"I've told everyone, when it comes to physical attributes as a quarterback, he's the best that I've been with," said Ravens wide receiver Anquan Boldin, who has 16 catches for 276 yards and three touchdowns this postseason. "The guy can make every throw on the field, no matter if it's a quick-game pass, intermediate or a deep ball down the field. He has every throw in his arsenal."

Boldin and other Ravens have bristled this week about the perception that Flacco has suddenly become a different quarterback in the postseason. They say that he has been the same quarterback all along, only people are just now paying closer attention because of the playoff spotlight.

But the numbers certainly don't support that claim as Flacco had an uneven regular season, completing 59.7 percent of his passes for 3,817 yards, 22 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

His playoff success, meanwhile, has been nearly unmatched, even by the most accomplished NFL quarterbacks. Flacco is the first starting quarterback in NFL history to make the playoffs and win a postseason game in each of his first five seasons in the league. His six road playoff wins are the most in NFL history.

If the Ravens are victorious Sunday, Flacco will already have nine postseason wins in his first five NFL seasons. Only Brady, who Flacco vanquished in the AFC championship game, would have more this early in his career.

"Joe has transformed us in a lot of ways," Harbaugh said. "It's been a process and Joe has been hugely successful doing it. Obviously, he's got talent, everyone can see he's a big strong guy, he can throw the ball, he's accurate, he's a tough competitor, he's a winner, he's a leader and he's ours — he's a Raven. That's what I like about him the best, he embodies the things that the Ravens are always about."

jeff.zrebiec@baltsun.com

Where Flacco ranks heading into Super Bowl

Heading into the Super Bowl, Joe Flacco is having one of the best postseasons that any quarterback has ever had. A look at where he stands compared to the last 10 Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks.

Year; Player, team; Games; Comp.-Att-Yds; TDs; INTs; QB rating;

2012; Joe Flacco, Ravens; 3; 51-93-853; 8; 0; 114.7;

2011; Eli Manning, Giants; 4; 106-163-1,219; 9; 1; 103.3;

2010; Aaron Rodgers, Packers; 4; 90-132-1,094; 9; 2; 109.8;

2009; Drew Brees, Saints; 3; 72-102-732; 8; 0; 117.0;

2008; B.Roethlisberger, Steelers; 3; 54-89-692; 3; 1; 91.6;

2007; Eli Manning, Giants; 4; 72-119-854; 6; 1; 95.7;

2006; Peyton Manning, Colts; 4; 102-165-1,101; 3; 7; 69.8;

2005; B.Roethlisberger, Steelers; 4; 58-93-803; 7; 3; 101.7;

2004; Tom Brady, Patriots; 3; 59-90-635; 5; 1; 100.0;

2003; Tom Brady, Patriots; 3; 75-126-792; 5; 2; 84.5;

2002; Brad Johnson, Buccaneers; 3; 66-116-789; 7; 5; 80.0;

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