"Joe Flacco's performance in the AFC championship game might not have silenced all his critics, but in the minds of owner Steve Bisciotti and general manager Ozzie Newsome, there is no question the 27-year-old quarterback is the man to lead the Ravens back to the Super Bowl.

"The thing that I like about Joe — and I think in the end, in this business, you get judged on one thing: winning — Joe wins. He continues to win. If one pass was caught, he'd be in the Super Bowl," Newsome said. "I think he'll win Super Bowls, and I hope to be a part of them. The thing you cannot knock about Joe is he's a winner."

At the team's annual season-ending news conference Wednesday — 10 days after Flacco threw for 306 yards and two touchdown passes in the 23-20 loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game — Bisciotti and Newsome said the team hopes to re-sign Flacco, who is entering the final season of his five-year rookie contract, to a long-term extension this offseason."