Duron Harmon working on becoming a ‘complete safety’ for Patriots
Well, the New England Patriots did it again. They made another surprise selection on Day 2 of the draft by drafting another relatively unknown strong safety.
This year, it was Stanford’s Jordan Richards. Two years ago, it was Rutgers safety Duron Harmon. A lot has changed in the Patriots’ secondary since Harmon was made a second-round selection, adding credence to the age-old NFL adage that the only constant is change.
“There’s always going to be turnover,’’ Harmon said after practice on Tuesday, “whether it’s coaches, players, [or] personnel. That’s just the business of the game, and the people who know how to deal with it the best are the ones that continue to have success.’’
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This will be the third different group of starting cornerbacks that the Patriots have fielded in the past three seasons. In 2013, it was Aqib Talib and Alfonzo Dennard; in 2014, that duo was Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner; in 2015, the starters have yet to be determined.
Gelling with new teammates and getting everyone on the same page is part of the job description when you’re playing safety, especially for the Patriots.
“I think it’s about managing expectations and putting a lot of pressure on yourself,’’ Harmon said. “All we can do is come out every day and continue to strive to get better, work with different groups and just try to build continuity with each other.’’
There’s been quite a lot of that thus far in the Patriots’ practice program. Logan Ryan, Malcolm Butler, Darryl Roberts, Bradley Fletcher, Robert McClain and Daxton Swanson have all had turns working in pairs with the first-team and second-team. Harmon has taken to improving some of the individual skills that could make him an even more valuable every-down safety for the Patriots.
“Definitely, man-to-man skills, tackling, just understanding the game, understanding quarterbacks and offenses, just trying to really broaden my football knowledge,’’ he said of areas he’s trying to improve.
Harmon’s playing time took a dip in his second year; he played 431 snaps as a rookie in 2013, but only 283 in 2014. That discrepancy may be due in part to a change in defensive philosophy from more Cover 2 to more Cover 1, which played into the hands of Patrick Chung’s particular skill set as an in-the-box safety who can cover in short spaces and has a nose for the ball in the running game.
It’s no surprise, then, that those are the areas Harmon has worked to improve this offseason. It’s also no surprise that Harmon doesn’t want to talk specifics about his role on defense just yet.
“I think it’s still too early,’’ he said. “We’re just trying to come out here and get better. I’m trying to make myself into a complete safety. I’ve just got to come out here and continue to strengthen my weaknesses, and sharpen my strengths.’’
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