OWINGS MILLS – The football quickly left the fingertips of Tennessee Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck last Sunday, often leaving the Baltimore Ravens’ secondary flatfooted and unable to react in time.
Now, the Ravens’ defense is about to square off with another quarterback determined to run in super speed.
St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford adeptly ran the no-huddle offense in a Monday night loss to the New York Giants, passing for a career-high 331 yards as he completed 22 of 46 passes for one touchdown and no interceptions.
"He looks like a veteran quarterback," Ravens free safety Ed Reed said. "You give him some time, and he shows some potential. He throws the ball around. He’s going to be somebody to reckon with in the next couple of years, even now."
One week removed from allowing Hasselbeck to pass for 358 yards and a touchdown on 30 of 42 accuracy as he connected with wide receiver Kenny Britt nine times for 135 yards, the Ravens have to contend with the Rams’ high-octane style.
And Bradford might be young, but the former top overall draft pick from Oklahoma has size, arm strength and talent.
"I think he’s phenomenally talented, he shows that he can make the decisions," Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs said. "He’s even got them doing the no huddle. You put a quarterback in the no-huddle, he’s making great decisions, identifying the defense. That’s key."
Bradford has completed 39 of 76 throws for 519 yards, one touchdown and no interception for a 77.7 passer rating. He’s been sacked six times and lost two fumbles.
As a rookie last year, Bradford passed for a respectable 3,512 yards, 18 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Now, he’s doing bigger things while playing for a new offensive coordinator in Josh McDaniels.
He doesn’t seem like the type that gets intimidated even while dealing with substandard pass protection and a receiving corps that’s missing injured wide receivers Danny Amendola and Mark Clayton.
"It says he’s really smart," Ravens coach John Harbaugh when asked what it means that Bradford is already running the no-huddle offense in his second NFL season. "You can tell there are some things he’s still learning in Josh’s offense, but he’s a smart guy. He’s an elite quarterback talent-wise.
"He’s young. I think he’s going to be one of the premier guys. Our challenge is going to be to make him look young. We need to see that part of it because it’s there, but that’s easier said than done."
Especially considering how vulnerable the Ravens were against the Titans.
They have fallen to 28th in the league in passing defense, surrendering 302 passing yards per contest.
They also rank 22nd in total defense, fourth in rushing defense and 16th in third-down defense, allowing opponents to convert 38 ½ percent of third downs.
Most of the damage Sunday was done by Hasselbeck and the Titans’ quick-strike offense as the Ravens bottled up star running back Chris Johnson.
"They had a great game plan, we made adjustments, but it was a little too late," Reed said. "They made more plays than we did, and we didn’t make any. We’ve got to play better technique. We had some technique stuff and little technical breakdowns that we just gave plays away.
"It’s a matter of really knocking out your technique and being cautious with what you do out on the field. You’ve got to know what you’re doing out there."
Added cornerback Lardarius Webb: "Everything we did was easily correctable. We gave up a lot of deep balls on minor things. We can stop that."
As far as All-Pro middle linebacker Ray Lewis is concerned, the Ravens can’t play passively.
Even if it’s a three-step or two-step drop, they’ve got to harass the quarterback.
The Ravens never sacked Hasselbeck.
"Simple, you come out and you don’t let him do those things," Lewis said. "You either blitz him or put your hands on him, you do whatever you have to do. To let a person with that much veteran experience sit back and do some of the things that he was able to do, whether it was quick steps or not, someone has to take a risk and jump one of those quick routes and make them stop doing that.
"If you don’t, most quarterbacks understand Cover 1, Cover 4, Cover 3, so they know where to go with the ball. It’s not as complicated as we make it sometimes. You really have to get him off the spot."
In his time in the league, the two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year has seen many quarterbacks come and go.
He’s convinced that Bradford is a special breed.
"I like the things that he does as a young kid," Lewis said. "He’s more athletic than people think he is. He can really run around, but he’s very accurate with where he wants to place the ball. When you watch his progression, you see that he really understands the game."
And the Ravens are literally hamstrung at cornerback with veteran Chris Carr having missed this past game after aggravating his left hamstring injury in the opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He’s expected to return this week and practiced on a limited basis Wednesday.
Meanwhile, cornerback Domonique Foxworth is still slowed by a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee suffered a year ago. And rookie cornerback Jimmy Smith, the Ravens’ first-round draft pick, is still limping around with a left high-ankle sprain.
"It’s impacting us now, just preparing," Reed said.
Reed said getting shredded by the Titans could help prepare the Ravens for the Rams’ approach.
"It’s going to be interesting, playing last week helped us out a lot," Reed said. "It’s just going to be a little more up-tempo, which requires everybody’s attention. It’s going to be a great game. I think they’re going to come out fired up."
