Super Bowl 2012: Joe Flacco's Career Will Be Unfairly Defined vs. Patriots

In the world of the NFL, perception does not often equal reality.

The truth is that Joe Flacco is an undeniable franchise quarterback. Flacco has made it to the playoffs in each of his four years in the NFL, winning one postseason game every year. But if he doesn't at least take the Baltimore Ravens the Super Bowl this year, he's going to face a rash of criticism for not being a money quarterback. 

Flacco has started every game of his four-year NFL career. Take a look at how he's done. 

Record	Yards	Comp. %	Touchdowns	Interceptions
44-20	13,816	60.8	80	46

That is an average of 11-5, 3,454 yards, 20 touchdowns and just over 11 interceptions. All of this is for a quarterback who just turned 27. There is plenty of room for Flacco to grow, and he is starting from a pretty good place. 

Unfortunately, when you make the playoffs four years in a row and fail to make the Super Bowl, people are going to ask ridiculous questions, and use your success against you. If the Ravens lose on Sunday, then they will have lost to the AFC Champions in each of his four years, and at least one of those (2008 Pittsburgh Steelers), will have won the Super Bowl.

With the exception of Ray Rice, Flacco has rarely been given the offensive weapons to help him win in the playoffs. Being a one-dimensional team is killer when going against playoff caliber opposition. Still, Flacco's record in postseason play is 6-3.

The ironic thing is that if the Ravens had missed the playoffs in at least one of those years, this game would not be nearly as important for his legacy. You can't be seen as a big-game choker if you're not consistently making the big games. 

But because he's been to the playoffs every year, and now the AFC Championship Game twice, Flacco now has an unfair burden on him to get his team to the Super Bowl. If Flacco loses this game, it is hard to imagine him not being under an extremely big microscope going into next season. 

That isn't at all fair on a quarterback that has consistently won, and taken his team to the playoffs, but it is the reality of the situation. When you put yourself in the spotlight, you need to come through. When you don't, you're better off not getting there. 

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