That kind of organizational support also represents a major change in circumstance.

Last season, his wife jokingly teased him about being a backup. Now, Flacco will look to add more moments like the one that still torments Broncos fans: a 70-yard touchdown pass to Jacoby Jones in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter in the 2012 Divisional Round.

"Joe has won over 100 games as a starting quarterback in the NFL and that includes the most road playoff wins in NFL history with seven," Elway said as he introduced Flacco. "If we recall, there was one four or five years ago that was pretty painful here in Denver. Hopefully we'll have a lot more of those miracles on our side rather than against us."

Following 10 seasons in Baltimore, Flacco thinks he's built to thrive in those moments. And it makes sense that he would be. As he explained Friday, he's been tested again and again.

"I played a lot of tight games in Baltimore," Flacco said. "We relied on our defense a lot. It's just always been kind of the culture around there and what people see us as. We played in a lot of hard-fought games because of that. I think when that happens, you're not going to have games that look pretty, but you're going to be tested a lot and you're going to be put through the wringer a lot. Even though they don't look pretty, you don't realize how well you may have played in those games. But then when it comes to playoff time, a lot of the playoff games, that's what they are. They're all ugly and they're tough. You're throwing out of a little pocket. You're not back there unmolested for 10 seconds. You're throwing out of a tight pocket.

"I think that's what a lot of my career was in Baltimore. It was a lot of those tight games that we won by close margins. I think when you get used to playing in those conditions and everybody else gets used to playing in not quite the same conditions, you just prepare yourself for being in the moment and those big situations … and treat them just like anything else."

When the season arrives and Flacco trots out onto the Mile High grass — this time as a member of the Broncos — he'll have plenty of more opportunities to thrive in pressure-filled situation.

And that's what's mainly serving as his motivation.

The way things ended in Baltimore? That could provide momentary bits of fuel for the veteran.

But as he said Friday, things like that quickly fade. You need more to stay motivated during a long NFL season — and Flacco has more.

"I'm driven because this is what I love to do," Flacco said. "I love playing football and I want to be the best at what I do. Having said that, there are obviously little things each year that change that may add a little bit to the fire. I'm really not trying to think too much about my past and why I'm here. I'm really just trying to be excited for the fact that I am here and the offense that we're getting to run, and the team we're getting ready to build.