Boller, Smith eagerly await Flacco arrival
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OWINGS MILLS, Md.: Kyle Boller spent five years working his way to the top of the Baltimore Ravens' depth chart. He was named the starting quarterback when he was too young to handle the pressure, battled through injuries in 2003 and 2005, and served the past two years as a dutiful backup to Steve McNair.
As a reward, the Ravens picked Delaware quarterback Joe Flacco in the first round of the 2008 NFL draft and general manager Ozzie Newsome promptly labeled him "the guy to lead our football team into the future."
Boller was on the golf course when the pick was made. He received the news by text message.
"I was pretty prepared for it. It's one of those deals. I was one of those guys five years ago," Boller said Friday. "I'm happy for him. It's a special time for him, and I think it's going to be a lot of fun."
Boller and Troy Smith handled all the quarterback duties at minicamp this week, but the competition for the starting job will heat up next Friday when Flacco joins the fray at a mandatory camp.
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Competition? To hear Boller and Smith talk, it's as if they intend to have a sleepover with the rookie and will tuck him in at night.
"I'm happy to have Joe here. I'm sure I'll be able to help him out," Boller said. "We're all in this together. We're all going to try to do everything we can to lead this offense and to score a lot of points this year and hopefully win a lot of games."
Smith, a fifth-round pick who played sparingly last year, insists the addition of Flacco will not influence his preparation for the 2008 season.
"I can't do anything about that. The organization has made a decision to go that route, and I think it's a good one," Smith said. "Last season, we had to use all three quarterbacks, and there's no doubt in my mind that if the chance comes, Joe Flacco is going to be a good quarterback, he's going to be a good player."
There is every indication that Flacco will be given the opportunity to start the season opener, which is precisely what Boller did during his first season. Looking back, Boller wonders if former coach Brian Billick did him a favor by thrusting him into a starting role so soon.
"I just don't think I was ready to be playing," he said. "I felt like I was ready at the time, but knowing defenses now and just learning this offense, there's a lot to learn. But I'm not going to say you can't do it."
And in a week, Flacco will start trying to prove he's capable of doing just that. He will have some help, too, from the same two guys the rookie hopes to displace.
"Whatever I can do to help this team, I'm going to do it. I look forward to having him here, working with him," Boller said.
Said Smith: "I'm going to have to. That's where we excel as quarterbacks, having an understanding that we have to help the next guy. There's no doubt in my mind that Kyle Boller will do the same thing for him."
New coach John Harbaugh insists the only thing his quarterbacks should care about is mastering the new offense of Cam Cameron, rather than trying to outdo each other. That was the theme of the camp this week.
"It's Troy against Troy, and Troy operating our offense, and Kyle against Kyle, and Kyle operating our offense, just like it's going to be Joe against Joe next week," Harbaugh said. "That's where we are right now. We're building a foundation, and they're doing a nice job."
The best quarterback will be the starter, but Harbaugh acknowledged that the Ravens have reason to want Flacco to succeed.
"The quarterback of the future is going to be whoever gives us the best chance to win games. ... To say anything else or assume anything else, that would be a mistake except for the fact that when you have a first-round draft pick coming in here, that's the expectation for him," the coach said. "We drafted him because we believe he can be that guy. If he's going to be that guy, that's up to him. We'll find out."
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