OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Don Martindale felt the urge to use profanity. But he knew he shouldn't. Not as he stared down a pack of television cameras and reporters and explained why he enjoyed coaching third-year slot cornerback Tavon Young so much.

"He's a pit bull out there," Martindale said.

"He's the epitome of Raven defense when you're talking about attitude. I know he's smaller size, but he's fun to watch. He's competitive as..."

Martindale's voice trailed off; his face scrunched up. That's when he blurted out, "I'm trying to keep it clean!"

This is the effect Young has had on coaches and teammates since arriving in Baltimore as a 2016 fourth-round draft pick. His physicality and fearlessness as a 5-foot-10 defensive back stand out in a league filled with fierce competitors, Ravens players say.

As NFL offenses transformed over the past decade, it became more important for teams to find a cornerback quick enough to defend slot receivers and fiesty enough to make tackles at the line of scrimmage. Nickelback is no longer a niche role. It's one vital to a team's success.

At the same time spread offenses and run-pass option concepts began seeping further into the professional game, Young was developing into the ideal fit for the modern-day NFL slot cornerback. He fought for attention as a high schooler in an unlikely hotbed for defensive backs and he shrugged off slights from powerhouse colleges before spearheading a resurgence at Temple.

Then he suffered a devastating injury while on the verge of a professional breakthrough.

All this has brought Young onto cusp of Sunday's season opener against the Bills as a key component of a pivotal season in Ravens history. He's healthy again, and he's in line to assume a hefty responsibility.

"It takes a great player to play in the slot on defense," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said.

Those close to Young insist he's ready for the challenge.

"He is," said Francis Brown, Young's defensive backs coach at Temple, "because he has that killer instinct. He always had the killer instinct."

*************

Don Martindale would like the the story Tony Young tells about his son.

Tavon was 10 or 11 when accepted an invite to a basketball tournament and tore up the competition. As Tony tells it, Tavon dribbled through defenders, soared over taller defenders to snatch rebounds and scored at will. Though his team lost in the championship, Tavon earned the MVP award and the massive trophy that came with it.

"It was as big as he was," Tony said. "Biggest trophy I've seen."

Yet Tony couldn't snap any photos of Tavon smiling with his large piece of hardware, because the budding athlete wore a scowl instead. Tavon couldn't stop thinking about losing in the final round, so he lugged a 3-foot tall trophy off the court with the same enthusiasm a garbage man would display while hauling trash to his truck.

"That's Tavon, that explains who he is," Tony said. "What other kid would have this big trophy like that, win MVP and be that upset? That shows that Tavon is team over himself. And that shows that he is very, very competitive. Always has been."

Baltimore Ravens cornerback Tavon Young is eager to return to the field this season after suffering a torn ACL in 2017. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)

There's not a simple explanation as to how Tavon developed that drive, Tony said. But take a glimpse at Young's background, and you'll notice surroundings that breed athletic tenacity.

Tavon grew up in the same neighborhood in Prince George's County, Maryland, as his future high school coach, Potomac's Ronnie Crump. Tony ran an organization that helped local athletes tour colleges and jumpstart their recruiting processes. And Tavon used to play pickup sports -- and later, high school football -- alongside current Eagles cornerback Ronald Darby, who was once a five-star prospect.

Tavon's godmother, Cydni Bickerstaff, is the daughter of longtime NBA coach Bernie Bickerstaff and a successful sports marketing executive in her own right. Tavon grew up around sports. Competitors raised him.

A lack of top scholarship offers and a short stature gave Tavon chances to place the cliched chip on his shoulder. He said he doesn't need to use that as motivation, and his dad has a hunch as to why.

"He grew up with all of us telling him that it didn't matter who lined up across from him, he had to battle and he had to win," Tony said. "The size and all that doesn't matter. He just had that mentality, because we expected it."

*************

Tavon Young decided to ditch basketball and hone in on football and track late in high school. He and Tony figured the gridiron presented the best opportunity for a scholarship.

Young transferred to Potomac his senior year to play for Crump and alongside Darby, and they came out of PG County the same year as another local defensive back bound for the NFL: The Steelers' Sean Davis.

"Being around those type of players helps you keep your motivation," Young said. "You don't slip."

Darby committed to Florida State, and Young picked Temple. Crump said he felt bigger program unwisely ignored Young, whom most outlets graded as a two-star recruit, because of his size and lowkey personality; Tony said his son found the perfect fit with the Owls and didn't need other offers.

Tavon Young earned the No. 1 jersey during his junior and senior season at Temple, an honor then-coach Matt Rhule gave to his toughest player. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

When Brown arrived at Temple in 2013, he took over as Young's position coach and realized he had a unique player in the short but gritty sophomore. Young was cat quick, he understood defensive schemes, and unlike so many defensive backs, the kid from outside of Washington D.C. liked to jam receivers and dart into the backfield to pummel running backs.

But Young was quiet, and it was initially difficult for Brown to get him to open up. Young's mother, Tawana Jackson, said Temple's previous staff pointed out Young could be difficult to coach, because he was more determined than eager. He was more likely to let his competitive fire simmer than to bound out to practice with a smile.

Brown sensed Young's potential, though. He said he phoned Crump and Young's parents and sent a clear message: If Tavon listens, if he devotes his energy to right things, he'll be an NFL player.

"That's when I first realized he could be in the NFL," Jackson said. "I knew because at that time I asked him what his Plan B was. He said, 'Mom, there is no plan B. Football is Plan A, and all I have is Plan A.'"

Crump added: "Coach Francis wasn't saying Tavon was struggling; it was more that he could take it to the next level if he stepped up. Tavon isn't an [expletive]hole. You would have to be an [expletive]hole to not take that challenge. Tavon stepped up and bought in and him and Coach Francis got really close."

Young wore No. 1 for every game but one as a junior and throughout his senior year, an honor then-Temple coach Matt Rhule said he awarded to his toughest player.

Young helped the Owls rise into the Associated Press Top 25 in 2015 for the first time in 39 years, serving as a part of the school's winningest class and a player that changed the program's culture, said Brown, who's now at Baylor.

In April 2016, the Ravens selected Young with the 104th pick in the draft, bringing a scrappy player with a bright future into a league in the midst of a transformation.

**********

NFL fans who've paid attention to broadcasters or scanned through articles about football strategy might recognize the term run-pass option (or RPOs). They probably also know offenses have leaned more on passing pays in recent years, spreading out to take advantage of the league's receiver-friendly rule changes.

Teams ran offensive sets with three or four wide receivers and one play in the backfield on 61.5 percent of snaps last season, up from about 42 percent in 2010, according to Football Outsiders' data. In the past, it was more common for teams to use a fullback and just two receivers.

Most defenses account for the extra wideouts by finding cornerbacks who can specialize in covering inside receivers (known as slot receivers), because they are quick and physical. In the modern NFL, it's not rare for a slot cornerback to play more than starting linebackers or star defensive tackles who rotate throughout games.

Young has played outside cornerback for Baltimore, but his skills match what coaches look for in slot corners.

"Tavon fits in is well," Harbaugh said. "He fits very well to what the position is today."

And that role grew more challenging as RPOs trickled into the league the past few seasons. In an RPO, quarterbacks typically have the choice of handing the ball to a running back after a shotgun snap or pulling it away and whipping a quick pass, often to a slot receiver.

An inside corner has to rapidly diagnosis the situation, because he's the closest defensive back to the line of scrimmage yet his receiver could be the targeted pass-catcher.

"You have a lot of responsibility in there in terms of recognizing plays," Harbaugh said. "This RPO thing has only made it even more complicated, because [the slot corner] is usually the stressed player. If he plays pass, they run it; if he plays run, they pass it. So he has to be able to play both at the same time, along with all the route combinations he has to play in his own coverage."

Harbaugh and Martindale said a player must harbor a specific set of talents, aggression and smarts to handle the slot corner duties. The Ravens felt they found a player with the right combination midway through the 2016 draft.

Young earned a large role on the defense as a rookie in 2016, started 11 games (while playing both inside and outside cornerback) and positioned himself to ascend toward NFL stardom.

Until he ran into a brutal roadblock.

**********

The Ravens announced Young tore his ACL on June 1, 2017, during an offseason practice. Instead of making a jump from Year 1 to Year 2 and cementing himself as one of the NFL's top slot cornerbacks, Young would have to spend 12 months rehabbing.

On Twitter, he presented a positive facade.

Coming back stronger than ever, GOD got me, thanks for the prayers — Tavon Young (@NLtyoung) June 1, 2017

Jackson flew to Florida to be with Young for his surgery the week after he suffered the injury, and she could tell her son felt more demoralized than he let on.

"I'm his mom, so you know," she said. "He hadn't been without football in so long. You know it hurt him. It was hard to get him to laugh and things like that. He tried, but it was hard to see him like that."

Jackson said Young had the surgery on a Tuesday and flew back to the Washington area on Saturday. By Monday, Young was in the Ravens' facility, working with team doctors.

Throughout the next few months of rehab, Young experienced down moments, like when came home in September as the rest of his teammates were preparing to begin the season. Jackson said her son seemed sluggish, appeared less enthusiastic than usual.

"I'd hug him and kiss him and tell him it was OK," Jackson said. "I really tried."

Still, Young's motivation throughout rehab never waned, those around him say. He might look gloomy, but then he'd pop into a training room and grind through a long workout or spend hours with his nose buried in a playbook, Tony Young said.

Both Brown and Crump said they invited Young to games during the 2017 football season, only to have him decline because he wanted to stick to his rehab schedule.

"He wasn't going to cut corners on that," Brown said.

A few weeks after the Ravens' 2017 season ended in heartbreak -- with a Week 17 mishap in the secondary spoiling a shot to reach the playoffs -- Jackson said all of her concerns about Young's mood dissipated. Young started showing more emotion in text messages that winter, relaying longer stories on his calls home.

The realization hit Jackson: Young wasn't lost for the season anymore. It was a new year. He felt like he was part of the team again.

Young was back on the field by the spring and fully participated in training camp this summer, showing no signs of hesitation. Martindale said Young looked like the tenacious, shifty player he was before the injury. Young relished the chance to see the field after spending many months with doctors.

"I always appreciated the game, but now it's no complaining for me," he said. "Sometimes, I would be like, 'I don't want to practice today.' But now, I'm coming every day with that energy, because it can be taken at any moment."

Sunday, Young will take the field against the Bills to play his first regular-season game in more than 20 months. He'll do so as a member of a franchise that's missed the playoffs in three straight seasons, and he'll play for a coach who's fighting for his job.

Young knowns he'll have plenty to do with how Baltimore's season unfolds as the slot cornerback.

"That's where all the plays are," Young said.

And that's right where he wants to be.

--