Samuel is money in the bank

Asante Samuel will probably test the free agent market when the season ends, so Sunday's Super Bowl could be his last game with the Patriots. (Jim Davis/Globe Staff)

GLENDALE, Ariz. - Two tables to the left of Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel, veteran Ty Warren is explaining how precious it is to make a trip to the Super Bowl. A few tables to the right, running back Laurence Maroney is telling everyone how much he plans to enjoy his first trip to the championship game, because "you never know when you'll get here again."

Samuel nods in agreement. He is playing in his third Super Bowl, all with New England. But Sunday's game against the New York Giants could very likely be his last in a Patriots uniform. He has deftly (and wisely) deflected questions this week regarding his future, but there's no doubt he intends to test the free agent market and cash in on the lucrative payday he believes he deserves, whether with his current team or somewhere else.

The brash cornerback was so convinced he's among the best corners in the NFL, he staged a holdout last summer after the team pinned the franchise tag on him. That usually earns you a plane ticket out of town, but while the Patriots went through training camp, Samuel stayed home in Florida, trying to stay fit with a tailor-made conditioning program. He finally signed a one-year, $7.79 million contract Aug. 28, which included provisions that he could not be hit with the franchise or transition tag if he played 60 percent of the team's snaps, or if the Patriots won 12 games.

When he returned to action, admittedly a little rusty, Samuel said he knew he heaped added pressure on himself to perform at an elite level.

He then went out and delivered a team-high six interceptions and a team-high 18 passes defended, earning his first trip to the Pro Bowl.

In the high-stakes game of taking on the Patriots' front office, Samuel gambled and won.

And, he said yesterday, he never waffled about whether he was doing the right thing.

"I'm a strong-willed person," Samuel said. "I believe in what I believe in. I never doubted my strategy. My mind never wavered, even when I was home and they were all in camp.

"My agent [Alonzo Shavers] wanted me to go back. He kept saying I should. But I knew what I was doing. I knew what I wanted to accomplish."

While his teammates wanted him in camp, a number of them, including Rodney Harrison, Rosevelt Colvin, and Eugene Wilson, expressed their support during his absence. Others continue to express admiration for his willingness to take a stand.

"It was a bold move," said fellow cornerback Ellis Hobbs. "To get big results you've got to take big chances. It's not easy to do [in New England]. They are going to try to scare you and intimidate you, but you still have to do what feels right in your heart.

"I'm so happy for him. He took his destiny into his own hands. Now it's going to be all up to him. I hope I handle it as well as Asante did if I ever get myself in that situation some day."

Samuel said the most disappointing part of the dialogue during his holdout was that even though he picked off 10 passes in 2006, he got the impression his performance was viewed by some as a fluke.

"But that wasn't going to bother me," Samuel said. "Consider my position. If you play cornerback, you have to go at it with some swagger. You've got to look at their top receiver and say, 'This guy can't beat me.' And, if he does, you have to be able to say, 'OK, he got me once. Now let's go the next time.' The biggest thing you've got to have is a short memory."

When the Giants and the Patriots played the final game of the regular season, Plaxico Burress dominated New England's secondary. One of his receptions in particular - a pinpoint pass from Eli Manning to Burress in the corner of the end zone that went over Samuel's outstretched fingers (not to mention his head) and beyond Hobbs's reach, has been replayed repeatedly, showing Samuel missing on the coverage. Earlier in the week, a New York reporter tried commiserating with Samuel on how difficult it must be for a 5-foot-10-inch cornerback to defend a 6-5 receiver that is strong, quick, and tough. "There's not much you can do, I guess," the reporter lamented.

"Not much you can do?" Samuel shot back. "Why would you say there's not much we can do? I've been playing this game a long time. [Burress] is not the first 6-foot-5 guy I've played against. I play against Randy Moss every day. I've done this before."

Although the Giants usually try to establish the running game, the evolution of Manning has been a fascinating work in progress. Manning torched the Patriots' secondary for four touchdown passes last time, and as Samuel conceded, "He really killed us."

"But how much better can he play?" Samuel asked. "We can play a whole lot better. We played terrible in that last game. It's important to put pressure on Manning. Four touchdown passes. No one has forgotten that. We've seen it over and over again."

Halfway across the room, Harrison is holding court, saying for at least the 10th time that Asante Samuel is the best cornerback in the NFL. Three tables over from him, Hobbs is describing himself and Samuel as "the yin and the yang. We have tremendously different styles, but we are so good together. Our chemistry is excellent."

Samuel sits serenely as another reporter asks him if he will be able to match his regular-season intensity in the playoffs. The cornerback calmly reminds him he has picked off five passes in the past three postseasons, including a key interception of a Philip Rivers pass to Chris Chambers in the AFC Championship game that San Diego coach Norv Turner later conceded was "probably the difference in the game."

"You know, my technique is pretty effective," Samuel said.

And, soon enough, pretty lucrative.

Jackie MacMullan is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at macmullan@globe.com.