Harbaugh names Flacco starting quarterback for remainder of season

By Jamison Hensley and Edward Lee and Ravens coach John Harbaugh has given rookie first-round draft pick Joe Flacco the starting quarterback job for the rest of the season. It was previously unknown whether Troy Smith, a contender for the starting job in the preseason, would be able to compete with Flacco when Smith recovered from a tonsil infection. But Harbaugh said yesterday that Smith would remain the No.3 quarterback this week and would be able to vie this season only for the backup job, which is held by Todd Bouman. "That'll be [Smith's] role this year - possibly into a role where he can contribute playing quarterback for us down the road," Harbaugh said. The 29th-rated passer in the NFL, Flacco has completed 58.5percent of his passes for 603 yards. He has thrown one touchdown and four interceptions. Asked about his... [read full story]