The Ravens Secondary has changed with the departures of Ed Reed and a few others, but the goal is still the same: shut (or at least slow) down the opponent’s passing game.
Remember a few months ago when the San Francisco 49ers were down inside the 10-yard line and our secondary kept them out of the end zone? (Yea me too!)
So could we do it again? I sure would like to think so, especially now that we are a little bit faster on the defensive side of the ball.
The Ravens have a lot of potential and versatility in the secondary, and Ravens Secondary Coach Teryl Austin seems excited about what he is working with.
One major question mark that a lot of fans and coaches have is how rookie Safety Matt Elam will play. The only visuals the Ravens have of Elam so far are at OTAs and the recent start of mandatory mini-camp.
While at the podium during mini-camp, Coach Austin was asked about Elam’s progression, and had this to say:
“Good. Good. [He’s] going through the usual changes that a rookie goes through, but he’s smart. He’s tough, he’s fast, he gets football, and I think he is going to be a fine player for us soon. It’s a different deal going from college to pro, but it’s still playing football. He has a lot of stuff to work on, and our job is to get him there by the season.”
So we have a rookie (Elam), and a veteran (free agent Michael Huff) back there, roaming the secondary.
I hope you did not forget about safety/cornerback Huff, who was once a seventh-overall selection in the first round of the NFL draft (by the Oakland Raiders).
Being a veteran means that he has the knowledge that can help the team, especially considering the amount of football IQ that left the building along with Reed.
“He has great range,” said Austin of Huff. “He has really good speed. We all know he has played corner in the past. He has played safety, so he gives us a lot of flexibility matchup-wise. He can cover, he can blitz [and] he can play in the back. We will use that to the best of our ability to try to confuse quarterbacks and try not to line him up in the same place all the time.”
As Ravens fans, we cannot dwell on the losses of Reed or Cary Williams. We have new guys now, and I am extremely excited about them!
