When you've been in this thing for 18 years like Joe Flacco has, you'll never meet a stranger. And that's exactly what happened Wednesday on his first day of work as a Bengal at Paycor Stadium.
His new right tackle, Amarius Mims, turned six the fall Flacco broke into the league, and those Flacco-Ben Roethlisberger AFC North matchups helped him fall in love with the game.
His new left tackle, Orlando Brown Jr., was one of his ball boys in Flacco's first couple of years in the league at Ravens training camp. Not to mention one of his old right tackles from Brown's rookie year in Baltimore.
One of his new tight ends, Noah Fant, caught his first pro touchdown pass from Flacco as a Broncos rookie on a 25-yard screen pass.
"Never met him. I've been a Joe Flacco fan, and it's nice to have him on my side," said center Ted Karras, a kid at 32, after their first snaps in Wednesday's practice.
"He's a big Q back there. He gets the ball out on time and rockets that thing in there. Recipe for success."
The Flacco trade has all the ingredients of a spark for a team at 2-3 and looking to break out. "Looking forward to getting to even," is what Karras calls it.
His new teammates were like running back Chase Brown, 12 years old when he watched Flacco named Super Bowl MVP after he led the Ravens' win in one of the tightest title games ever.
"The lights went out," Brown recalled astutely of that Superdome circuit breaker.
Most of them were playing two years ago when Flacco came off the bench to lead the Browns to the playoffs in the last month and was named the NFL's Comeback Player.
"I think it definitely brings positive energy into the building anytime these types of moves are made," said Orlando Brown, who got the day off from his Baltimore school for the Ravens parade after that Super Bowl.
"I hope so," said Mims of a spark. "I know we have full faith in him. He's a pro. He's been a pro for a very long time. He knows the ins and outs of every team. He's probably played them all more than once. Very smart quarterback. I feel we'll be fine with him in there."
Chase Brown: "Any time you have a new face, you have new energy."
Mims admitted he had "a moment," in Wednesday's walkthrough when he found himself next to Flacco in the huddle. Now, at 6-8, 340 pounds, no one towers over Mims. But the 6-6, 245-pound Flacco metaphorically did because Mims remembers him as a giant.
"I didn't have a favorite team growing up. But I loved watching Flacco and Big Ben go at it. I don't know why, but those two big guys always stood out to me. I loved watching Ravens-Steelers. I just liked the way they played the game. To be in the same huddle, yeah, it was definitely a moment."
Smooth Operator
By all accounts, Flacco went through Wednesday's practice as cleanly as if he were in Cleveland working with that Browns playbook he had all year as head coach Zac Taylor and the offensive coaches put Flacco through the biggest Bengals crash course since Jeff Blake nearly stunned the defending Super Bowl champion Cowboys a week after he was the No. 3 quarterback.
But Blake had been on the team all year. Not 4.5 days, which is what it is for Flacco when they play the Packers Sunday (4:25-Cincinnati's Local 12) in Green Bay.
After the workout, Chase Brown told you to go around the room and ask anybody on offense.
"Zac would read a play to him, and he was able to recite it perfectly. Almost verbatim. I didn't hear any mistakes," Brown said. "It was pretty impressive with that. You could go tell him a play right now, and he could recite it for you. Your own play. I was impressed by that."
So is Karras. He says he'll have to help Flacco distribute the protections, but he doesn't think for long.
"Until he really gets a good feel for what we're doing, which I think he already has, I'm going to be a little more demonstrative," Karras said. "But I think it's business as usual. I thought we had a smooth, clean day."
So did Fant, who thinks Flacco is one of these guys who comes into a locker room with instant credibility because of his accolades and attitude. He'll call out himself and others, Fant says.
"He's done it for so long. I think guys respect that. He's won a Super Bowl," Fant said. "Guys know, 'I need to listen.' He's a guy who is accountable for his mistakes, but he'll also help you with yours. That's what we want."
The idea is Flacco's big arm can ignite the seasons of wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. And the big men get it.
"We'll see what this offense is made of," Mims said.
Chase Brown said the only difference Wednesday was a post-practice walkthrough lasting about 15 minutes.
"So Joe could see where everything ends up," Brown said, "and jog his memory."
Stand Up Jake
With Flacco lockering next to him, deposed starter Jake Browning stood in front of his locker and did the stand-up thing. He took every question despite the pain of losing his job in the most public of ways.
A trade.
"Welcome to pro football. If you don't play well, you get replaced," Browning said. "That what I'm going through. Whether it's football or personal stuff, if you handle it the right way, it's hard not to come out of it a better version of who you were. For me, I'm trying to respond the right way. Obviously, I'm pissed. If I wasn't, then I shouldn't be in this locker room.
"I'm aware of the role I played in the offensive struggles the last two weeks, but I'm not shouldering the entire situation," Browning said.
Slants and Screens
Right guard Lucas Patrick came off injured reserve Wednesday and practiced limited. Could he end up at left guard Sunday at Lambeau Field, where he played the first six years of his career?
Rookie left guard Dylan Fairchild (knee) didn't practice Wednesday. Patrick, who got hurt in the opener, started a handful of games at left guard for the Packers, including a couple in the postseason. There's also Dalton Risner and Cody Ford available ...
Rookie defensive lineman Shemar Stewart (ankle) practiced for the first time since his Sept. 14 injury. He went limited …
Tight end Drew Sample (ankle) didn't practice …
All-Pro wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase went limited on a rest day, but no alarms. Taylor brought up next week's short sked with the Thursday night game at Paycor and wants to pace his receivers ...
