Joe Flacco takes flak from nosy neighbor

(CBS) - Hopefully Joe Flacco is telling himself that all publicity is good publicity, because the Baltimore Ravens quarterback is getting plenty of it. Flacco has been criticized by fans, the media, and even his own teammates for his on-field performance and post-game interviews. It even extends to his driveway, where the fourth-year quarterback took heat from a neighbor for skateboarding.

"I'd never been on a skateboard in my life, so I was literally riding it about 10 feet down my driveway just to see if I could stand on it and stay upright," Flacco said Wednesday on "NFL Total Access." "One of my neighbors must have called in looking for (Ravens general manager) Ozzie Newsome and left a voicemail on his secretary's phone saying, 'Hey, man, you got to let Joe Flacco know we're trying to win the Super Bowl around here! He's at home riding a skateboard. Somebody's got to let him know what the deal is.' "

Flacco seemed to laugh it off, the way he was with criticism all year. As a CBSSports.com headline put it, "Flacco accepts criticism because he doesn't care."

As the only quarterback in NFL history to make it to the playoffs in each of his first four seasons, Flacco probably has more on his mind than nosy neighbors. But with the Ravens now one game away from the Super Bowl, maybe Baltimore fans should cut Flacco some slack.