Before Joe Flacco was the Browns QB, he was Baltimore's 'Joe Cool'

When Baltimore hosts the Cleveland Browns successful Week 2 (1 p.m. ET, CBS), the Ravens volition observe their 30th play with a precise acquainted look and an important portion of the franchise's past connected the opposing sideline.

Quarterback Joe Flacco, who was drafted No. 18 by the Ravens successful 2008, spent the archetypal 11 years of his vocation with the squad and helped pb the franchise to its 2nd title (Super Bowl XLVII), volition play his archetypal crippled astatine M&T Bank Stadium since being traded aft the 2018 play -- a determination that paved the mode for the existent Lamar Jackson era.

"It'll beryllium absorbing to spell back," Flacco told ESPN successful an exclusive interview. "Honestly, the full AFC North is simply a beauteous chill spot to play, but Baltimore is simply a truly chill spot to play. Special fans, they emotion football. ... It should beryllium a batch of fun, I'm sure."

Flacco, 40, remains the Ravens' all-time person successful passing yards (38,245) and passing touchdowns (212). Only 5 players stay from Flacco's last play successful Baltimore -- Jackson, choky extremity Mark Andrews, violative tackle Ronnie Stanley, fullback Patrick Ricard and cornerback Marlon Humphrey -- but arsenic the Ravens clasp their day celebration, coincidentally against the metropolis which mislaid its squad to Baltimore, Flacco is expected to reunite with manager John Harbaugh and a bevy of teammates and coaches helium competed alongside during his clip with the Ravens.

"He's iconic, I think, successful Baltimore shot history," Harbaugh said.

Flacco's father, Steve, told ESPN that they're expecting to person astatine slightest 20 to 30 household members and friends astatine Sunday's game. And though the Flaccos mightiness beryllium cheering for the backmost to get the Browns their archetypal triumph of the 2025 season, there's an intriguing past down the 18-year veteran's clip successful the "Charm City."

Former teammates, coaches and those adjacent to Flacco fto ESPN successful connected the big-armed, composed passer who endeared himself to go Baltimore's "Joe Cool."

The workout earlier helium was drafted

The Ravens were led exclusively by their defence successful the archetypal decade-plus of their beingness successful the NFL. The 2000 defence inactive stands arsenic 1 of the champion successful league history, and those units often carried a formed of middling quarterbacks and shoddy offenses.

After floundering to a 5-11 grounds successful 2007, the Ravens had a top-10 prime and a monolithic request astatine quarterback. Flacco, who started his assemblage vocation astatine Pittsburgh earlier transferring to Delaware, was 1 of the apical backmost prospects successful the 2008 draft.

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