The Ravens will be in Seattle to face the Seahawks in Week Seven and that means a lot of attention will be focused on Ravens safety Earl Thomas returning to his old stomping grounds.
Thomas was a 2010 first-round pick by the Seahawks and a fruitful run with the team came to a contentious end last year because the Seahawks would neither extend his contract nor trade him to another team. Thomas held out, but reported just before Week One and saw his season come to an end with a broken leg in Week Four.
His final act on the field as a Seahawk was flipping the bird to the team’s bench as he was taken off the field in a cart and Thomas signed with the Ravens as a free agent in March. That was an emotionally charged ending to his time in Seattle, but Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said he isn’t going to talk to the veteran about making sure emotions don’t get the best of him this week.
“No, I probably won’t,” Harbaugh said at a Monday press conference. “I think it’s a good question. I wouldn’t presume to have a conversation about that with him. That’s something he’ll know how to handle. He knows what to do, how to handle himself.”
Thomas has had some ups and downs early in his first season with the Ravens, but Harbaugh said he feels the safety has “played well” to this point in the year. Harbaugh also referenced the broken leg by adding that Thomas “gets stronger every week and faster every week,” which should serve him well as he tries to stop the team he once helped to a Super Bowl title.