We gave him a chance to announce his retirement but Joe Flacco says he is not done throwing the football. The well-traveled Super Bowl MVP comes home to Baltimore to talk about Father Time, kids in his house and the locker room, the family life in Indianapolis, great offense, bad analytics and hitting the quarterback. And the answer he gives as to why he went to the podium in Pittsburgh after throwing the Polamalu interception in the 2009 AFC Championship Game is as “elite” as he was in January 2013. Twelve years later, let Joe tell ya what he knows about real life and playing ‘ball…
Joe Flacco discussed his NFL career, expressing his desire to continue playing despite being 40 years old. He reflected on his time with the Ravens, Colts, and Browns, highlighting the challenges of adapting to new teams and the evolving rules in football. Flacco emphasized the importance of analytics but cautioned against relying solely on them, stressing the need for human judgment. He also touched on the physicality of the game and the impact of rule changes on quarterbacks. Flacco shared his love for the game, his family, and his collection of NFL memorabilia, while expressing his gratitude for the support from fans and teammates.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
Super Bowl MVP, NFL career, retirement plans, football love, team changes, player dynamics, game evolution, analytics impact, quarterback challenges, fan support, family influence, legacy in Baltimore, future plans, jersey collection, physicality in football
SPEAKERS
Nestor Aparicio, Speaker 1, Joe Flacco
Nestor Aparicio 00:01
Welcome home. We are W, N, S, T am 1570 tassel, Baltimore. We are Baltimore positive. In lieu of Super Bowl radio row, we are doing a cup of soup or bowl for the Maryland Food Bank and local food pantries. That’s going on all next week. The full schedule is up. All brought to you by the Maryland lottery. Of course, our friends at wise our friends at wise markets and wise conversations, as promised, I had all sorts of guests this week. We’ve had NFL players, several head coaches. We’ve had lots of Hall of Fame voters, a couple of Hall of Famers. And then there’s this guy, just Super Bowl MVP. He’s gonna play football till he’s like, maybe 50 or 60. I’m not sure he was still running. I, you know, I told everybody the minute that you showed up in the Colts jersey, I just had a moment where you look like Bert Jones to me back in 1976 and I thought, you know, you might as well play for every team. Maybe you’ll get a commercial out of it like Josh Jones. Joe Flacco joins us here from his beautiful estate somewhere in the swamps of Jersey. How are you
Joe Flacco 01:01
doing? Well, same old for me. So
Nestor Aparicio 01:06
just another off season, right? That’s right. Are you gonna play?
Joe Flacco 01:10
Uh, I sure hope so. Okay,
Nestor Aparicio 01:12
so this isn’t you’re not giving me the exclusive on the retirement. You’re
Joe Flacco 01:15
done. They’re not done. No, definitely not doing that.
Nestor Aparicio 01:18
How do you know you’re not done?
Joe Flacco 01:21
Um, well, I don’t know if you ever know. I mean, it’s not like once March is here. It’s not like I’m on a team, but, you know, listen, I still love the game. I mean, that’s what it’s all about, you know, this is all I know. I’m a football player. That’s what I do. It’s what I it’s what I’m good at, you know? So I’m not going to stop doing that until I absolutely have to, um,
Nestor Aparicio 01:43
the the, well, I don’t have a team thing. How many now? 456, how many years have you been watching the Super Bowl saying, I don’t know who I’m playing for next year, but I’m damn well going to play, and everybody’s going to write me off and everywhere, but I’m going to come back and I’m going to win games next year somewhere.
Joe Flacco 02:02
I don’t know how long it’s been now. It’s been too long since I’ve been, since I’ve been in that game. It’s crazy how quickly time goes. I mean, I was just talking to somebody the other day like, you know, you you blink, and the decades gone by. It’s just crazy. You know, got a kid in middle school and, you know, turned 40 years old. It’s unbelievable where the time has gone. But, you know, definitely feel very blessed for, you know, the fact that I’ve been able to continue to stay in the locker room this long and go out there and compete. You know, every year I’ve got a chance to go out there and start games and and be a part of the NFL. So it’s, it’s, it’s been a lot of fun.
Nestor Aparicio 02:38
I it’s a punch line for anybody over 35 to think any of you could do it until Brady did it. Peyton did it, you know, like Aaron Rodgers trying to do it, you’re doing it. It’s just, would you have told your 20 year old self that this would have gone this way for you? Because I’m sure you’re a pretty pensive dude. For all the comedy and children you have running around and all you do a lot of thinking, you’re a deep thinker, that if I were to sit and write a book with you, you’d have a lot of thoughts. Um, at this point in the game for you, you’re so far ahead of where maybe I thought You thought you were going to be when you pulled up in that white beater the volume 15 years ago. But I mean, for your family to come out and watch you play, you’ve done things that you couldn’t have thought that you would do, and even with your family, because I know that’s such a huge part of this. I’ve watched all this and seen your kids on TV. It’s awesome, man,
Joe Flacco 03:25
yeah, listen. I mean, I don’t know if it’s it’s definitely not gone, exactly how I would say it’s gone. I mean, I listen, I wish I was still starting, like, regularly, you know, and all that. I always wanted to play a long time, but I don’t think I envisioned 40, you know. I feel like 15 years was, like, a good number, like, okay, let’s drive for 15 years. And that would have brought me to a couple years ago, you know. But at the same time, I just don’t, when you’re 23 years old, I don’t think you have the perspective that you have, obviously, after you’ve been in the league for a handful of years. And you know, different things happen in life, and you know, like different you know, you changes your mindset a little bit, and you start to almost enjoy what you do even a little bit more. And then there’s things that come along that make it even a little bit more fun. And having kids the age of my kids now has made it more enjoyable. To a certain extent. It’s been some of the most fun that I’ve had playing football, because, you know, I have, I have kids that understand it and get it, and I just think you realize at some point, the more people that you love, that can, that can be a part of something that you love. It just makes it that much more enjoyable.
Nestor Aparicio 04:37
Joe Flacco is our guest. The familiar tones. He’s no longer a raven, but he’ll always be a raven, I guess, sort of even though he’s browns, calling me maybe Steelers, you know, who knows at this point for you in finding these places, the Cleveland thing was, you know, spotlighted. Everyone saw that. You sort of walked into the middle of it, at the end of it, and wrote it a little bit. The Colts thing was more than your what do you find when you land in these places and you get a gig and you come in just a bunch of young people? I mean, do you go on the internet, start doing faces, and who are my wife? Like, literally. I mean, I know you’re glued to the league a little bit, but you have found yourself in really unique circumstances to walk into any job as you’re not just a dude. You’re a Super Bowl MVP, you know, you’re all of that. You can still throw the ball, you still can do all of that stuff, but you walk in you don’t really know anybody, and they don’t know you, um, that that’s got to be different when you’re 40 than even when you’re 28 or 30. Or what Matt Burke or Anquan found here, right? Yeah,
Joe Flacco 05:35
it’s, you know, what I’ve honestly like, there was probably a little bit of nervousness that came along with that, like when I first did it, you know, first time I went to a new team, like, you’re walking into a building and you’re like, all right, Where do I sit? You know, who do I say hi to? How’s this gonna go? Um, I think I’ve been in a fortunate situation the last couple years, like the fact that I’ve now been in it for so long. Um, most guys have an idea of who I am. So it’s an easy icebreaker. The other, the other easy part of that is the fact that I am 40 years old now. So all these kids are like 20 to 23 years old. You know, they’re max of like, 2728 years old. And they, they, you can see it on their face that they’re like, confused as to why I’m still walking into a locker room. So it’s a nice little easy icebreaker to get to meet guys. The hard part about it for me is that everybody usually does know my name, and it takes me through, like training camp to learn everybody else’s name. You know, numbers, right? Yeah, you know, it’s, it’s one of those tough things, you know, you have little interactions with everybody. And then there’s, there’s a bunch of people that you get to know really quickly, and there’s other guys and other coaches and other staff members that you don’t and as training camp goes on and all that goes on, you get to know real you get to know everybody really well. I will say, Listen, that’s what I think it’s like. I said, I don’t know if I would have chosen to go to a million different teams in my career, if I if you asked me when I was back in my early 20s, but there are cool things about it. I mean, you get to meet so many good people, you realize that there’s so many good people behind the scenes on each one of these teams. Now, each each team has their different issues, and they’re trying to grow, and they’re trying to capture what it is that makes an organization great. But every single one of these places that I’ve been successful or not successful, they have unbelievable people behind the scenes, and just being able to be a part of that and getting to meet those people is is pretty cool. It really is.
Nestor Aparicio 07:34
What about your brain for football? I mean, you always kind of came at it pretty smart from the beginning somehow that the 2009 championship game started popping up last week even before the game. And I’m thinking the young version of you and how much football you understand now. And not only that, but every OC every head coach, even players you’re playing with, you’ve played with some other really good players since you left here in the Hall of pretty good in different ways, things that you learn along the way that maybe you didn’t even realize 10 years ago, and then seeing what people like Lamar are doing with your position, that you know, he came in, you know, almost a decade ago now, and your position has changed. Offense has changed. The way defenses plays changed. Yeah, the game,
Joe Flacco 08:16
you know, everybody wants to say the game’s changed a lot and I’m somewhat resistant to that, but at the same time, I’m not like the game still comes down to the fundamentals, the good teams. It still comes down to the basic things, you know, so what is needed to be successful hasn’t really changed. But listen when it’s and when you’re in it on the sideline and when you’re playing, it’s still the same thing that it’s always been but when you take, when you remove yourself, and you actually do watch some of these games on TV, like I have the last couple of weeks, the game has changed. I mean, you know, it the rules have changed the game a little bit, you know, just the, you know, the head stuff has changed the game a little bit. Go on Instagram, or go on any of these social media things and see some of the people that that that post stuff from 1015, years ago. Well, your
Nestor Aparicio 09:10
Alonzo hit, I don’t know you don’t remember the aftermath of it, but I was in the upper deck, dude. And just
Joe Flacco 09:15
watch, like, what Troy palmallow And Ed Reed and all the Ray Lewis just watched some of those hits and what guys were capable of doing, and now you can’t do any of that. So that has changed the game, I don’t think for the better, but it’s just, it’s just a part of it. We all adapt, and it’s been like a long process over the last probably two decades. Even when I came into the league, we were already transitioning into those things. But I, you know, listen, I remember, I mean, listen, we played the Steelers a ton, and we were playing Roethlisberger a ton, and there was a strike zone, and we were going to utilize those two steps that we got and that strike zone to hit him. And then the same thing with their running backs and receivers all that.
Nestor Aparicio 09:59
And then. Problem doing that to you, by the way, either, yeah, for sure, for
Joe Flacco 10:02
sure. That’s, that’s part of the game. And now it’s not just the penalty side of it that guys have to worry about. It’s everything that comes, you know, it’s that little, it’s that little slip that comes in on on Wednesday, or whatever it does. Well, Humphrey
Nestor Aparicio 10:16
got like, a $45,000 fine this week. Yeah, it’s,
Joe Flacco 10:20
it’s, it’s unbelievable. It’s, it’s like, all of a sudden we’ve, all of a sudden, we’ve forgotten the value of $45,000 it’s, it’s crazy. And, you know, I think it’s just what it is now. So we all adapt, and you adapt to it and and you learn the rules and you try to play within those rules and be as physical as you can. And that’s where I go back to it still does come down to those things. You do see the most physical teams still winning, and yeah, they’re probably right on that line, and they’re probably going to have to deal with a penalty or two and a fine or two. But the teams that happen to be the best are the teams that are still finding ways to be physical and, you know, kind of impose their will on teams. Are you the quarterback
Nestor Aparicio 11:05
saying that the rules have made it easier on the quarterback? I mean, I, I would just say this when I see running quarterbacks, whether it’s my homes, guys that don’t mind getting hit, or guys that move a little better than, let’s say you move at 40, that when you get to the sidelines, they’re definitely playing the game now, yeah, pulling off, trying to get penalty, like all of that has really changed the mindset of everybody on the field. I think, right? Yeah, I don’t
Joe Flacco 11:27
listen. I don’t know if you can single out a specific position. I just think offense in general. I mean, it’s been moving towards that. Like I said, it’s not this new thing that’s happened in the last three to five years. It’s, it’s been moving that way for the last 20. It just is what it is. And listen, I’m not going to complain. I’m on the offensive side of the ball. So ultimately, when it’s when it’s Sunday, I’m not going to complain. But I do think there is something when you watch these games on TV, I think, man, one of the Rams. I think it was the Rams went up and hit Devonte Smith last week, like, in two weeks ago, in that playoff game, and it’s like, man, that’s just a good play. Like, it’s not unnecessary roughness when he’s trying to break up the the reception. It’s things like that that I do think at some point they may have to revisit a little bit, just because, you know, listen, you want the best product out there. And so far there, you know, it’s been the best product, and it’s just been, the NFL has been going like this, you know, but at some point, I think people are going to feel those things. There’s, there’s a reason why we love this game in America. It’s because, and part of that is because of, you know, the physicality of it. And I think eventually, if we keep going in the direction we’re going, then something will be missed. I don’t think we’re at that point right now, but that would be my only thing is, you know, I’m not going to be playing at that point, but it’s like just watching the game. At some point, if we keep going that direction, are we going to start to lose out on what we really love about the game? Well, then there’s
Nestor Aparicio 12:52
the point where, you know, you’re from the wrong side of Philly, where gambling was illegal when you began in the league, and now you can sit on drafting, you know, so but, but the ball and chipping the ball, and you even being the quarterback, it’s getting your ass pushed and Twitch bush and all that. And you jam in there, you come up, you don’t know whether you got the first down or not. You sort of think you know where the ball went, even in your own mind. But chipping the ball in a billion dollar League, when they have championship games on fourth and inches being decided at possession in the last quarter? Wow. I mean, I at some point, I saw where baseball, and I know you love baseball and you’re tall guy, they’re measuring all the players on point line without shoes for the strike zone in the minor leagues. Maybe some of your younger brothers are still playing ball. Your kids going to play minor league baseball, like your dad, but they’re going to that on the strike zone now. And I would think they’re going to chip the football, right?
Joe Flacco 13:47
I would think so. I mean, listen, everything is moving towards that type of, type of, you know, atmosphere and thing. And I think there’s things like that that are no brainers. I think there’s other parts of it that are a little bit hard to like, you know, decide how you actually do want to implement it. But a thing, as far as chipping the ball and seeing exactly where the spot is off the top my head, I can’t see any real issues with that. That’s just something that’s going to make every you know, it’s like replay was 2530 years ago, whenever they decided to implement it, it’s made the game so much more fair and and honest, and that’s what you want. So you know, and plays come up every single every single game, there’s spots and things like that that come up. And you have no idea. I mean, the reps, it’s so hard for them to see when these go down, and you know when guys have their backs turned and they’re in the pile of 12 guys like where the actual where the ball actually is. So if they can actually have a good system where they pinpoint where that where that tip of that ball is, then I definitely think that’s a good thing for the game. Joe
Nestor Aparicio 14:56
Flacco is our gas Super Bowl MVP. He’s currently unemployed. Boy and hanging with his family and playing golf, and I don’t know what else he’s doing, hoping to get another gig, you know, on the science and the analytics side of things, back when the Costa was talking to me, and back when baseball was really getting into it, Moneyball, and I know you’re from a baseball family as well, how much is the game changed in this period of 17 years since you’ve been running around 18 years of doing this on the analytics side for you, even with things that Harbaugh was doing when you were here, which is more like we’re going to go on fourth down from anywhere on the field, just those parts of the game that have changed since, let’s say you were at pitter Delaware.
Joe Flacco 15:37
Well, it’s just one of those things that you’re always trying to get better, right? You’re always trying to find little ways to get better and add little coaching, you know, at a coach here, at a coach there, you know? And I think all those things kind of add to that. And one the more you kind of move towards, like, there’s eventually, there’s a point where, like, how much more can you do? And we’re just approaching that point. I don’t know if we’re anywhere close to it, but it’s just another way to, you know, really make sure you’re getting the most out of every game. Now the analytics thing is, is it’s not as simple as looking at analytics and saying, This is what we should do. I think there’s a lot of data that comes with all the stuff that they’re tracking these days, and being able to interpret that data, and then actually, you know, apply it on game day. I think everybody probably it still comes down to human error, because I think everybody has a different opinion on how to apply that those analytics and what they actually mean. And as people, I honestly don’t think we’re great at applying those analytics. I think when you look at the analytics, a lot of the times, specifically on all the fourth down things that everybody’s going for. I think a lot of the times, because we know that Analytics says Go for it on fourth down, rather than use the analytics and the flow of the and all that to say, hey, we’re going to make a, you know, we’re going to make a really good decision here, go for it on fourth down because of this, this and this. I think it’s a good I think most of the time it ends up being, hey, we’re going for it, because I guarantee you, Analytics says that this is good time to go for it, and let’s just do it. And they end up you. I think a lot of people end up using the analytics as an excuse to say, Screw it. Let’s go for it where it’s not it’s not always the best idea.
8Nestor Aparicio 17:36
Well, Blackjack, if you go against the book, you just don’t do it right? Like, literally, right,
Joe Flacco 17:41
yeah, you literally just don’t do it. And I don’t think in football, in over the course of 60 minutes, there’s a big enough sample size to say, hey, Analytics says, go for it. Let’s go for it. Like, yeah, if you got 354th down and twos in one game, and the game came down to getting 55% of them. Well, then, yeah, go for it. But when you only get one and you’re the better team, and you don’t need to go for it and all those different things, like, there’s still a human element to it that you don’t always need to listen to those things, I think people do go for it, and then in the post game, they can say, well, analytics said, go for it, even though it didn’t work. I think that’s kind of what ends up happening more so than others. And our defense
Nestor Aparicio 18:26
thinks when we give the ball away too. Yeah,
Joe Flacco 18:30
it’s tough. It’s tough. Like, if you’re going to use Analytics, you literally now I think, I just think I’m those, one of those persons, if you’re going to really, truly use Analytics, you probably have to switch your whole game plan to literally do what those analytics tell you to do, and you have to live and die by it, like, all the time, not just like, oh, this time I’m going to go to the analytics, and this time, you know what, I’m going to go with my gut, and this time I’m going to, you know, and I think that’s ultimately what people do, because it’s hard not to do that. Like, it’s hard not it’s hard to go with the analytics every single time and, and if you’re not doing that well, then you’re not really playing house. You’re not really, I don’t think, doing how stats, you know, actually going how stats work. Um,
Nestor Aparicio 19:13
somebody takes the hit on a card that they should in your table. It screws up the whole deck. Yeah,
Joe Flacco 19:19
you see it. You see it in these games, I mean, and I’ve been a lot, I’ve been a part a lot of these games where they come down to one score, like taking a field goal is still important. I don’t care if the analytics say it is or not, because you’re not. You might not get it. You might not get that fourth down. You might be going against a really good defense. Going for two points is not always the best move, you know, and I think we’ve seen it a handful of times these last couple games. I mean, you know, it’s 14 to 12, and it’s the beginning of the second quarter, and you feel like you have to go for two to tie it at 14. Well, the scoring end in 1414, like maybe you should just do 1413, for now and and see where that takes. See it. See where you end up a quarter and a half from now. There’s a lot of things like that. Listen, I understand it. It does help you make decisions. But if you’re not, if you’re not doing it every single time and letting it make your decision for you every single time, well now you’re now you’re messing the odds up in some way. I’m sure of it. Joe
Nestor Aparicio 20:19
Flacco is here. We’re talking some football, some life, some Philadelphia life and all that stuff. So where are you on the quarterbacks and the MVPs and the like all where the game is gone for Lamar and Josh Allen to do things that maybe you couldn’t do when you were 25 speed wise, but perceiving the game and having the kind of success that Lamar has had in the aftermath of being here, and a lot of that is I, and I’ve said this out loud, I was known as the because you and I were close, the Lamar thing was always to me, Well, he doesn’t like Lamar. I didn’t like quarterbacks running into linebackers, just in a general sense, I felt like injury was going to be an issue. And I think all that we said earlier in the conversation about protecting quarterbacks that the game has changed, just in a general sense, sliding was considered I had a whole bunch of Hall of Fame voters on here. They’re like, if you slip, we wouldn’t have voted you into the Hall of Fame. 25 years ago, there was something very like, not cool about sliding in the old century that now is part of the game for quarterbacks. These guys have certainly utilized their youth the game, they’ve improved. I would think you would look at Lamar and say, Boy, throws the ball better than he did when he was a rookie. And I was there. I think everybody’s looked at it that way. Just you’re watching these games on TV. I know it’s always hard for you because you want to be playing in them, but I think you have great respect for all the things that Patrick mahomes has done here in the aftermath of Tom Brady. I
Joe Flacco 21:40
think when you played the position, you know how hard things could be. So anytime you see guys out there having success or not having success, you can put yourself in those shoes and have respect for them at the end of the day. You know these guys, anytime you get to this point in the year and you’re playing football, You’ve obviously done a lot of things the right way, and that’s what these guys are doing. They’re on good football teams. They’re elevating their team. You know, it’s all the above. It’s it’s what this game is all about. You know, it’s trying to find the best ways to win and and play into your strengths. So I’m
Nestor Aparicio 22:15
going to come about this a different way, because the mark Andrews thing last week, I was not in Buffalo. I wasn’t up there in the cold waiting for him to come to the podium. You know, from the minute you got here that I sniffed around you guys pretty good. I was everywhere you were, whether you wanted me to be there or not, for better or worse, the whole time you were purple right on up till my left eye was almost touching the art on your chest, because we were all getting pushed together in New Orleans underneath the stadium that that’s 12 years ago now, right? So for the mark Andrews thing, I’m going to go back this a little differently, because I wrote a piece about him not speaking, and then I didn’t really realize that I had asked not only Billy cundie for the first question, but you after the Lee Evans game in Foxboro. There’s a video of it. It’s up on YouTube, and I think it’s as simple as what happened on the play. Or, I think I said to you after the Lee Evans, the question was, did you think he caught it? Because I You look like at that moment. So there’s these tough moments where you put a towel on Chad comes and gets you, or whoever’s Patrick, whoever was getting you, and you’re led down the hallway, and you’re going to come out to the podium, and I’m going to be sitting there, James, the world gonna be sitting there. Why do you do that? And why did you always do that? Why was it, why did you sense it important to come out to that podium? Because you did it every time win or lose. You threw a tough pick in Palo Motley you know, you had losses, and you were there for the win too. And I always admired that about not just you, but anybody like you, because that’s what my dad taught me
Joe Flacco 23:49
to be. Yeah, it was just part of it’s just part of the job, right? You know, I don’t know if I ever thought that I couldn’t do it, not not that I wouldn’t have gone up there and done it, but first of all, it’s just part of your job. That’s what you do. You go up there as the quarterback after the game. And, you know, I don’t think I was ever given the option, like, Hey, Joe, you can stay in here today if you want what you have felt. No, of course not. Why?
Nestor Aparicio 24:12
Why? Though, there’s my question.
Joe Flacco 24:18
I mean, listen, I Yeah, it’s one of those. I’m not great with quotes, and I don’t really have any life lessons for you, but you know who you are in those tough times, you know definitely is a reflection of, you know, I guess what you show in those tough times is definitely a reflection of who you are. And I think you have to think about the people that are looking up to you and that have taught you, you know, through your life and kind of like now I’m at the position where I can think of my kids like and I wouldn’t want to have that example for them. I want to be, you know, they those guys. Probably view me. Who knows how they view me, but I’m their dad. So you can picture how people that have you know that have dads view their dad. And if I was to not go up there, well that would shatter that idea of who I am. So I think you have to try to act. And then I look at my parents and like my father, and you just try to act how you would assume they would act in those moments. And you know, so look up to you, look at your hero, and say, how would they act in this moment? Okay, well, that’s how I have to act if I don’t, no matter if I want to or not. Listen, if you play in the NFL, if you play any sport, to the at the level that you want to at some point, you’re going to deal with things that you don’t want to do, and it’s hard to realize it in a moment, but being able to do those thing, things even though you don’t want to, is going to lead toward, you know, it’s going to lead to growth, and it’s going to, it’s going to allow you to kind of get over that moment a little bit easier than if you didn’t do those things. Because at least you can look at yourself and and think about how you handle it in that moment. And listen, I don’t even know really about the mark. I don’t really know what about about Mark. I mean, all I know is that, you know, the game didn’t go their way, and that they didn’t get the two point conversion and things like that. Listen, the only thing I would say to him is like, I think in the moment, players kind of feel like a little bit like embarrassed, and they feel like they let they feel like they’ve let their team down. Um, players are very forgiving of other players, because we’re in the locker room with each other, and we see how much work we, each one of us, puts in, and we’re out there every day grinding and battling with each other. So the last people that are going to look at you as a teammate and like, want to put blame on anybody are your teammates and your coaches. Like, I know emotions, unless you’re dogging it, right? That’s a different thing. But we’re not. We’re assuming that’s not the case. Like, right? Like I said, players are very forgiving, man. Like, we leave it all in the field, and we understand that things like that are going to happen sometimes. And it’s not to say that you’re not disappointed, but the last thing you’re going to do is look at one of your brothers and feel like you know, feel a certain way towards them. You have nothing but love for those guys. So I would say, try to remind yourself of that, like your teammates love you, like they’ve been out there battling with you. They know what you can do for the team. So stand tall. Stand tall when in those moments, nobody’s, you know, like people are already respect you, and they’re going to continue to respect you if you do those things. Um, but like I said, I think players, they’re somewhat you get this feeling like, oh my gosh, all eyes are on me. Everybody hates me. You know, guys are worried enough about themselves, you know, and making sure that they’ve been doing the right things, that they’re not that focused on, you you know, making one little mistake here and there, and even a big mistake, they’re just not, you know, they had so many things that they had to worry about throughout that game and and all those other things that that’s consuming their mind. They’re looking at themselves and saying, Okay, what did I do? You know? Well, the Mars probably
Nestor Aparicio 28:23
thinking, I wish I do a better pass in some way. Like, you know, when the thing I wish I would have done this or that, or we have to go for two there, because there’s all of that revisionist history in every game and in every career, right? You can always
Joe Flacco 28:35
do it. And it stinks. It does. Like, listen, we all know we have that feeling. I go back to that, if you play the game long enough, and at the level you want to, you’re going to go through those feelings. And it’s just a matter of moving on and realizing that you’re gonna have to deal with things like that and look in the mirror and say, who am I? And then just go, face it, face it, man, I gotta, I’m telling you, like everybody in that locker room has his back for sure, like, you know, definitely a guy like that. There’s no reason for him to feel any kind of, like I said, there’s no reason for him to kind of put his head down and kind of hide from people and feel that way. Because those guys don’t feel that way towards him. They really don’t. And I think, I think you can get in your own head, and you can get you can feel like, Oh my god. Guys are looking at me like, What did I just do? It’s not how it is. Well, you
Nestor Aparicio 29:29
are the young guy in Oh, nine. I bring up that watch a couple times. You’re close to making that play, damn. That game was close, man. Thinking for every Washington football fan who went through the pain this weekend, or whatever. I’m like, we lost three championships. I mean, not, not you last year. We’re talking about my homes here. But like, as fans, like it sucks, and it sucked before you got here when we lost with McNair in the game, where rake was sobbing in the trade, just couldn’t come out, because it hurts that much. It does it around the. All my life, like losing is hard, and I’ve always like, you had to come out and say, I threw the pick that cost us a chance to go to the Super Bowl. But I’m a kid, one day, I’ll be there, right? I mean, that’s how you have to think about it.
Joe Flacco 30:14
Listen, you have to really be grateful to be in those situations. You really do. That’s what this game is all about. You want to be in those situations, and you’re going to fail. Sometimes you just are. If you’re a good enough player and a good enough team, and you’re constantly in those situations, you’re going to come up short from time to time, and it’s about how you react to that. Listen. I mean, I’m not exactly where I want to be. We talked about it in the beginning of this interview, but it’s about keeping going, man, like I love this game, I’m not going to give up on this game. I love to play it, and I enjoy playing it, and you can’t let little things along the way get you down. I mean, he’s a heck of a player, and like I said, just face the noise. Everybody already sees it. They know what you’ve done. The fans, players, I’ve always think that fans have a harder time because they you know you don’t have when you’re watching this, something from afar, and you don’t have control of the outcome, it’s harder to deal with the results sometimes, when, when, when you have control the outcome, and you and you and you came through, or you came up short. Um, guys in that locker room understand it. So just keep your head up high and you know, and move on, and you want to have success next year. Well, you better move on quick. You know,
Nestor Aparicio 31:38
Joe Flacco is here. He’s not moving on. He’s going to be quarterbacking some other team next year. And this is sort of like same time next year. We get together once a year. And what did you learn in India this year? You know, how was your year? Your family give everybody a little bit in Baltimore, a little bit of you’re out of diapers and all that. Right? Now you’re chasing like real kids. These are real little humans. I’ve seen them all. Some of them are bigger humans.
Joe Flacco 32:01
Yeah, they’re real kids. Yeah, they’re turning into little animals, little punks that, you know, almost in their teenage years. Listen, Indianapolis was, was great. It was another year, and we moved the whole family out there. Everybody went to school, adapted well. People were great out there to towards us. My kids jumped right in. And the football team was great, you know, I have nothing but great people, but great things to say about the organization and the people out there, they treated it, you know, they treated me well. It seems like everybody there really likes to be a part of the organization. And, you know, we hope the year went a little bit different than it did, but it was still, it was still a growing, a growth experience and a lot of fun for me, my family,
Nestor Aparicio 32:42
I’m having a growth experience. Back to my youth, I started collecting 1971 belt Bucha. This is my childhood belt buckle, my Sears belt buckle in 1973 when I was like five years old, and I’ve now, you know, you’re collecting jerseys. What do you what have you done through all these places to collect all these stamps, these NFL stamps. I mean, it has you keep all the jerseys helmets. You having fun with all of this, keeping all
Joe Flacco 33:08
the helmets, keeping all the helmets, trying to get as many jerseys, honestly, as I can, because like, just like this, when this season ended, I had a bunch of people come up and ask me for a jersey. So I tell the equipment I try to tell the equipment managers early on, like, hey, just get me a jersey for every game. That way I can feel good about keeping two or three of them and not have to feel bad about giving a bunch away towards the end of the year. Yeah, because guys, like I said earlier, guys are kind of looking at me like, holy, you know, holy shit. This dude’s 40 years old. What’s he doing? So they usually like to ask for a jersey. And I, I want to be, I want to be prepared for the process. You know, sometimes if they really want a jersey, I’m like, Listen guys, like, let me, let me at least try to get you in Baltimore one. So I’ll have the equipment manager reach out and, you know, to conico or something, and try to hook them up with the, you know, with, with a, with a Baltimore one, just because I feel like that’s probably a little bit better keepsake for them. You’re proud
Nestor Aparicio 34:01
of everything here. I mean, here’s why you come back and deal with me once a year, just make sure they don’t forget about you around here. But do you think about Baltimore much? Do you think about what whenever it’s over a couple years, 10 years from now, whenever it’s over, about whatever the legacy is that you have here, because you are wearing other jerseys pretty regular here lately, and there’s a feeling like at some point they’re going to come back here and be five and Joe, right? Well,
Joe Flacco 34:26
listen, I saw myself and in my career there, you know? So it’s like I said, it goes back to just the love for the game and still wanting to play. And this is my situation right now. I love the city of Baltimore and the people there and the fans there are second to none. They’re unbelievable. And I think you can see that week in and week out, I love my time. There have a ton of memories and friends from that city, and you know, yeah, eventually I’ll be back. I don’t care. It’s anytime soon, and honestly, like, that’s the other thing. Like, no, I don’t need to talk to you for people to remember to me. I could care less. Forget about me, you know, like, let me, let me go into hiding. Forget about me. All that. But, yeah, listen, I spent 11 years there, raised my family there, and had a lot of unbelievable experiences on that football field with a great organization. So you know, nothing but great things about Baltimore. You
Nestor Aparicio 35:25
know, they do room Raiders since the plague. And you know, you’re not one for the fake back this, by the way, really lived. It is a fake background picture behind you. There’s a bunch of, like, kids sneakers.
Speaker 1 35:36
Yeah, that’s exactly right. And they’re all
Nestor Aparicio 35:39
different sizes and boys anyway. Joe Flacco, Super Bowl champion, Thanks for always coming on. You make me laugh. It’s always, you know, it means a lot that you spend a little time here. Come back. Get a crab cake. I gotta, you know, I gotta feed your whole family now, so it’s good, okay, but, but come on down and and see us sometimes. And good luck getting a gig here this year. Alright? Nestor, if it doesn’t, I’ll bother you. You’ll be my analyst. Yeah, I don’t know about that. You’ll be working. See it. Joe Bucha joining us here, live via satellite from his palatial state in New Jersey. I am Nestor. We are wnst. Am 1570 Towson, Baltimore. Stay with us. We’re Baltimore positive.
