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NEW ORLEANS — A year ago Giants quarterback Eli Manning faced the “elite” question on his way to a Super Bowl title. Now, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is facing the same questions.
After an inconsistent career, Flacco has torn up the playoffs. He has the Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII and on the brink of a world championship — and for him, possible elevation into the highest class of quarterbacks.
“I don’t really care,” Flacco said about whether he is elite. “To be honest with you, it’s kind of a crazy question. It’s weird to answer. I’m just going to let my play speak for itself. I don’t know if it’s answered it or not. It’s really not my job to concern myself with that. You guys can all talk about that. If we come out here and play the game the way we should and the way we can, then I don’t care and I don’t think anyone else is going to care. We’re going to be feeling pretty good about ourselves and what we accomplished.”
Flacco has delivered so far in the postseason with his unforgettable pass in Denver and by beating Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in consecutive weeks.
The spotlight of the Super Bowl caught Flacco on Monday when he called the idea of cold weather Super Bowls “retarded.” The comment drew a lot of attention and put some heat on Flacco. He apologized yesterday.
“Obviously, it was a bad choice of words,” Flacco said. “I wish I hadn’t said it. I have a great relationship with the Special Olympics back in Baltimore and have had one for many years. I didn’t mean to offend anybody. I definitely apologize for that.”
The New Jersey native did not back off his feelings of playing outdoors in February. Next year’s Super Bowl will be at MetLife Stadium, but Flacco thinks it’s a bad idea.
“I think it’s [a bad idea for] obvious reasons,” Flacco said. “They’ve done it the way they’ve been doing it for 47 years. There’s a lot that goes into this game, more than just playing the game. It’s about the fans and it’s about the players that played for the right to get there. There are a lot of things that go into it, and it’s just kind of a crazy decision, I believe.”
Flacco is scheduled to become a free agent in March, and could be driving his price up with his performance over the last month.
The Ravens likely will use the franchise tag on Flacco if they don’t reach an agreement on a long-term deal. Baltimore general manager Ozzie Newsome said he wants to keep Flacco.
“Well, Joe and I have a good understanding of where his contract is,” Newsome said. “People fail to realize that he was a dropped pass away from getting to the Super Bowl last year. So, what he did was just back up to what he did a year ago. He’s doing a great job. He has great chemistry with [offensive coordinator] Jim Caldwell. Hopefully, as long as I’m the general manager in Baltimore, he’s the quarterback in Baltimore.”
Flacco said he wants to remain with the team that drafted him in 2008.
“No doubt about it,” he said. “I could not envision myself being anywhere else. This is a great organization and I love playing for it. We have a great team and a great group of guys.”
brian.costello@nypost.com