Gerard Getting Back To His Roots
May 28, 2010, 1:42PM
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K.J. Gerard shaved off his dreadlocks because, as he says, “that’s a college thing.”
“I’m growing up now,” Gerard said with a chuckle.
On the field, however, Gerard is getting back to his college roots.
After being converted to safety last year, Gerard has seen some time with the first team of cornerbacks lately with Fabian Washington and Lardarius Webb sidelined.
Gerard is primarily competing with Cary Williams for what could be the starting outside cornerback if the Ravens keep Chris Carr at nickel, something Secondary Coach Chuck Pagano said the Ravens would like to do.
“We’ve got a lot of DBs that are hurt so this is a chance for me to show up and show what I can do,” Gerard said.
Gerard, a 2009 rookie free agent, set a Northern Arizona school record with 19 career interceptions at cornerback. But with his 6-foot-1, 187-pound frame, the Ravens made him a safety.
The move paid off because when Ed Reed and Haruki Nakamura went down with injuries near the end of the regular season, Gerard moved up to the active roster for three games. He recorded one tackle and was used mostly on special teams.
But due to a different set of injuries this year, Gerard is being called on as a cornerback while keeping his knowledge at safety close by. Like Williams, Gerard has great length and good speed. It’s just a matter of getting more experience.
“Last year, learning safety was a whole new game for me,” Gerard said. “After learning safety, coming back to corner is a little bit easier.”
Gerard said he now better understands where his safety coverage is over the top. He is also still adjusting to the speed of the game, which is aided by having to cover Derrick Mason in practice.
“I think I’m a lot ahead of where I was last year because I understand how things work a little bit better in the NFL,” Gerard said. “But my game isn’t to a level where I want it to be at or where I expect it to be at.”
