Ravens coach John Harbaugh bristled at a suggestion from a reporter that he should have considered removing quarterback Joe Flacco from the game in the third quarter to avoid a potential injury.
During the Ravens' 48-17 blowout win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium, Flacco threw five touchdown passes and stayed in the game until 3:42 remained in the game. Backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor replaced Flacco.
The Ravens built a 38-0 lead by halftime.
"Absolutely not did we consider doing that," Harbaugh said Monday when asked if he had thought of taking out Flacco much earlier than he did. "That would be, in my opinion, foolish. You don't do that in this league. This is pro football. I don't see anybody else doing it. I wouldn't even consider it at that point in time.
"So, I think the consideration comes in the fourth quarter. We talked about it at about the 10-minute mark. We went out for that one drive. That would have been the time to possibly do it, but we decided, 'No.' We were going to keep Joe in there and keep our offensive line in there and protect Joe, play our players. And that's what we'll probably do in the future."
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