Joe Flacco's impending free agency has been a popular topic around Baltimore lately.
With only two games left in the regular season, the quarterback is nearing the end of his rookie deal and will head to the negotiating table with the Ravens this offseason.
Flacco has taken some criticism in recent weeks, but he said he's upbeat about getting a new contract worked out that will keep him in Baltimore for the long haul.
"Yeah, I always am," Flacco said. "This is a great organization and you're always upbeat about that."
Flacco and the Ravens tried to work out a contract extension before the season, but the two sides didn't agree on a deal and Flacco decided to play out the final year of his contract.
The Ravens and Flacco's agent, Joe Linta, put the talks on hold until after this season and Flacco said that the upcoming negotiations have not been on his mind.
"I'm sure it's back there somewhere, but it's not something I've really thought about or really considered," Flacco said. "I knew it wasn't going to be a topic of conversation during the season and that's just the way it's been. I kind of made that clear in my own mind at the beginning of the season."
The performance of the offense has been up-and-down this season, and the group currently ranks 21st in the NFL in total offense (339.6 yards per game).
Flacco was asked how much of the offensive struggles he puts on himself.
"As much as I can. All of it. It starts with the quarterback," he said. "That's the position that's looked at and you have to go look at yourself and see what you can do better to make everybody else around you a little bit better."
The Ravens are in the midst of a three-game slide for the first time since 2009, and Flacco has made costly turnovers that proved to be critical in all three of the losses. He has three fumbles and three interceptions during the losing streak.
Despite the miscues, Flacco emphasized that his confidence isn't shaken.
"I'm confident," Flacco said. "Our team is confident. These are tough situations, but it's about how you stand up and you can't blink. I don't know if we've necessarily been in this kind of situation in the past, but we've dealt with things that are similar and we know how to move forward and push through."
Flacco came into the season with the expectation to become one of the NFL's top offenses. The Ravens have put up plenty of points at times, but they haven't been able to maintain consistency.
Flacco still sees the potential in the group, and he said that the performance of the offense is going to be critical from now until the end of the season.
"I view it as being a very good offense and capable of going out there and scoring 30-plus a week," Flacco said. "That's what we have to aim for and that's what we're going to have to do to win down the stretch. We're playing a lot of good teams and as an offense we have to make sure we go out there and put points on the board."
