Breaking News: Ravens QB Joe Flacco Has Never Tailgated

And a few other things we learned from the football star and face of McDonald’s new advertising campaign.

Stephanie Radvan

Oct 3, 2013

Baltimore Ravens QB Joe Flacco is squaring off against 49ersQB Colin Kaepernick again – and this time it’s one-on-one. Oh, and it’s in that ad for McDonald’s new Mighty Wings that you’ve been drooling over (watch below). We spoke to the Super Bowl champ about his big win, the current NFL season, and which of his teammates would be the most likely to steal his wings.

So how was filming the McDonald’s spot with Colin Kaepernick?

It was a lot of fun. I didn’t really know Colin before the shoot but we spent most of the day hanging out on set and he definitely seems like a cool, down-to-Earth guy.

The ad also mimics the Super Bowl blackout. What were your thoughts on the field when that happened?

To me, it didn’t seem too bad. It must’ve looked worse to people watching at home because I don’t remember thinking too much of it. I mean, I couldn’t believe it, that at the Super Bowl, the biggest game of the NFL season, the stadium’s main lights could go off, and obviously I was anxious for the game to pick up again.

The momentum of the game certainly changed when the lights turned back on, with the 49ers getting a second wind. Did you curse at the lights at all?

I mean, even if the lights didn’t go out I think they would eventually make a little bit of a run at it. They were the first team to get going once the lights were back on and score a touchdown, and obviously that changed the dynamic of the game. The fans got rolling in their favor a little bit. I was definitely nervous coming down to the end of the game because I wasn’t on the field. Our defense was and I didn’t have a hand in it at that point.

Well, everything turned out great for you and the Ravens. How did you celebrate in New Orleans afterward?

I had a bunch of family and friends in town so I just went to places they were hanging out and got a bite to eat with them before hitting the after party. I fell asleep around 4:30 in the morning, which was kind of a disappointment ’cause I was planning to stay up all night! But you know, we had to wake up at 5:30am to do Disney World so maybe it was for the best.

Coming off being the Super Bowl MVP, I’m guessing you didn’t change much with your routine during the offseason.

Yeah, I’ve had a routine down for the past couple of years. I live in New Jersey in the offseason, and I have a trainer back there. We go at it for the five, six months that we are away from here, and make sure we come back ready to go. The biggest thing for me with playing quarterback is to get my body to the point where it’s durable to take a lot of hits and being able to stand up to a lot of things that may cause injury. My main goal is to keep myself on the field and get my body ready to do that.

What do you think of some of the rookie QBs this year?

There are always good quarterbacks coming out of college and trying to make their way into the NFL. Guys like EJ Manuel and Geno Smith have great shots of being successful. They just have to keep at it. These guys are playing well but it’s going to be a matter of time to see if they can consistently play well and win some football games. If they do that, then they’ll be here for a long time.

Any team in particular that you’re excited to face off against this season?

I’m excited about playing the Miami Dolphins this week. They’re a 3-1 football team right now, so it’s fair to say they’ve been doing pretty good. But I think when you are playing for us, when you’re a Baltimore Raven, you’re always excited for the Pittsburgh Steelers game because of how crazy all of our fans get for that game.

What’s necessary for an awesome tailgating party?

You know what, I’ve honestly never tailgated at a football game – not in high school, not in college, and not in the NFL – so funnily enough I am the wrong guy to ask about that! But I can say that the Mighty Wings are really good. I ate plenty of those on set.

So those Mighty Wings go missing in the commercial; which teammate of yours would be the most likely culprit?

On my team there are plenty of guys I would suspect to steal some wings when the lights go off: HalotiNgata, Terrell Suggs, Arthur Jones, Gino Gradkowski. But none of those guys are suspects for the actual ad. Fans can go onto whosgotthemightywings.com and vote to see who stole them, and the big reveal will actually be this week during Sunday Night Football.