered and accepted a scholarship to play football at Pitt. His freshman year he was redshirted and did not play. The next year he saw limited playing time and was beat out by another quarterback, Tyler Palko. Palko wound up with a good, but not great, college career at Pitt and today is a back-up quarterback in the NFL. Joe Flacco was once again judged as inferior but, as disappointing as that had to be, he once again persevered.
Joe Flacco decided to transfer to Delaware to play football. Delaware is not exactly a hot bed of football. Delaware is in the College Football Sub-Championship Series, which means they are not a big-time program in a big-time conference. Joe Flacco was relegated to a lower level once again. Once again, though, he persevered. Joe set many records at Delaware and had an outstanding football career. At the NFL combine for the 2008 draft where the top college football players are put through numerous physical and mental drills and tests, Joe Flacco had an impressive performance. The Baltimore Ravens drafted Joe Flacco in the first round. Joe was the 18th player taken and was the second quarterback taken in the draft. His star had risen but he was still judged as second best, but once again persevered.
In his first year with the Ravens, Joe was third on the depth chart behind two other quarterbacks. By chance, the starting quarterback went down with an injury and the back-up quarterback was ill. This opportunity elevated him to a starting position. Joe Flacco once again had persevered.
In six seasons, Joe Flacco has set records and is the only quarterback to lead his team to the playoffs in each of six seasons. However, there always was a contingent of fans and media who said Joe wasn’t good enough. They said Baltimore would not win a Super Bowl with Joe Flacco.
Joe Flacco is now a Super Bowl winner and the MVP of Super Bowl XLVII. On Joe’s journey, he has been constantly judged and usually was declared not quite good enough. The bottom line is that all of those so-called experts were wrong — only one expert was qualified to make the final judgment: Joe Flacco. He persevered and refused to quit.
The next time you are being judged or are a little down on yourself, remember Joe Flacco. The story behind the story of Joe Flacco is by far the best story and lesson of Super Bowl XVII.
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