Texans vs. Ravens: Joe Flacco Is Responsible for His Own Lack of Respect

Joe Flacco has a bone to pick with his critics. 

On Wednesday, the Baltimore Ravens quarterback was asked point-blank if he thinks he's done enough to silence his critics. Instead of giving a straight answer, Flacco got snippy.

"I'm sure if we win, I'll have nothing to do with why we won according to you guys," he said, via ESPN.com. "It is what it is."

"You guys" in this case would be the media, but Flacco may as well be talking to his legions of critics among the NFL's fanbase. Despite the fact he has an impressive 44-20 record as a starter during the regular season, pigskin fans just don't think he's all that great.

On the one hand, Flacco has a point. If he plays well and the Ravens beat the Houston Texans on Sunday, he'll only get a portion of the credit. Compared to quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Tom Brady, the three of whom get all the credit when their teams win, that's just not very fair.

On the other hand, there is a reason why Flacco doesn't get the credit he thinks he deserves. The Ravens drafted him in 2008 with hopes that he would lead them back to the Super Bowl. Yet when the going has gotten tough in the playoffs, Flacco has wilted.

It's happened every year he's been in the league.

In 2008, Flacco led the Ravens to the AFC Championship Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He then proceeded to complete 13 of his 30 passes, and he threw three interceptions. The Ravens lost 23-14.

In 2009, Flacco and the Ravens squared off against the Indianapolis Colts in the divisional round. He completed 20-of-35 passes, but for only 189 yards. He added two interceptions. The Ravens lost 20-3.

Last year, Flacco and the Ravens met the Steelers in the divisional round. Flacco was better, completing 16 of his 30 passes with one touchdown, but he only managed 125 yards and he threw and interception. The Ravens lost 31-24.

The Ravens played well enough to win all three of these games, but Flacco simply didn't answer the call. In a day and age where playoff performance is everything when it comes to quarterbacks, he has been judged accordingly.

One thing that's for certain is that Flacco is not going to make his reputation go away by talking about it. Oddly enough, this is a trick that he tried before the season even kicked off.

“It doesn’t matter what other people say,” Flacco said in July of 2011, per Pro Football Talk. “I think I’m pretty damn good. I don’t need to go out and tell everybody that and show it on every given Sunday. I go out there and I play. You can think what you want about me. The bottom line is: I’m going to feel pretty good about myself no matter what you say.”

Judging from what Flacco had to say on Wednesday, he still thinks he's pretty damn good. 

And that's a good thing. Confidence is key, and Flacco is going to need as much confidence as he can get going up against a Texans defense that was one of the best units in the league during the regular season. The Ravens are going to need Flacco to step up in order to win.

If Flacco steps up, people might get off his back. In all likelihood, though, he'll have to keep winning before that happens.

If Flacco and the Ravens lose, Flacco's reputation will hold. 

Here's hoping he would have the good sense not to whine about it.