Joe Flacco of Ravens Is Used to Criticism OWINGS MILLS, Md. - For a brief moment Wednesday afternoon, Ray Rice morphed from Baltimore's star running back into an M.C., welcoming the quarterback with more victories in his first four seasons than any other in N.F.L. history. When that quarterback, Joe Flacco, reached the podium, Rice leaped toward him. Flacco did not move. Joe, why don't you want to give me a chest bump? Rice said. That playful jab illuminated a larger theme: criticism seems to follow Flacco everywhere, from Ravens headquarters to a local restaurant, where on Tuesday night he learned that a respected teammate, Ed Reed, had questioned his understanding of the offense in a radio interview. Reed told SiriusXM NFL Radio that Flacco looked "kind of rattled a little bit" against Houston last Sunday, when he threw two touchdown passes with no interceptions in a Ravens 20-13 victory, and that "it just didn't look like he had a hold on the offense." Flacco sought an explanation from Reed, as did Coach John Harbaugh, who would not divulge details of his conversation or address whether Reed's impressions were valid other than to say, "I understand where Ed's heart is." Flacco said Reed's remarks caught him off guard: "I was like, "What's going on?" " But it was probably the source that surprised him, not the substance. By now, Flacco has defended his credentials so often that he should consider investing in Kevlar. He is 49-23 as the Ravens" quarterback, including 5-3 in the postseason, and on Sunday will play in his second A.F.C. title game in four seasons, against the New England Patriots. He has also been told his completion percentage is too low, he takes too many sacks, he commits too many turnovers and his Fu Manchu mustache is unflattering. If last week he expressed frustration that his performance was considered an afterthought when the Ravens won, on Wednesday he sounded irritated that he was even being questioned, saying he longed for a day when teammates were not asked to stick up for him. Linebacker Terrell Suggs said. We've never been kind of like anybody's favorite. I think he fits right in with us. And Flacco has, right from the beginning. Much like Mark Sanchez of the Jets, Flacco started as a rookie for a team that was built on defense and a strong running game, and that also had a clearly defined - and attainable - goal of winning the Super Bowl. Flacco did not have the kind of trial run that other highly regarded quarterbacks, like Matthew Stafford of Detroit or Cam Newton of Carolina, have had. With them, who cares if you're 5-11 or 6-10? Brian Billick, the former Ravens coach who is now an analyst for Fox and the NFL Network, said in an interview. Go fire it up and learn from your experiences. Joe's never had that time to grow. Since the day he got there, he's been on a championship-caliber team with a very tight margin of error, and that's a high standard that's probably not fair. The Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young, now an analyst for ESPN, speculated that the Ravens" dominant defense had produced a conservative style of play-calling, stunting Flacco's development. The mind-set, Young said in a conference call Wednesday, is "Don't screw it up, offense; don't screw it up." "So the offensive coordinator calls plays not to screw it up," Young continued. The players play not to screw it up. I think, Joe, you look at the guys they have on that team, that team should be more explosive. That team is not the sum of its parts. The Ravens ranked 15th in total offense and 12th in scoring during the regular season - "obviously, we are not very good, statistically," Flacco said - and against the stingy Texans they gained 227 yards and scored 3 points over the final three quarters. In the postseason over all, Flacco has completed 53.1 percent of his passes with more interceptions (seven) than touchdown passes (six). But if the Ravens win Sunday, Flacco may finally receive the credit he desires; it is unlikely they can advance without a strong game from him. In the Patriots" three losses - to Buffalo, Pittsburgh and the Giants - their defense allowed an average of 328 yards passing. They are certain to focus on Rice, putting pressure on Flacco to perform. "I don't care," Flacco said defiantly when asked Wednesday if winning the Super Bowl would improve the perception of him. I'll be wearing a ring, and we'll be holding a trophy. The perception probably won't change, but it doesn't really matter.