BEREA, Ohio -- Twice a week, Joe Flacco met his brother and dad on a Pee Wee turf field with an unlocked gate just a couple miles away from their homes in Haddonfield, New Jersey.
Their ritual began with tossing a heavy baseball, 10 ounces heavier than a normal one. Then, switching to a football, Joe and his brother, Tom, would place their dad, Steve, around the field to simulate receiving routes. While catching passes, Steve, who wore gloves to keep his hands from stinging, would recap the NFL weekend that was, which seemingly always featured a major quarterback injury.