'He's not an a-hole': The Cleveland Browns embraced Joe Flacco immediately
At 9-5 going into Sunday's game against the Houston Texans with an unlikely quarterback, the Browns are becoming one of the biggest storylines in the NFL.
That unlikely quarterback is veteran Joe Flacco, the team's fourth starter behind center this season. The Browns signed Flacco in mid-November when starter Deshaun Watson was lost for the season because of a shoulder injury.
The attention on the Browns on Sunday morning was evident with segments on both ESPN and CBS.
ESPN focused on how Flacco came off the couch to become the Browns starting quarterback.
"When you’re a guy who’s stepping in and walking off the street, you want to prove you belong to the guys that are on the team and have a positive impact,” Flacco said to ESPN’s Kimberly Martin.
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Before he signed with Cleveland, Flacco was spending time at his childhood home with his family, eating his mother’s cooking and throwing the football to kids in the neighborhood.
Apparently the neighborhood kids got Flacco ready. This season in three games coming into Sunday, Flacco has completed 57.9 percent of his passes for 939 yards and seven touchdowns.
"When he first got in the building, everyone of course knew who Joe Flacco was,” Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper said during the ESPN segment. “But none of us had played with him before. Everybody was like, ‘Ooh, it looks good. It looks good coming out of his [hand].'
“Guys have embraced him because they realize his skill set No. 1, but he’s also not an a-hole. He’s a good dude at the same time.”
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: 'He's not an a-hole': The Browns embraced Joe Flacco immediately
