Fantasy football owners may want to take note. Quarterback Joe Flacco and wide receiver Mike Wallace are getting along quite well at Ravens training camp.
Flacco didn't want to say he's surprised by how good Wallace has been, because he didn't know much about Wallace, but he's certainly happy.
"Mike is awesome," Flacco said Tuesday. "I think he is going to be a really big hit for us."
For the second straight training camp, Flacco is without the first-round speedster that was supposed to help him take the top off defenses. Breshad Perriman has been sidelined by a knee injury since Organized Team Activities, and it's again taking longer to return than the original projection.
Unlike last year, Flacco has another option in Wallace. On Tuesday, Flacco lofted a deep pass for Wallace. The throw was a bit short and tipped by cornerback Jimmy Smith, but Wallace still ran underneath it for the score.
It's been more than a deep-ball connection, however, that has impressed Flacco so much.
"We all know he can run," Flacco said. "But just the way he runs his routes and how good is he at the top of it and coming back to you, and how sure his hands have been – I don't know if I've seen him drop a pass. That stuff has been great."
Wallace is one of the last players off the field after each practice. He stays afterwards every day to catch passes off the JUGS machine.
Wallace has run a lot of intermediate and even shorter routes that could lead to higher reception totals and a place among the Ravens' top two receivers. Before posting just 39 catches last year, he averaged 69 catches over the previous four seasons. He has twice topped the 1,000-yard milestone (2010, 2011).
Flacco also complimented Wallace on fitting in well in the Ravens' locker room. Wallace has been all about business and is making it clear that he has something to prove.
One thing is for sure. Wallace's trouble passing the Ravens' conditioning test seems like a distant memory now.
