Joe Cool and Matty Ice, the two quarterbacks selected in the first round of the 2008 National Football League draft, will forever be linked to each other, especially around these parts. Both Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan could have been anointed the Ravens’ quarterback of the future on that sunny Saturday in late April.

One was clearly the franchise’s preferred quarterback; the Ravens made no secret about whom they coveted in the early stages of the first round. One was the fans’ near-unanimous potential savior of choice; they clamored for the strong-armed passer to lead their team out of the Kyle Boller era and into the future.

The other guy was Joe Flacco. We all know who the Ravens wound up with.

More than six months (and 11 NFL weeks) later, both rookie quarterbacks have started every game for their respective teams, coolly leading them to 6-4 records. The Ravens and Falcons are both surprisingly battling for playoff spots after abysmal 2007 seasons, and they’ve got strong QB play to thank for it.

Ryan was expected to succeed in Atlanta — though maybe not this soon — and is certainly living up to the hype that comes with being the No. 3 overall pick. He has completed nearly 60 percent of his passes for 11 touchdowns and six interceptions, and his 87.8 passer rating ranks 13th among qualified quarterbacks.

Already the favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, Ryan was ranked third by Sports Illustrated’s Peter King — the Bono of NFL writers — in the “MVP Watch” section of this week’s “Monday Morning Quarterback” column. According to King, Ryan is “so much like a young Peyton Manning it’s scary.”

Those are his words, not mine. Once the Boston College grad wins a Super Bowl and makes a TV commercial that inspires me to wear his jersey and a fake mustache for Halloween, then we’ll talk.

Conversely, the expectations for Flacco were literally off the charts. Ozzie Newsome and the Ravens brass are smart guys, but there’s no way they really knew what they were getting when they traded down, then up, to take Flacco.

I’ll never forget the crowd’s reaction during a draft day event at M&T Bank Stadium. The fans booed lustily when Atlanta grabbed their guy at No. 3. When Baltimore took the University of Delaware’s Flacco at No. 18, the crowd fell silent for a second — as if they had a collective “Who?” moment — then came a slow spattering of applause that eventually turned into a roar. I guess you could say that’s the same response Flacco has received from peers and pundits during his roller coaster ride from “Dela-where?” to replacing Air McNair. There’s nothing but praise for him now.

The small-school quarterback has hardly looked out of place with the Ravens, especially since his three-interception performance against the Colts on Oct. 12. Over the past five weeks, Flacco has thrown for nearly 200 yards a game, and has seven touchdown passes to go with just two interceptions (both came Sunday). Without him under center, who knows what the Ravens’ record would be.

It’s fun to think about how things might be different if the Ravens could have selected Ryan. Would they be better or worse with Matty Ice at QB? The subject makes for great water-cooler debate, but there’s no clear answer right now.

Looking back at the fans’ reaction on draft day, I can’t help but think that most of them started clapping because of peer pressure. Maybe they were showing their solidarity and allegiance to the Ravens way, even though they wanted Ryan.

But there’s no question who they want now. Joe Cool is their guy.

Matt Vensel is a content creator for b. Contact him at matt@bthesite.com

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