For Jarret Johnson, it was six months of work condensed into about four seconds.

The linebacker stared at Kyle Boller as the quarterback barked his cadence before Johnson unleashed his fury as soon as the ball was snapped. The 6-foot-3, 265-pounder sprinted toward Boller, and extended his arms to throw all 6-foot-8 and 330 pounds of offensive tackle Adam Terry out of his way en route to the backfield.

Johnson’s play last week at training camp was one he may not have made last season, as he was slowed by a broken right thumb that limited him to 94 tackles and two sacks.

“Last year was my first year really starting and contributing to the defense and this year I want to take it to the next level,” Johnson said. “I want to make more big plays this year. I was disappointed I couldn’t make more of those last year.”

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Johnson hopes to enable Ravens fans to finally forget about Pro Bowl linebacker Adalius Thomas — the player Johnson replaced after he signed with the New England Patriots after the 2006 season. So far, Johnson has performed like a Pro Bowler off the field. He didn’t miss a single day of the team’s voluntary offseason workout program, making him one of several players to earn an “Arm and Hammer” patch from Coach John Harbaugh for their commitments.

“Double-J‚ is a guy who has been here for every single lift, every single run and he’s made every single practice,” Harbaugh said. “He has really emerged as one of the real leaders on the defense.”

But will Johnson’s play carry over to the season? The answer will be a major factor in how quickly the Ravens can rebound from a horrendous, 5-11 season. 

“We all love his physicality and his aggressiveness, but his coverage was OK last year,” Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan said. “But now, it’s really getting good. He’s really understanding route concepts better. Of course you know you’re going to get one of the premier outside run players in Jarret, and now as a pass defender, he’s really getting good.”

The Ravens ranked sixth in total defense last season (301.6 yards per game), but 20th in scoring defense (24 points per game) and 20th in passing defense (222.3 yards per game). In 2006, the year they went 13-3, the Ravens allowed a league-low 12.6 points per game.

“Last year, we may have gotten a little cocky just expecting to be the number one defense in the league,” Johnson said. “Then, when things got tough, we didn’t play to our standards.”

rsnyder@baltimoreexaminer.com