Brady is just as intense in how he digests film, according to Washington. The day before games, he holds a meeting with the quarterbacks and wide receivers to go over a tape he had made of the Patriots' practices. No coaches allowed.
Last month, New England coach Bill Belichick acknowledged for the first time that Brady is "hard to coach."
"You have to be better prepared than he is because he sets such a high standard with his preparation and his level of understanding," Belichick told NBCSports.com.
Flacco's interaction with his coaches often shows how much he has learned.
In between offensive series, Flacco gets on the phone, where he typically receives some instruction from quarterbacks coach Hue Jackson. After one series last Sunday, it was Flacco who had something to say, explaining how a Cleveland Browns safety was in a different position on the field than what the Ravens had practiced during the week.
"To me, that's very impressive," Jackson said. "That's not usually seen in young guys. Normally, you have to go through those wars to understand those things. I want to say it's all because of our preparation ... but a lot of it is just Joe."
Jackson added, "He is able to recall information as good as anybody as I've ever been around."
Teammates say Flacco doesn't make the same mistake twice and doesn't let the same defensive look beat him twice.
"All professionals have confidence," tight end Todd Heap said. "But he's one of those guys that have that air about himself that says he knows what he can do and he knows he's good at it."
Flacco's image is different from the last time he played at New England's Gillette Stadium. In last year's preseason opener, Flacco had a forgettable rookie debut, failing to complete a pass on three attempts. He fumbled on his second play, and a fourth-down pass was batted down in the red zone.
Nearly 14 months later, Flacco is one of the hottest quarterbacks in the NFL. His quarterback rating (101.4), completion rate (65.4 percent) and touchdown passes (six) are better than Brady's after three games.
Flacco's success is a welcome change for a locker room that had watched the team's only other two young starting quarterbacks (Kyle Boller and Chris Redman) fail.
"It's definitely unusual, especially around here. I haven't seen it," Heap said. "He's a guy that you want leading you down the field and in the huddle."
