Baltimore Ravens Owner Wants Joe Flacco to Step Up in Ray Lewis’ Leadership Role
By Josh Sanchez
The Baltimore Ravens have a lot of holes to fill on their roster after losing a number of quality players during the offseason, but there is no bigger void that will need to be filled than the leadership of future Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis. Without Lewis on the team, the Ravens lack a true leader and they will be searching to find a man to step in to that role. For team owner Steve Bisciotti, the choice should be easy. Bisciotti wants to see his $100 million quarterback, Joe Flacco, step up and show that he has what it takes to be the unquestioned leader of this team.
“You are the leader now, like it or not,” Bisciotti told Flacco, according to the team’s website.
Flacco may have played like a superstar during the team’s improbable playoff run, but he never appeared to be the leader of that team. Flacco is more of a laid back guy that takes things in stride rather than taking the bulls by the horn and calling the shots.
However, while there are different ways for Flacco to lead other than being vocal, he needs to find what works best for him and really step in to that roll.
People are still hesitant to rank Flacco among the elite signal-callers in the game, but it is hard to deny what he has done during his short time in the league. Because of this, Bisciotti says that the players will be looking to him for direction and now it is time to step up.
“Not many guys do what you did in five years. Not many did it your way,” Bisciotti said. “Not many like the way you do it. But I said at the end-of-the-year press conference after last year’s [AFC championship] defeat, that I think the fans of Baltimore will be rewarded by your low-key presence, and it will stand the test of time. Indeed it did, and we all hope it continues to do that.”
If Baltimore is going to build off of the success from the end of last season, there will definitely be a lot of pressure on Flacco’s shoulders.
He is now one of the most accomplished players on the roster, so he needs to use his experience to influence the younger players and to make sure he guides his team in the right direction — which will be another playoff run if he plays his cards right.