The Best News Ravens Fans Could Get Today: Joe Flacco Is Likely To Be Ready By The Start Of Training Camp Next Year

ESPN – The Baltimore Ravens don’t believe quarterback Joe Flacco will miss the start of the 2016 season after tearing his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in Sunday’s 16-13 win over the St. Louis Rams. “Indications that I’ve been given is he would be back for the start of training camp and it wouldn’t be an issue,” coach John Harbaugh said Monday. “However, as we well know, those are always things that get determined by how the rehab goes.” An MRI on Monday confirmed that Flacco tore both knee ligaments. He will wait at least one week until the swelling comes down in the left knee before having both ligaments surgically repaired, according to Harbaugh. The recovery period for ACL reconstruction is generally six to nine months. The start of Ravens’ training camp is about eight months away.

Excellent. It sucks to see Joe go down and get surgery and all that, but as long as he’s ready to go for 2016, then this whole ACL/MCL tear thing really ain’t no sweat. I have no doubt that Joe will rehab like the champ that he is and come back stronger than ever. He’ll take this in stride just like he takes everything in stride.

What I wish for Joe, though, is that we go out and get him some guys he can actually flourish with. And that begins with his contract re-structuring. He’s set to make $28.5 million next year, a number that both sides have repeatedly said will be lowered before next year. Step number 1 is piecing his knee back together, but that re-structure is step 2. From there we can look at grabbing another receiver via free agency if they don’t go that direction early in the draft. And then maybe a left tackle that won’t miss every other game like Eugene Monroe does (which ultimately results in the backup getting bowled into knee). Whatever it takes. Joe has showed time and time again that he’s willing to put himself out there in harm’s way with less than mediocre talent around him. Now it’s time to reward him with the tools he needs to win another Super Bowl. He just needs to help himself first with a reasonable re-structure. Fix knee, then fix football team. Let’s get it done.

PS: this quote from Crockett Gillmore about Flacco’s toughness on Sunday was gold. Highest compliment a Texan can bestow.