Prevent Defense and Long Bomb make Joe Flacco a Very Rich Boy
History is sometimes defined by moments, right? The Baltimore Ravens limped into the 2012 NFL playoffs while still searching for an offensive identity. Pundits had the Denver Broncos winning the Super Bowl, and fans were already making plans for a Broncos/Patriots showdown in Denver once the Broncos dealt with this little Ravens speed bump.
But the Baltimore Ravens won – and won again – and then won the Super Bowl. Joe Flacco was stellar, and I begrudingly gave him credit. I still think it came down to a Hail Mary 70-yd bomb, against a poor Denver Broncos’ prevent defense, that made the difference between Flacco being the highest paid player in the NFL and Flacco competing for his job in training camp next season. He is now slated to earn $120.6 million dollars over the next six years!
It appears that history, and paychecks, are defined by moments!
Remember when I wrote Lessons Learned from Tom Brady Taking One for the Team? Those lessons were the following:
- Team-First Cultures Thrive
- It’s Not Always About the Money
- Short-Term Sacrifices Reap Long-Term Rewards
- It’s How You Deliver the Message
Joe Flacco and the Ravens did not do the best job on Lesson #4. I drilled down on just a small sampling of social chatter captured by Mantis Pulse Analytics after Joe signed the contract. Notice that the guy with the highlighted red Facebook status “gets it”. Joe might have the biggest contract, but the real “hit” doesn’t come until the third year. They have plenty of money left over to re-sign players like Ed Reed, and they can always come back to the negotiation table if Flacco under-performs over the next couple of seasons.
The rest of the negative mentions on this page all think that Flacco did not deserve the money. They are also passionately sharing their mistaken impression that his bloated contract is going to bring down the Ravens franchise.
There is brand reality, and there is brand perception, and Flacco could have managed his brand perception much better.
Even though I knew it was coming, I was shocked when Flacco landed that big contract. He had a historical playoff run, but he significantly under-performs the elite NFL quarterbacks during the regular season. But as a fan, and a consumer, I am willing to look beyond first impressions and do a little more research to realize Flacco has a team-friendly contract. Many fans and consumers never go beyond first impressions, so we need to remain diligent with our brand perception by monitoring and engaging on social channels.
How do you like the new Pulse Analytics Flipboard used as the featured image for this post? Imagine that highly visual, real-time dashboard for your brand – to go along with the social media monitoring and sentiment analysis using Pulse Analytics? What is the perception of your brand? If you are unsure, or you understand the importance of brand perception, then schedule a Pulse Analytics demo with me!
Brian Vickery
I love my wife and two daughters. I am blessed in that I also love my job as a principal and EVP of the Rocky Mountain Region for Mantis Technology Group. I am excited to promote our Pulse Analytics social media monitoring and sentiment analysis solution. I enjoy teaching and coaching. I graduated UT-Austin. You can find Brian on Google+.
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7 comments
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Joe Flacco? It was Ray Lewis that won the Super Bowl, didn't you know? Ol' Ray is from my home town and he sure is getting his accolades. I believe in forgiveness, but he definitely knows what went down that night those two men were killed in Atlanta and he's so over the top right now it's very hard for me to even listen to him. In spite of all that, I have heard some stories where he has done some pretty nice, selfless charity things for families and who am I to judge, right?
Joe is a lot like Eli Manning; he will under perform during the season, but get him in the playoffs and he is nails. If anybody doubts his worth, all Joe has to say is 'scoreboard.'
Good for him, he got what the market would bare (or is it bear....I never know...:). Unlike JeMarcus Russell who set the Raiders back 10 years, the Colts.....er, uh Ravens know what they are doing.
1 Like
Ray Lewis is definitely an interesting story, Bill. He has definitely used the limelight to his advantage, and he was “over the top” with those post-game interviews a few times. You find yourself questioning the sincerity. He presents a stark contrast between that night in Atlanta and some of his charity and leadership outreach efforts. Let’s see how he adjusts to retirement.
I wrote about Eli Manning after he won his 2nd Super Bowl. I agree – these guys significantly underperform Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees throughout the season. At times, they are even a detriment to the team’s success with their poor performances. Then they get into the playoffs on the backs of their teams – and come alive.
Wow, a JeMarcus Russell sighting…put that down with a Ryan Leaf sighting!
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@AmyMccTobin @bdorman264 The sports announcer guys had a great time imitating Ray’s “no weapon forged against this team” – whoa, folks are bringing weapons now?? That’s one way to get out of bloated, long-term contracts!
1 Like
@bdorman264 @AmyMccTobinDifferent Sand Bar now…think little boy Flacco can pick up the tab at the end of the day now – if he didn’t blow it all at McDonalds.
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About Brian Vickery
I love my wife and two daughters. I am blessed as a principal and EVP of the Rocky Mountain Region for Mantis Technology Group. I am excited to promote our Pulse Analytics social media monitoring and sentiment analysis solution as well as our software development and business intelligence services. I love football, basketball, tennis, and judo. I graduated UT-Austin. Follow Mantis
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