Flacco finds security in Stokely during Ravens' loss

Jim Corbett | USA TODAY Sports

BALTIMORE – Joe Flacco may have found his Anquan Boldin slot receiver replacement two weeks before the Baltimore Ravens begin their Super Bowl title defense Sept. 5 against the Denver Broncos.

The irony is that Flacco's new trusted third-down target just might be Brandon Stokley, Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning's slot receiver one year ago.

Flacco's developing connection with Stokley -- three catches for 43 yards – was the brightest Ravens positive to emerge from Thursday night's 34-27 preseason loss to the Carolina Panthers at M&T Bank Stadium.

"I'm ecstatic to have this opportunity to win a job, and that's what I have here after talking with Ozzie Newsome,'' Stokley said, referencing the Ravens general manager who drafted the former Louisiana-Lafayette standout in the fourth round of the 1999 draft. "You can't really be a good receiver without having a very good quarterback.

"To have an elite quarterback like Joe, it makes my job easier. We've just been working hard the last week and a half trying to get our timing down.''

Has it really been a dozen years since the former Ravens speed receiver torched then New York Giants cornerback Jason Sehorn for a 38-yard, Super Bowl XXXV touchdown hook-up with Trent Dilfer?

Now 37, Stokley has run a circle route going from his 1999-2002 first incarnation with the Ravens to a 2003-2006 stint in Indianapolis with Manning to brief stints with the Seattle Seahawks, New York Giants, Broncos, and all the way back to the Ravens.

"It's been a while,'' Stokley said. "I'm behind right now, trying to play catch up.''

He took a big step against the Panthers with a key 9-yard third-down grab that sparked an opening 9-play, 69-yard touchdown drive capped by Ray Rice's 1-yard scoring run.

Stokely later showed great body control on a twisting, mid-air snare of a 27-yard pass that showed how fast Stokley has earned the reigning Super Bowl MVP's trust.

"Brandon Stokley runs great routes and does a great job of getting loose and open against pretty much every coverage,'' coach John Harbaugh said. "It was good to see.''

This preseason has been all about discovering a reliable replacement for Boldin, Flacco's go-to guy traded to San Francisco when he refused to accept a salary reduction. Compounding Boldin's departure was the loss of Flacco's trusted receiving tight end Dennis Pitta, who suffered a season-ending dislocated hip early in training camp.

Flacco had an uneven performance, going 5-for-5 for 45 yards to spark that opening drive and firing a 24-yard scoring strike to receiver Marlon Brown. In between, he threw a pair of interceptions that gave him four pickoffs in three preseason games.

Add in a fumble by tailback Bernard Pierce that linebacker Thomas Davis scooped to score from 2 yards out, and Carolina scored 14 points off Ravens turnovers.

That won't be good enough to beat Manning and the high-octane Broncos come the Sept. 5 opener in Denver.

"With what we did tonight, we're not going to win a lot of football games doing that,'' said Flacco, who finished 18 of 24 for 169 yards. "At the same time, it was just a lot of miscommunication. ... In the regular season, we're not going to be able to say that.''

Harbaugh attributes the uncharacteristic number of interceptions to Flacco trying to break in new receivers in Stokley, tight ends Visanthe Schiancoe and Dallas Clark, and third-year slot candidate Tandon Doss.

It was Doss who ran the wrong route on Flacco's interception that cornerback Drayton Florence returned 71 yards for a second-quarter touchdown.

"Joe is not one to throw a lot of interceptions as we all know,'' Harbaugh said. "We're concerned about them, Joe more than anybody. A lot of that is he's probably trying to get a feel for guys. We don't expect it to be an issue this year. But we've got to make sure it's not.''

Stokley said it's too early for his new teammates to start digging for insider information on the Broncos.

"We really haven't gotten into that yet,'' Stokley said. "I'm sure it will be coming. My main focus right now is trying to make the team and try and get better every day.''

The once-and-again Raven took a big step securing that vacant slot spot Thursday night.