Joe Flacco has people swooning over more than his arm these days.
According to Baltimore Magazine's Jess Mayhugh, the Ravens quarterback has gotten hot. Yes, this is breaking news.
"Something has become undeniable lately and I must speak on it," Mayhugh wrote. "There has been a shift in the universe. Joe Flacco got hot."
Mayhugh, who gave the disclaimer that football is about performance and not looks, continues …
"This was the same guy who the fans and media mercilessly teased about having a unibrow," she wrote. "This was the dude who, when we didn't think it could get any worse, grew a Fu Manchu mustache. This was the player who, despite his elite (yes, elite) status and Super Bowl ring, was still so desperately awkward in commercials and tediously boring in press conferences.
"All of the sudden, it appears that Joe Flacco has acquired some — dare I say it — swagger."
As someone who has been around Flacco since 2009, he's long dabbled in different styles over the years. Some of them worked. Some of them didn't.
See below for a clear evolution of Flacco's travel style from the 2009 playoffs to the 2014 playoffs.
He's definitely become more aware of his appearance, and especially his hair. Personally, I think tight end Dennis Pitta – who never has a single hair out of place – has rubbed off on his bestie. Kicker Justin Tucker has probably influenced Flacco, too. Or maybe, actually probably, he's trying to look good for his wife, Dana. Ooooor he's copying my haircut (a very real possibility).
"Maybe he grew into his looks. Maybe he got a new stylist. Maybe the evolution had been happening all along and we were too blind to see it," Mayhugh wrote. "But now, with a brand new** **commercial, even his acting skills aren't that bad. Or maybe they're still bad, but now I suddenly find them endearing."
Mayhugh isn't the only one that has recently noticed Flacco's shift. SB Nation's Nathan Beaucage documented Flacco's hair evolution over the years.
I would ask Flacco about all of this, but I know he'd just brush me off. Plus, I don't want to.
