"They allow you to play football here," he said. "I've never been in a system like this, where the coaches put it on the players. You need special players to do that. There's a lot of trust there ... [and] it makes you very accountable."
Leonhard has made the most of his opportunity. He is second on the team with 10 solo tackles in the preseason and is tied with Nakamura (three apiece) for special teams tackles.
Washington made two interceptions against the New England Patriots and has played well overall. He had fallen into disfavor in Oakland and lost his starting job a year ago before asking for a trade. Washington acknowledges that he got complacent in his third season with the Raiders.
"I felt I needed a fresh start, and some people might say I wore out my welcome," Washington said. "I still remember when I got the call from Oz [Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome] on draft day, I said I'm in a good place for my career to blossom."
In Oakland, he played under Ryan's brother Rob, the Raiders' defensive coordinator. What did Rob tell Rex?
"That he has great cover skills, that he likes to play," Rex Ryan said. "He's a better tackler than what we heard, much better. He's got top-end speed, great quickness, change of direction and good hands."
At the very least, Washington will play nickel back. He came to camp with the idea of challenging Rolle for the starting job but could end up replacing McAlister, who had offseason knee surgery.
"I can't worry if I'm going to start," Washington said. "I feel my play will do all the talking for that. If I'm playing well, that will warrant more playing time."
Still, the Ravens haven't played well in the secondary so far. They have given up 202 passing yards per game, and opponents have converted 25 of 50 third-down plays, ghastly figures.
"We've definitely got some execution things to correct," Leonhard said. "[But] we're not far off. The third downs are something that has to get fixed, and we've put a lot of thought into it."
Next: Ravens vs. Falcons, tomorrow, 7 p.m.
TV: Ch. 11, MASN
Radio: 1090 AM, 97.9 FM
