Samuel turning corner

Rodney Harrison saw Asante Samuel flash his extraordinary potential last year. He saw Samuel fly to passes as if he and the ball were magnetically attracted, and saw the 185-pound rookie make sure tackles. He saw Samuel intercept his first pass and bring it back more than half the field, the cornerback's dreadlocks poking out of his helmet and bouncing all the way to the end zone.

But Harrison, the Patriots standout safety, wants to see more of it.

So when Samuel started camp slightly later than the rest of the Patriots because of injury, Harrison had a message for the second-year man from Central Florida.

"Sant, you have all the talent in the world," Harrison told him. "You just have to do it day-in, day-out. Sometimes you don't feel like it, sometimes you feel lazy. When you get in a bad mood, you still have to practice on the same level that you play."

If Samuel can grasp Harrison's objective, he'll likely overtake Tyrone Poole for the starting cornerback job opposite Ty Law. A year ago, Samuel deflected nine passes, mostly as the nickel back. He picked off a pair of passes, the first of which he returned 55 yards for a touchdown in Week 4 against the Jets.

Now, he's trying to jump from the fifth defensive back into the starting lineup. Few doubt he has the athletic ability. But the key is refining that ability in practice. Every day.

"He's just got to continue to work, continue to learn, continue to get it done on the practice field," said Harrison. "He's a tremendous talent.

"Every day is a mental battle for him. I don't care if you have two interceptions one day. You have to come back and do it again the next day."

Now in his second season, Samuel is heeding Harrison's words.

"I'm definitely more comfortable," said Samuel. "I know what to expect. I have a better feel for the game."

It's starting to show. Samuel makes an impact whenever he starts zipping around the secondary.

"Asante has really come on strong recently," coach Bill Belichick said. "He missed a few days there in the beginning of camp, but he's come back strong. Every practice, he's knocking down a couple balls, he's getting his hands on them or he's intercepting them. He's been very active in practice. I thought he had a good start last week against the Eagles. He's showing up on the ball a lot.

"He's been a good contributor for us, he really has. He's one of those guys that gets his hands on a lot of balls. Some defensive backs play a lot and they might get close to it, and make a lot oftackles and have some big hits, but they don't intercept or knock down very many passes. Some guys, it seems like the ball comes to them somehow. They're in the right place, they anticipate things well. They have good reactions and get their hands where the ball's being thrown. He seems like one of those guys."

Samuel credits his natural ability to recognize routes and read his keys, then explode to where the receiver is headed before he gets there.

That skill could make him one the NFL's flashiest cornerbacks this season. If he wins the starting spot -- which Belichick says he's competing strongly for -- he'll likely receive plenty of action playing across from Law, one of the league's elite cornerbacks.

With opponents' penchant for throwing away from Law, Samuel's ball-hawking skills could reap big benefits.

"He's one of the best play-making young guys that I've seen," said Harrison, an 11-year veteran. "Some guys have a natural knack for the ball. He's one of those guys."

"Every corner in the world wants to play every down," Samuel said. "If I didn't, I wouldn't be a competitor."

Now, he has to turn the flash Harrison saw last season into consistency.

"He's a young guy," Harrison said. "He makes a lot of plays in practice. Now he has to do it in the game."