Flacco would do well to heed Dilfer's advice

If anyone can relate to Joe Flacco, it's Trent Dilfer.

Dilfer knows what it's like to quarterback the defense-first Baltimore Ravens, one of the few NFL teams whose linebackers and safeties outshine the most scrutinized position in all of sports.

So Dilfer was speaking from experience when he said Wednesday that Flacco, a former Audubon High star who has chafed at a perceived lack of respect, should understand that wins and praise don't always go together for Ravens signal-callers.

"Joe really needs to ask himself: Does he want to win a championship, or does he want the personal accolades that go with putting up big numbers? Because I don't know in Baltimore if you can have both," Dilfer said.

Dilfer, 39, is one of the most lightly regarded quarterbacks to win a Super Bowl, having taken snaps for a Ravens team that will forever be remembered for its historically powerful defense.

But Dilfer said he embraced that label, because if he was just handing off and the defense was dominating, it meant the Ravens were following their blueprint to victory. He was "taken aback" by Flacco's comments last week about a lack of credit.

"If you're caught up in fair, you're in the wrong profession," Dilfer said.

If Flacco wants to change the perception, though, this weekend is his chance, said Dilfer's ESPN colleague, Tedy Bruschi, a former Patriots linebacker.

Flacco and the Ravens are facing a Patriots offense that put up 32 points per game in the regular season. Even with their tough defense, the Ravens may need the offense to come alive to advance to the Super Bowl. That means Flacco may have to outduel Tom Brady.

"You want it, you got it, Joe Flacco, because right now Tom Brady is Michael Corleone and Joe Flacco is Fredo," Bruschi said, referencing the Godfather movies. "He wants his respect."

After Flacco posted a modest 176 yards passing with a 51.9 percent completion rate in Baltimore's playoff win Sunday over the Texans, Ravens safety Ed Reed said the quarterback looked "rattled" at times, adding to the perception of Flacco as a weak link.

"I took that comment as a little insecurity by Ed and the defense," Dilfer said. "I think this Ravens team is looking at this Patriots offense and saying, 'Wait a second, we need this offense to play better.' "

(Flacco said it wasn't a big deal and Reed said Wednesday that he was being critical of the entire team.)

Like Dilfer, Flacco sometimes is labeled a "game-manager," despite having taken his team to the NFL playoffs in each of his first four seasons, and winning at least one game each time. The analyst said the term is only partly derogatory.

On one hand, it means the quarterback doesn't make the big mistakes that can put his team behind. Every quarterback aims to accomplish that. The other implication, though, is that a "game-manager" can't bring his team back if it needs a big rally, Dilfer said. He noted that Flacco, though, brought his team back for a crucial last-minute win over the rival Steelers earlier this season.

"I think Joe is a better quarterback right now than I was at that point," Dilfer said. "He's shown the ability to do a little bit more than manage the game."

He might have to this weekend.

"For Joe to get more credit, or be treated more fairly, or to have a different perception, they need to be down seven and he needs to answer," Dilfer said, in much the way once-maligned 49ers quarterback Alex Smith did last week. That win, helping the defense-first 49ers overcome the high-octane Saints, changed the way Smith is viewed. Can Flacco do the same?

"For him to change perception," Dilfer said, "he needs to do something - for lack of a better word - heroic to lead his team to victory."