Is Duron Harmon the Patriots’ starting safety?
When the starting secondary split off from the rest of the team, there was Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner and Devin McCourty. Then there was a somewhat unexpected person. It was Duron Harmon.
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Amidst a wealth of talent and experience, some young players might be eager to prove themselves, talk too much and not listen enough. Harmon is not one of those guys.
“You’ve got guys who were All-Pros,” Harmon said, via CSN New England’s Phil Perry. “What can I really say? I’m in my second year. These guys have played a lot of football, a lot of great football at a high level. So it’s really a great chance for me to sit back and soak up a lot of that wisdom from those three guys.”
Yeah, 19 seasons of professional football, seven Pro Bowl appearances and five All-Pro campaigns. That’s the kind of wisdom those three guys provide, as pointed out by Perry.
Harmon filled in for Steve Gregory, after he went down with an injury. And despite many saying he wasn’t worth his third-round draft status, that he was, perhaps, a bust, Harmon played well, accounting for 31 tacked, two interceptions and four pass deflections.
Harmon spent the offseason putting on some weight — nine pounds to be exact — and studying film on both himself and some of the best safeties in the league. His work seems to be paying off and the coaches must have confidence in the second year player. He remains humble.
“I’m approaching it just like last year,” he said. “Last year, I approached the game like being a starter, preparing like a starter, because you never know when your opportunity will come. And it came last year. I started three games last year, and I think because I prepared like a starter I was able to play these games and do well.”