# Is Joe Flacco Elite? Is Joe Flacco Elite? is a sports catchphrase that started as a genuine debate about the Baltimore Ravens quarterback during the 2012 NFL season and spiraled into a long-running joke after the NFL on Fox Twitter account asked the question on January 14, 2013[1]. Barstool Sports and parody account @PFTCommenter later turned the phrase into a recurring bit, with revivals every time Flacco plays well, including his 2023 run with the Cleveland Browns[2]. ## Origin Joe Flacco joined the Baltimore Ravens in 2008 and played solidly without matching the statistical output of peers like Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers or the Manning brothers, which set up a running 2012 debate among pundits over whether he deserved the 'elite' label before his contract year[5]. Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Fox Sports and Mad Dog Radio all weighed in that fall, with John Clayton arguing yes and Ashley Fox arguing no[5]. The catchphrase form crystallized on January 14, 2013, after Flacco beat the Tom Brady-led Patriots in the AFC Championship game and the NFL on Fox Twitter account tweeted the literal question, 'Is Joe Flacco Elite?'[1]. Flacco then won the Super Bowl and the game's MVP award weeks later, and The New York Times ran a piece titled 'Flacco's precision is typical of elite quarterbacks' the day after the win[1]. The Ravens signed him to a $120 million deal shortly after, and the 'elite' debate kept running in sports media long past the point of sincere inquiry[1]. - **Platform:** Sports media (origin) / Twitter (viral spread) - **Creator:** Unknown - **Date:** 2013 ## Overview The joke works as a rhetorical question that sports fans and pundits repeat regardless of how Flacco is actually playing. When he throws four touchdowns, fans tweet 'Is Joe Flacco Elite?' with mock sincerity, and when he throws three interceptions, the same question gets asked with full sincerity[3]. The humor sits in the fact that writers spent years arguing the point in good faith before the question itself turned into a bit. Barstool Sports and parody account @PFTCommenter drove much of the comedic use, treating 'Joe Flacco is elite' as an article of faith to be defended against all evidence[2]. Posts often pair the catchphrase with Flacco highlights, mundane Flacco stat lines, or completely unrelated footage, since the premise is funnier the harder it is to defend. The format carried through Flacco's journeyman years and came roaring back during his 2023 Cleveland Browns stint, when Barstool accounts flooded Twitter with 'JOE FLACCO IS ELITE' posts after wins[4]. ## How to Use Posts typically take the form of a declarative 'Joe Flacco is elite' statement or the original question, paired with a clip, stat line or screenshot that either supports the claim earnestly or undercuts it. A common convention is to post the catchphrase after any Flacco highlight, with escalating confidence inversely proportional to how impressive the play actually was[4]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Is Joe Flacco Elite?? It is a sports catchphrase that asks, often sarcastically, whether Baltimore Ravens and later Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco belongs with elite NFL QBs like Tom Brady or Peyton Manning[1]. ### Where did Is Joe Flacco Elite? come from? It started as a real 2012 sports media debate and crystallized when the NFL on Fox Twitter account tweeted the question on January 14, 2013, after Flacco beat the Patriots in the AFC Championship[1]. ### What does Is Joe Flacco Elite? mean? It is a tongue-in-cheek way to ask whether a solid but not spectacular player deserves top-tier status, used as a running joke by Barstool Sports and parody account @PFTCommenter[2]. ### How do you use Is Joe Flacco Elite?? People typically post the line as a declarative 'Joe Flacco is elite' statement with a clip or stat line, often during Flacco's hot streaks like his 2023 Browns run[4]. ### Is Is Joe Flacco Elite? still popular? The catchphrase saw a strong revival in late 2023 when Flacco led the Browns on a playoff push and Barstool Sports pushed the bit again across Twitter[2]. ## References 1. [https://www.si.com/nfl/browns/news/joe-flacco-has-been-elite-since-joining-the-browns]() 2. [https://awfulannouncing.com/2012-articles/is-joe-flacco-an-elite-qb-the-question-nobody-is-asking.html]() 3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/is-joe-flacco-elite]() 4. [https://www.espn.com/blog/baltimore-ravens/post/_/id/20990/is-joe-flacco-elite-sign-crashes-republican-debate]() 5. [https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/stats/_/id/11252/joe-flacco]() 6. [https://x.com/i/status/1738988650627502364]() 7. [https://x.com/i/status/1740557442231230943]() 8. [https://x.com/i/status/646011711716216832]() 9. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDf1lR97IaI]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/is-joe-flacco-elite Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library