Flacco makes solid first impression with Ravens

Joe Flacco dropped back in the pocket, scanned the field, cocked his arm and tossed a spiral far downfield. Mark Clayton sprinted under the ball and made the catch in stride, one step ahead of the defender.

Ah, if only playing quarterback in the NFL was that easy. Instead of pumping his fist or showing any outward sign of pleasure, the first-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens simply walked away from the line of scrimmage and awaited another opportunity.

"I'm just moving onto the next play. The last thing I'm thinking about is the play I just completed," Flacco said. "This is a new offense for me, and I'm worried about the next play and making sure I know what to do."

Flacco endured a steady rain during his first day on the job at the team's mandatory minicamp Friday. Wearing a red jersey with the No. 5, the 6-foot-6 rookie from the University of Delaware set out to prove he's worthy of the 18th overall pick in the NFL draft and capable of starting in his first season.

The first hurdle Flacco encountered was getting over the sense of awe that comes with being alongside some of the finest players in his profession.

"There's guys out there I've been watching on TV for who knows how many years now, and they're getting after it," he said. "This is football at a high level. You know that coming in, but you don't know what level it is. To go out there, get the first practice out of the way and really find out what it's about was really fun."

It might take a while before Flacco becomes entirely comfortable being around one of the most intimidating players in the league, a standout linebacker who makes a living chasing down quarterbacks.

"Yeah, it's definitely different to see Ray Lewis come into the locker room and be on your team. I'll get used to that, but I don't know if I am right now," Flacco said. "… He was just joking around with me, telling me he was going to get a pick off of me, all those kind of things. We'll see."

CLICK it 4 the full read.......just for the record i still dig flacco (lol) !!! i don't see him starting, but he's going to be an asset to this team!!!