Joe Flacco has been through this before. That doesn't make it any easier. The Cleveland Browns officially benched the 40-year-old quarterback on Wednesday, turning to rookie Dillon Gabriel after a 1-3 start and a sluggish offense.
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Head coach Kevin Stefanski emphasized that the unit's struggles weren't solely on Flacco, but that won't soften the blow for a veteran who helped lead Cleveland to the postseason just a year ago.
"I don't think I foresaw it," Flacco said. "Anytime you're in this league, everybody's always getting evaluated. The job of the quarterback is to help your team win football games. So, I don't know if I foresaw it coming, but me and Kevin had a good conversation about it. It got to the point, and it is what it is."
Flacco admitted that the team's overall offensive performance was tougher to stomach than the demotion itself. "I think the tougher thing is going through what we've gone through over the last four weeks, just not being able to produce the way we wanted to," he said. "You look people in the eye and tell them how it is, and that's what it is."
Now Flacco moves into a backup role, offering support to Gabriel as the rookie takes over. "The best way to help him is to come to work with a good mindset every day and provide that positive energy," Flacco said. "He's into it, man. He's ready to go. You can tell he takes it seriously."
Even so, Flacco didn't hide that it stings. "Every situation is unique. You do get emotional about it, so it's tough to, in the moment, draw on those experiences," he said. "You just kind of go back to being yourself."
