By David Ginsburg
Associated Press
OWINGS MILLS, Md. ó Kyle Boller spent five years working his way to the top of the Baltimore Ravens’ depth chart. He was named the starting quarterback when he was too young to handle the pressure, battled through injuries and served the past two years as a dutiful backup to Steve McNair.
As a reward, the Ravens picked Delaware quarterback Joe Flacco in the first round of the 2008 NFL draft. General manager Ozzie Newsome promptly labeled him “the guy to lead our football team into the future.”Boller was on the golf course when the pick was made. He received the news by text message.
“I was pretty prepared for it,” Boller said. “It’s one of those deals. I was one of those guys five years ago.
“I’m happy for him. It’s a special time for him, and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
The competition for the starting job has heated up with the arrival of the team’s mandatory minicamp. Boller and Troy Smith handled all the quarterback duties during an earlier minicamp, and the 6-foot-6 Flacco has joined the fray.
Baltimore’s roster also includes 6-foot-6 rookie Brad Roach, a former Catawba star who signed with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent.
“They all look good,” first-year head coach John Harbaugh said recently in a transcript posted on www.baltimoreravens.com. “And they do. They’re all doing a nice job.”Smith, a fifth-round pick who played sparingly last year, insists the addition of Flacco will not influence his preparation for the 2008 season.
“The organization has made a decision to go that route, and I think it’s a good one,” Smith said. “Last season, we had to use all three quarterbacks, and there’s no doubt in my mind that, if the chance comes, Joe Flacco is going to be a good quarterback. He’s going to be a good player.”
There is every indication that Flacco will be given the opportunity to start the season opener, which is precisely what Boller did during his first season.
Looking back, Boller wonders if former coach Brian Billick did him a favor by thrusting him into a starting role so soon.
“I just don’t think I was ready to be playing,” he said. “I felt like I was ready at the time, but knowing defenses now and just learning this offense, there’s a lot to learn. But I’m not going to say you can’t do it.”
Flacco has started trying to prove he’s capable of doing just that. He’ll have some help, too, from the same two guys the rookie hopes to displace.
“Whatever I can do to help this team, I’m going to do it,” Boller said. “I look forward to having him here, working with him.”
Harbaugh insists the only thing his quarterbacks should care about is mastering the new offense of Cam Cameron rather than trying to outdo each other.
“We’re building a foundation, and they’re doing a nice job,” Harbaugh said.
The best quarterback will be the starter, but Harbaugh acknowledged that the Ravens have reason to want Flacco to succeed.
“The quarterback of the future is going to be whoever gives us the best chance to win games,” Harbaugh said. “To say anything else or assume anything else, that would be a mistake except for the fact that when you have a first-round draft pick coming in here, that’s the expectation for him.
“We drafted him because we believe he can be that guy. If he’s going to be that guy, that’s up to him. We’ll find out.”