BY DAN BEGNOCHE
The Baltimore Ravens pass rush was the key to the team's road victory last Saturday, tallying five sacks against a mobile Ben Roethlisberger. Elvis Dumervil and Co. will be looking for a repeat of that performance on the road against the Patriots this Saturday, though they're quick to point out the differences with the man under center this week.
Dumervil notched two of those five sacks against Pittsburgh in the team's 30-17 victory, as Baltimore's continuous pressure kept Roethlisberger unbalanced and unable to find the deep-threat options that headlined the previous matchup between the two teams.
But a pocket passer like Tom Brady presents different problems, Dumervil told reporters Tuesday, especially one with a quick release.
"Sometimes I prefer a scrambler," Dumervil said via baltimoreravens.com. "At least you get a chance to get to them. When a guy gets rid of the ball so quickly, that can be a little more difficult.
"As a student of the game, you have to study. But I think as a pass rusher, you have to remain relentless. That's kind of what I try to be. I try to be relentless no matter what the situation is, but at the same time being smart about it."
As smart as the Ravens' rushers will try to be against Brady, the Patriots will likely play things equally as smart. The Patriots' offensive line has surrendered the fourth fewest sacks this season (26), relying mainly on those short passes to move the chains. Brady was 15th among QBs this season in passes of 20 yards or more, and he was 11th in passes of 40 yards or more.
In terms of switching gears and game-planning against a quick-release QB, Ravens defensive tackle Terrell Suggs may have said it best Tuesday: You change.
"You just change it," Suggs said. "You gotta get there faster. So like you said, he gets the ball out quick, so we just gotta do our job faster."
