As the Ravens try to look forward to game one, Joe Flacco on Wednesday was looking back… at his lower back. The injury that caused him to miss all of training camp.
“I showed up here early, reported early with the rookies and those guys and practiced for a few days. I didn’t really realize what it was,” said the Ravens quarterback. “I had something bothering me a little bit. But I feel good now and I’m ready to go.”
So how’d the injury happen?
“I honestly don’t know how I did it,” said Flacco. “It could have been something I had for a little bit and wasn’t showing any symptoms of it. It could have happened over time with something little. I really don’t know.”
As for how susceptible he is to reinjury?
“Given the time that we’ve given it to heal, the idea is that I shouldn’t have to deal with this long term,” said Flacco.
“There’s been no setbacks at all in the whole process. I think we said all along that was the main thing, that there be no setbacks. He’s ready to roll,” said Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh.
Flacco said his routine should stay the same except for weight lifting. That will be dialed back a bit.
First up for Flacco and the Ravens is the season opener in Cincinnati, a place where Baltimore hasn’t won since 2011.
“It’s been a while. You got to forget about all that,” said Flacco.
“It’s never fun to start with a team like the Bengals, with all those weapons,” laughed Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs. “But, when you start with a team that’s good like that, that’s explosive like that, it’s going to be hard for teams to match that week to week.
Kickoff Sunday is set for 1:00 p.m. from Paul Brown Stadium.
Follow Shawn Stepner on Twitter @StepnerABC2 and Facebook