Joe Flacco didn’t want to take any chances in the closing seconds of Super Bowl XLVII. If San Francisco return man Ted Ginn Jr. broke into the clear on the game’s final play, he wanted his teammates to be prepared.
“If he starts to break it, go tackle him,” Flacco told Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta on the sidelines, as overheard by NFL Films microphones.
“I don’t know,” Flacco said, when pressed by his teammate about the legality of his idea. “I mean, what else … what could they … I don’t know. They might be able to give him a touchdown on that, but I don’t know.”
According to NFL rules, the officials would have been able to award Ginn a score due to the “palpably unfair act” committed by the Ravens sideline. However, Flacco seemed ready to run the risk of committing a foul if it meant keeping the 49ers out of the end zone.
“Why can’t you [tackle him]?” center Matt Birk asked his quarterback after Flacco yelled the plan to his team’s offensive line.
“I will,” Flacco said. “I’m going to.”
Baltimore’s special teams unit never needed any help, however, as Ginn was tackled and the Ravens were crowned champions.
