Joe Flacco raised plenty of eyebrows Monday when he said he views himself as the best quarterback in the NFL. One group not shocked by Flacco's brash comment was his team, and Baltimore Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome shrugged off the topic when asked about it.
"I don't think any player, any coach, any GM does not think they are the best at what they do," Newsome said Wednesday during a joint news conference with other Ravens executives and coach John Harbaugh.
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Flacco certainly isn't entering rarified air with his comment. It was only last offseason when New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning said during a radio interview that he considered himself to be on par with the Tom Bradys and the Peyton Mannings of the NFL.
"For Joe to say that, I think it's a common thing," Newsome said.
Newsome also was asked about recent comments made by another Raven, running back Ray Rice.
Rice told NFL Network's Albert Breer on Tuesday that he believes he has outplayed his contract. The Ravens hit Rice with the franchise tag earlier this offseason, and he'll stand to make about $7.7 million this season if a long-term deal isn't reached.
Newsome admitted the two-time Pro Bowl running back outperformed his old contract, but he also pointed out there was a hefty jump between that deal and the value of his franchise tag.
"That was a rookie contract -- so, yes," Newsome said. "I'd like to think that every player with the Ravens that we draft hopefully outplays that first contract.
" ... We're happy with the progress that we're making with negotiations. ... Where he was to where he is with the franchise tag, that's a significant increase."
Rice said he believes progress is being made between the two sides, though he didn't commit to attending the team's offseason workouts.
"Whenever Ray shows up, he'll be ready to play," Newsome said, conceding the team prepares for the possibility that franchise-tagged players might skip offseason activities.
