Quote:The jury remains out regarding whether he’s elite. A verdict has been issued regarding whether he’s passionate.

Former Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis says current Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco isn’t.

“Gifted? Absolutely. Passionate about what he do? I’ve never seen that,” Lewis said Thursday on FOX Sports 1, via Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. “I don’t know what that looks like.”

Flacco and Lewis spent five seasons together with the Ravens.

“Maybe it’s because his personality just isn’t that personality,” Lewis said of Flacco. “He’s not a rah-rah guy. He won’t say much. But, in the game of football, there has to be some burning fire behind you.”

Hensley pointed out some remarks from Flacco showing that the linebacker and quarterback have different styles.

“I love Ray, and I love how he always spoke from the heart, but if you listened to those speeches, a lot of them didn’t even make sense,” Flacco said a year after Lewis retired. “He meant everything he was saying, but I didn’t know what he was talking about 90 percent of the time.”

There’s no misunderstanding the current words from Ray Lewis, and it will be interesting to see what the Ravens players and coaches have to say in response to remark from a cornerstone player for whom they built a statue.

(11-18-2016, 10:55 AM)BmorePat87 Wrote: Not something a franchise player should say about the team's current QB, but Flacco is definitely low energy and he hasn't been really putting a lot into games this year. Maybe he is complacent with one ring and doesn't want to grow as a player.

(11-18-2016, 02:55 PM)Bmoreblitz Wrote: Ray didn't throw Flacco under the bus.
Flacco would be the first to tell you he's not a fiery kind of guy and that's all Ray was saying.
Only problem I have with Ray is that he said he and Joe were not friends. I thought that was tacky and petty and self serving.

(11-19-2016, 06:59 PM)jason Wrote: I remember hearing Joe say that he would roll his eyes when Ray Lewis would give his "pep talks". That kind of thing isn't for everybody.

(11-18-2016, 10:55 AM)BmorePat87 Wrote: Not something a franchise player should say about the team's current QB..

(11-22-2016, 05:39 PM)Penn Wrote: Maybe Flacco's "lack of passion" is the reason we would all be truly surprised if he ever needed a white suit that magically disappears.

Yeah, yeah.  I've seen you defend your man when Bengal fans use that old incident to put the team down but maybe there is something you haven't considered.  This Ray quote, the whole white suit incident, the career that will probably put him in the hall and the pep talks all come from the same personality traits that would be considered extremely dysfunctional in most of mainstream society.

And no, I am not saying that personality is abnormal in the NFL.  What is abnormal to me is hardcore fans of a team will ignore or justify when one of "their" players is like that.  Just look at how some of my fellow Bengal fans defend Burfict and Henry.  And the Steelers fans will defend a longer list of players than Bengals and Ratbird fans combined.

PS - I talked to a couple here in the Atlanta metro that was at that club that night.  If Lewis didn't have the character traits I mentioned, it sounds to me like the initial confrontation (which is the part they saw) would have been easily smoothed over without incident.

(11-22-2016, 06:34 PM)BmorePat87 Wrote: I'm not 100% sure what you're accusing me of in this post, but I think I know what Flacco meant when he described listening to Ray Lewis go on and on during pep talks while not understanding 90% of what he said.  

(11-18-2016, 02:55 PM)Bmoreblitz Wrote: Ray didn't throw Flacco under the bus.
Flacco would be the first to tell you he's not a fiery kind of guy and that's all Ray was saying.
Only problem I have with Ray is that he said he and Joe were not friends. I thought that was tacky and petty and self serving.

(11-22-2016, 09:00 PM)Penn Wrote: And I'm not sure why you think I'm accusing you of something?

(11-23-2016, 11:00 AM)Bmoreblitz Wrote: Well you did quote his post to reply.

(11-22-2016, 10:25 PM)Bigg52Hurt Wrote: That's true!
Ray has since then apologized.
Ray is just extremely passionate about game of football itself and Flacco appears to lack that intensity.  That was what Ray was addressing.

(11-25-2016, 08:02 PM)Dill Wrote: 95% of pro players currently playing are low energy compared to Lewis.

The passion may be the difference between Ben and Flacco.  Ben definitely WANTS TO WIN in every game.  Just wish that would rub off on some of the younger players.

(11-18-2016, 12:59 AM)CageTheBengal Wrote: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/11/17/ray-lewis-says-joe-flacco-lacks-passion-for-football/#comments




I don't know one way or the other but just because he isn't high energy doesn't mean he doesn't enjoy his career. It's gonna be interesting to hear how the Ravens respond. Pretty crappy move by Lewis.

(11-18-2016, 12:59 AM)CageTheBengal Wrote: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/11/17/ray-lewis-says-joe-flacco-lacks-passion-for-football/#comments




I don't know one way or the other but just because he isn't high energy doesn't mean he doesn't enjoy his career. It's gonna be interesting to hear how the Ravens respond. Pretty crappy move by Lewis.

Quote:“Gifted? Absolutely. Passionate about what he do? I’ve never seen that,” Lewis said Thursday on FOX Sports 1, via Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. “I don’t know what that looks like.”