Browns Quarterback Joe Flacco: "This Is What You Play For"

Cleveland's quarterback met with NBC's Michael Smith for an exclusive interview ahead of Browns vs Texans

The story of the Browns' new quarterback Joe Flacco has been that of legend. If you went to Hollywood with the story of Flacco taking over for the Browns midway through the season and leading them to the playoffs, they'd turn you away.

Instead, in this reality, the former Raven and Browns nightmare has been exactly what the Browns needed and has saved their season.

There were a lot of variables that went into Flacco becoming Cleveland's quarterback but there is one true thing, he is not taking a moment of this for granted, on many levels.

Flacco sat down with NBC's Michael Smith at the Browns facility and had a 30-minute interview that is must-watch.

Flacco talks through everything from his kid's experiencing this run, his mentality when he didnt have a team, his mentality since taking over and how he is feeling going into the playoffs. 

The interview as a whole is worth the watch but one of the best stories Flacco told is the team meeting that was held before the Texans week kicked off. He told the tale of Chad O'Shea kicking the meeting off talking to the team, handing it off to three-time Super Bowl champion Duran Harmon and then passing the mic to Flacco to end it.

Flacco's message was simple: this is what you play for. The playoffs are what every NFL player strives for because you have a chance to make a run. He emphasized how important it is for each man to execute his fundamentals and not try to do too much.

Dec 10, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco (15) throws a pass during the first half against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Cleveland Browns Stadium / Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Flacco's veteran presence has been welcomed. He is the wise old man in a group of guys who haven't been to the playoffs.

Does Flacco have enough magic to continue this run? Time will tell, but at this point, he has been everything this team has needed.