There are numerous adjectives one could assign to Joe Flacco: "Strong-armed." "Tall." "Experienced." If he had his druthers, "elite."

But "mobile?" That word is only associated with Flacco when discussing his cell phone. You'll never confuse the 34-year-old pocket passer for a dual-threat scrambler, the type of quarterback that stole his job in Baltimore and forced the former Super Bowl MVP to relocate to the Mile High City.

As soon as he arrived, the Broncos showered Flacco in hyperbole. He's supposedly entering his prime, on a championship path similar to Peyton Manning. He's the "understood" starter this season and likely into the next decade, skilled enough to hold off ballyhooed rookie gunslinger Drew Lock.

The praise, some seeming disingenuous, has continued through training camp. After five practices, cautiously optimistic offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello declared Flacco the most athletic QB he's ever coached, tearing down a "misconception" surrounding the man with 811 career rushing yards and 16 touchdowns on 345 attempts across 11 years.

“We've got to go out and do it and put it together. I have a lot of respect for Joe," Scangarello told reporters Sunday. "I don't think the numbers truly reflect the player he is. I never have. [San Francisco 49ers Head Coach] Kyle Shanahan, who we’ve talked about a lot, I’ve mentioned this before, he's got the kind of ability that allows you to push the ball down the field. He is tough in the pocket. I think that there is a misconception that he is not athletic. You guys have watched the guy run around to escape the pocket the last few days. He's probably more athletic than any guy I've been around—[Falcons QB] Matt Ryan, those guys. He's got fluidity, and he can move. I'm excited. It's not going to be easy. We'll see where we can take it, but I think that there is a great foundation there. We'll see what happens.”

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To be clear, Scangarello — a first-time NFL play-caller and ex-QBs coach — hasn't exactly worked with a who's who of big-league signal-callers. His resume includes Atlanta's Matt Ryan and San Francisco's Jimmy Garoppolo and ... that's it. He's an ascending name who made chicken salad out of chicken you-know-what, turning C.J. Beathard and Nick Mullens into capable game managers for the Niners.

Nobody, though, would confuse any of them for the second coming of Michael Vick. And that's fine. The Broncos don't need Flacco to be Vick.

They need Flacco to be Flacco, out to prove he still belongs. They need him to keep opponents honest with his right shoulder, the complement to a smashmouth rushing attack and stifling defense. They need to be able to win because of him, not simply in spite of him.

If camp is a predictor, this will happen through the air rather than on the ground. When he hasn't been under duress, Flacco's connected on several deep balls and exhibited noticeable zip on seam throws. Scangarello usually hovers close by, studying his newest pet project's every move — from the basics to an advanced repertoire.

"You want to go out, work on your fundamentals, you want to work on your feet, and you want to [work on] different things that we are trying to improve as a player. But when you go under center, you can't think about those things. You've got to think about the snap points, the play call, the cadence, the coverage, all the things that you're faced with. You are not thinking about fundamentals, so being able to make that who you are without being live and then translating it takes work. We've seen that he flashes that already from other OTAs to now. The composure, the feet and all that. It will be a process. For all the guys we've had, it's kind of the way it works. It was a process for [QB] Joe Flacco, and now he is that he is 10 years in and it's pretty easy for him. It's part of the deal."

Apparently, Flacco's feet aren't buried in figurative cement, a revelation that may foreshadow his 2019 usage beyond the pocket. Expect Scangarello, at face value, to dial up plenty of boot-action or designed roll-outs to unearth the graybeard's perceived agility.