Joe Flacco is the Ravens’ “quarterback of the future,” and that’s just fine to Kyle Boller, who wants to be the team’s quarterback of the present after carrying the burden of being the franchise’s savior for too long.

Boller was in the same situation as Flacco five years ago, when he was expected to bring stability to a position after the Ravens selected him in the first round with the 19th pick of the 2003 draft.

But Boller never became the star the team envisioned, which forced the Ravens to pick Flacco with the 18th pick overall in this past year’s draft.

Yet Boller remains upbeat, refusing to be defeated by the constant booing and criticism from the team’s fans. Boller, whose contract expires at the end of the season, has one more chance to prove he’s the quarterback for a team that has started 15 players at the position since arriving in Baltimore in 1996.

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Boller is battling Troy Smith, a former Heisman Trophy winner who is in his second year, and Flacco to see who takes the field at M&T Bank Stadium to open the season against Cincinnati on Sept. 7.

And right now, it’s Boller’s job to lose. He’s been the steadiest of the three, but also has yet to really separate himself, as he threw an interception returned for a touchdown during a recent practice.

“Each day gets a little easier,” Boller said. “The things I learned in each practice the are not going to be perfect. There are going to be balls I throw that might not go where I want, but as long as I can correct them after practice and move forward and continue to understand a lot of the offense then I will be going in the right direction.”

Boller is the most experienced of the Ravens quarterbacks, as he has appeared in 53 games with 42 starts. He also is the last NFL quarterback to start the first game of his rookie year.

“There were parts of me that doubted I was ready,” Boller said. “But at the same time, I was 21 years old and I was ready to go. I felt like I was ready at the time, but looking back on it— knowing defenses now and actually just learning this offense — there is a lot to learn when you’re young. But I am not going to say you can’t do it.”

Last season, Boller completed 168-of-275 passes for 1,743 yards, nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 12 games. He also enters the season as the Ravens’ all-time leader in completions (746), attempts (1,311) and passing yards (7,846).

But that now means nothing. Boller has to prove to a new coaching staff he’s the guy, beginning with Thursday night’s preseason opener at New England at 7:30.

“They’re all competitors and they’re all talented in their own way,” Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron said. “We’re really not tailoring anything to a guy who’s in there. We’re just inserting plays right now. To get any separation between the three right now would really be difficult, and until we start playing preseason games, how would we know?”

rsnyder@baltimoreexaminer.com