I’m a big believer in “stealing” when it comes to professional football.
With parity across the league becoming more and more apparent with each passing season, and the majority of games seemingly coming down to those final four minutes of game time, “stealing” becomes critical. Maybe it’s having that mobile quarterback who can get you six yards on a scramble on third-and-five.
Or, as we’ve seen time and time again with the Ravens under John Harbaugh, flipping field position with a special teams play. Enter the addition of Baltimore’s own Deonte Hardy.
On the heels of returner Devin Duvernay leaving the team this offseason, and with a new kickoff rule in place, the Ravens made a move on the return specialist with hopes that he could “steal” field possession a few times this season, potentially leading to “stealing” a game or two. That can be critical in terms of playoff seedings.
The Banner’s Giana Han wrote a terrific piece on Harty, his return to Baltimore and what he might bring to the team this season.
“At the owners’ meetings in Orlando, Florida, Harbaugh quizzed Dallas Cowboys special teams coordinator John Fassel and New Orleans Saints special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi on their proposed changes to the kickoff rules,” explained Han. “Once the proposal passed, Harbaugh and the Ravens signed Harty.”
He seems excited for the opportunity ahead of him.
“Hopefully, I can shake some things up in the return game and possibly get on the field,” Harty told The Baltimore Banner. “There’s already a lot of talent on offense, so hopefully I can get in the mix and make some plays.”
If he can break off a couple returns this season, along with a splash or two from scrimmage, Harty could tilt the season in the Ravens’ favor.
Talking AFC North
It felt a little bit like Christmas in July this morning when I opened my Athletic app and saw a new version of the popular AFC North Whiparound piece.
Jeff Zrebiec, who covers the Ravens for the Athletic, if you didn’t know, shared some insight on the team, particularly on which player might stand out in the coming “Hard Knocks” season featuring the four division foes.
“Middle linebacker Roquan Smith has been a quote machine since joining the Ravens, but you quickly learn that the weekly tough talk is part of his personality,” said Zrebiec. “It’s interpreted as trash talk by the media/opposing teams looking for headlines or bulletin board material, but he says similar things every week. It’s not jarring when context is included. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey, on the other hand, is unpredictable. He can be moody and mercurial, and quite frankly, difficult to deal with at times. But he also seems to like the give-and-take, says or tweets whatever is on his mind and he’s never shown an ounce of concern about what others think about it. He has some “interesting” thoughts and viewpoints, too. If he’s in the mood, his podium sessions are some of the most entertaining interviews you’ll see all year. He can be thoughtful, honest and revealing. This is a guy who acknowledged last summer that he sought owner Steve Bisciotti’s advice on his love life. So yeah, he’s built for this.”
Zrebiec also said, unsurprisingly, that he expects the Ravens are not done filling out this roster yet.
“ The timing is always hard to predict, but I fully expect the Ravens to add another veteran or two, simply because that’s what general manager Eric DeCosta does,” he said. “The Ravens love the late offseason signings where they bring in known and motivated veterans on the cheap to augment positions of perceived need. Last year, they added cornerback Arthur Maulet on the eve of training camp, outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney and cornerback Ronald Darby in mid-August, and outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy in September. Those four had strong years and were instrumental in Baltimore having one of the top defenses in the league. Currently, the Ravens need a veteran safety, and quite a few are still available. They could also use an interior offensive lineman. It would be surprising if one of those areas is not addressed in the coming weeks.”
Also of note:
Tez Walker Wants to Make Bengals Pay for Passing on Him | Cincy Jungle
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