He never owned a car in college and drove his mom's old Volvo to his first day of training camp.
Not that all that stuff mattered to the kid from New Jersey anyway.
Guess it's safe to say that Raven's quarterback Joe Flacco is nothing like another young quarterback named Joe (that guy who played for the Jets in the late 60's through the 70's, wore a fur coat on the sidelines).
However, Flacco now has the keys to drive something worth a bit more than his mom's Volvo, he's now driving the Baltimore Ravens closer to the Super Bowl.
The Ravens 27-9 win over the Miami Dolphins Sunday afternoon marked the third time in NFL history that a rookie quarterback won his postseason debut. The last two were Shaun King and Ben Roethlisberger.
The win also marks the first playoff victory for Baltimore since beating Miami back in 2002.
Flacco didn't necessarily shine against Miami, only going 9 for 23 with 135 yards passing on the day. All Flacco simply did was manage the Ravens offense, make the easy throws, not commit any turnovers and lead his team downfield. Then he let the defense do the rest.
He played Sunday's game the way he lives... simple.
"They've been doing it all year," Flacco said after the game. "You're sitting on the sidelines, and that's what you expect. You get used to it, and you're asking for it every play. Today, they did it on every play."
Flacco also had a key five-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter which sealed the win for Baltimore who will now play Tennessee in the AFC Divisional Championship.
But Flacco's success has come quietly this year. We've heard much about the other (higher drafted) rookie quarterback, Atlanta's Matt Ryan, for the past four months, yet it is Flacco who is one step closer towards Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa Bay on Feb. 1.
Flacco threw for 2,971 yards and 14 touchdowns in the regular season, completing 60 percent of his passes leading the Ravens to an 11-5 record. This comes just a year after they struggled to finish 5-11, with one of those losses coming to the Miami Dolphins who finished 1-15 in 2007.
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