Joe Flacco trying to keep turnovers down to win starting QB job

The last time Joe Flacco played in a game for the Browns, he threw two pick-sixes in the second half as Cleveland was routed 45-14 in Houston in the first round of the playoffs following the 2023 season.Flacco's magical December run that got the Browns into the postseason is fondly remembered — he threw for 300 yards in each game of a four-game winning streak — but the interceptions against the Texans and in the final month of the regular season usually follow in the discussion. The scars for Browns fans run deep.With Flacco fighting this training camp to win the starting job at 40 years old, a key piece of the decision for coach Kevin Stefanski will be who will make the best decisions and protect the ball better. Browns quarterbacks threw a league-high 23 interceptions in each of the last two seasons. The team overcame them to win 11 games and make the playoffs in 2023 but crashed to 3-14 a year ago.Stopping that trend may be the No. 1 priority for Stefanski. His other top option in the quarterback derby, Kenny Pickett, has thrown 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 25 starts."You don't want to throw 'em," Flacco said Thursday when asked about his philosophy regarding interceptions. "You want to be aggressive, and you want to be smart. I have thrown some picks recently I feel like, but I do still pride myself on not and making good decisions."And having said that, you know that they're going to happen at some point. You want to be aggressive, but that's not necessarily an excuse. Being aggressive is not an excuse. The goal as a quarterback is to make good decisions, be accurate and take care of the football for your team. So ultimately that's what you want to do and you have to find that balance of being able to be yourself, be really aggressive and not turn that damn ball over. It's very important."Flacco threw double-digit interceptions in each of his 10 seasons as Baltimore's starting quarterback from 2008-17. He threw 10 twice and a high of 22 in 2013. He hasn't been a full-time starter since, starting 37 games over the last seven years and throwing 32 picks.The turnovers spiked in the last two years. In five regular-season starts with the Browns in 2023, he had eight interceptions to go with 13 touchdowns. Last year with the Colts, he threw 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions in six starts and eight games."They affect me," Flacco said. "Maybe I don't show it. I hope I do a good job of not showing it but, man, yeah, there's times where you turn the ball over and there's definitely times in your life as a 40-year-old where you wish you were like 6 years old and it was acceptable to just cry about it."You can't hide on an NFL field and there's times where you definitely want to but you got to deal with it. You got to deal with it, man."Flacco has many pluses that counter the interceptions and make him the favorite in the eyes of many to win the job. He's got extensive experience — 105 regular-season wins, 45,697 yards, 257 touchdowns to 162 interceptions — has excelled in Stefanski's system and offsets many of the picks with explosive plays."He still can wing it," said quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave, who recruited him in high school. "To watch Joe throw a baseball there his junior year in high school and touch 92, 94 (mph), and then to see where his football career has gone has just been incredible. And he still, of course, is a complete 6-foot-6 flamethrower."Musgrave said Flacco's arm is still "elite" and in the top five or 10 in the league. Receiver Jerry Jeudy appreciates how the ball is delivered."It's been fun," he said Saturday. "Joe been in the league for a long time obviously, so he know where to put the balls, he know how the receivers like the balls and he throws a great ball for sure."Pickett's arm doesn't compare, but in addition to protecting the ball better, he brings a mobility Flacco doesn't. Pickett, 27, had a long scramble during the first week of camp, made throws on the move and can make plays off-schedule.While Flacco isn't a runner, he moves well for his age, made plays out of the pocket in 2023 and has been good avoiding sacks throughout his career. He's averaged just more than two a game."Listen, I think you can look at every single sack and it's very team-oriented and at the same time the quarterback is very responsible," he said. "I think you could make both arguments depending on what you're trying to say, but the biggest thing for me is being on time and playing in the rhythm of the offense. And then I think even in '23 you saw it a little bit. It wasn't like I'm just standing back there completely."I think when you are in good rhythm and you do have the benefit of having five guys up front that are really good at their job, that's when your feet can kind of tell you, OK, it's time to get out and it's time to do those other things. It starts with me with playing in rhythm, being on time with my feet and then therefore being on time to throw to get the ball out of my hands. And then the added benefit is when you are really good upfront, even a guy like me who it's not my No. 1 priority, will be given chances to kind of get out and make some plays in those kind of conditions."Regardless of rhythm, Flacco can't escape the mentions of and comparisons to 2023. He loved the run but has moved on."I'm not trying to recapture," he said. "Every season's new in this league. I've been in the locker room with these guys, I know what they're all about and it's obviously not the same exact locker room, but there's a lot of really good guys in there that know how to win football games."So that's what gives you the confidence that you can come back here and win games. I don't think it's about trying to re-create anything, it's just a new season. Everybody has a fresh mindset, and a lot of the guys in there have a really good one to begin with. They know how to win football games and that makes me feel good about lining up with them."The post Joe Flacco trying to keep turnovers down to win starting QB job first appeared on BrownsZone with Scott Petrak.