The second team offense was facing off against the second team defense during Sunday's training camp practice, but all the attention was away from the actual drills.
The focus was on quarterback Joe Flacco, who had walked across one sideline into the middle of the field. The 6-foot-6 quarterback was shouting at his defensive teammates from the middle of the field.
Flacco was yelling at Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata, stating his case for why his previous scrambling play at the goal line should have been ruled a touchdown.
"Are you kidding me?" Flacco shouted. "That's 250 pounds vs. 180. No way he was stopping me."
That kind of trash talk has been part of the routine for the sixth-year quarterback during the early part of training camp. The reigning Super Bowl MVP definitely has a swagger in his game, and his teammates are taking notice.
"He's shown that he's always going to be 'Cool Joe,'" Suggs said. "Now he's comfortable in his own skin that he can bark at the defensive guys."
Flacco has always been known for his calm demeanor and laid back personality. That attitude has sometimes created the perception that Flacco lacks a competitive fire, which couldn't be further from the truth.
Flacco has always been an intense competitor, and this year he's doing a little more talking in the process. Cornerback Lardarius Webb said that he sees a more confident Flacco this season.
"It seems like he's getting more and more comfortable with the guys he has around him," Webb said.
Before this year, Flacco used to bark at Ray Lewis across the line of scrimmage from time-to-time. Now Suggs and Ngata are the two defensive stars often trading verbal jabs with the quarterback.
"I just like to mess around with Joe, because he's so cool," Ngata said. "You just try to get in his head and get him started, but he's just so chill."
For years in Baltimore, the Ravens didn't have the offense to match the defense. But with Flacco at the helm, the offense stacks up with the best, and Flacco makes sure his teammates know that.
"He came to a team that was primarily known for the defense, but now, we've got ourselves a big gun over there that can not only get it done, but he can win championships," Suggs said. "It's really good to be comfortable as a defender [and] to finally have a quarterback that you can rely on."
