Flacco officially signs 5-year deal

Associated Press • July 22, 2008 Now, Flacco's focus turns toward proving himself on the field as the Ravens' first practice kicks off this morning at McDaniel College. The rookie has set a goal of being the opening-game starter Sept. 7 against the Cincinnati Bengals as he competes with Troy Smith and Kyle Boller. "I'm going to go out there and act like I am, just like everybody should do," Flacco said. "I want to go out there and play the way I've always played football. I want to go out there and prove to everybody, prove to the coaches, most importantly, and myself and my teammates that I can play. Obviously, at the end of training camp, we're going to find out." So far, he has impressed team officials with his powerful arm strength and quiet poise. "Joe has come in and started to confirm some of the things that were told... [read full story]