OWINGS MILLS – Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco isn’t going to rush himself back onto the field just to play preseason games. If his surgically-repaired knee feels like he’s ready for preseason action, Flacco will take some snaps. But the priority for Flacco is to be ready for Week 1, and if that means skipping the preseason, so be it.

“The goal is to make sure I’m as healthy as possible, regular season,” said Flacco on Wednesday while meeting with reporters. “I haven’t directly talked to (coach) John (Harbaugh) about it, but I talked to the doctors a little bit. The way our practices are out here, the way we compete, how competitive they are, I’m going to play get plenty of work out here. I’ve played in a million games. To put it at any further risk, to get hit in a simple, early preseason game probably wouldn’t be the smartest thing.”

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Flacco has done a superb job rehabilitating his knee, but taking the field against live competition will be the final step. The Ravens won’t be hitting Flacco during practice, so whenever he returns to action, Flacco knows the mental hurdle of not favoring or protecting his knee will have to be cleared.

“I better not be thinking about it (his knee),” Flacco said. “ I’m sure I’ll feel a little bit different the first couple of times, and that’s just going to be part of the growing process, it’s going to be part of the rehab process. It’s not over until you’re out there and you feel like you did before it all happened. Having people flying around my legs and all that is just going to be another part of it.”

Flacco will wear a knee brace for the first time in his career, and plans to wear it all season.