Warfield hopes to make news on the field
FOXBOROUGH -- If he had his choice, Eric Warfield would be talking solely about football. How he has unusual size for a cornerback at 6 feet, 200 pounds. That he rose from seventh-round draft pick to steady NFL starter.
But the newest Patriots acquisition knows there are a few clouds hovering over him -- three DUIs -- and admits there is only one person to blame for that. Himself.
''Explaining that situation, you would think after one or two, a guy would have learned his lesson. It's taken me three, for whatever reason, and that's just something I have to deal with now," Warfield said yesterday at Gillette Stadium, where he's taking part in the team's offseason program.
''Any way you look at it, three DUIs doesn't look good to anyone. There is no way you can try to make it look good. That's just the basic reality of what I've brought upon myself. It's cost me a lot of respect in the league. It's cost me a lot of money."
Warfield's contract with the Patriots is a two-year, $1.51 million package, according to NFL Players Association documents. There is no signing bonus, but a $31,000 workout bonus in 2006, and a $56,000 workout bonus in 2007.
The 30-year-old Warfield spoke candidly about his off-the-field issues, which included a four-game suspension in 2005.
''Last year, I checked myself into a rehab center and stayed there," he said. ''I now attend AA meetings twice a week and meet with counselors week after week, so I've pretty much set my life up to where I'm not in any position to go out to drink. I'm not in any position to go out and put myself in position to get caught up like that any more.
''It's a day-to-day thing. You can't say you're completely done. I just know today that I haven't done anything bad as far as drinking, or made plans to go out and drink. I just take it one day at a time and hopefully I can keep it that way."
On the field, Warfield said he prides himself on going against some of the league's higher-profile receivers, like Terrell Owens, Chad Johnson, and Randy Moss. The toughest receiver he's faced? He said it's Deion Branch.
Warfield played safety in college at Nebraska but has been solely a cornerback in the NFL. He felt the coaching changes in Kansas City hurt the defense's cohesion and effectiveness. He feels he could make the switch to safety if needed and was told by the Patriots brass that ''they can't guarantee any position" or that ''anybody is going to start."
''It's pretty much you going in, doing your job, and if your job is better than what someone else is doing, and if you're granted that job, then you have to keep the performance up.
''I visited with Coach Belichick and [vice president of player personnel] Scott Pioli and we sat down and had a long meeting and I pretty much gave them a layout of Day 1 in the NFL with me, up until now, as far as off the field and on the field.
''I've never really been a part of a great defense. Now I'm with a group of guys who played together and have had a lot of success, and I want to come in and contribute whatever I can to make it better."
The complete NFL schedule will be revealed tomorrow during a 2 p.m. broadcast on The NFL Network . . . The Patriots finalized the signing of free agent safety Mel Mitchell, a five-year veteran who spent his first four seasons in the league with the Saints.
