Patriots safety snapshot

Meriweather's health seriously concerns me. He didnt start the entire year and finished up with 4 picks and could have easily finished with 6. He dropped another pick in the Broncos game and a pick in the Seattle game in the early goings.

I wonder what Brandons injury is because if its his lower body great because then he can at least work on his upper body strength. He has alot of room to get stronger up their. Not to max out his frame but to get stronger at the POA.

He helped the Pats win some games last year that they really needed to win. His rookie year he wasnt able to do much and the memory that sticks out with most pats fans about that year is that he dropped a pick in the superbowl that would have ended it.

Meriweather and Sanders should be the starters no question. Hopefully someone else or Mike can answer this question. Why the hell does Meriweather at times line up in the box and covers the TE? Thats not his niche what so ever on D so why doesnt Sanders who is a bit stronger and can probably cover the TE a little bit better not doing this?

No Tank Williams????

Hi Dorian...In a nutshell, I think Meriweather has better cover skills than Sanders when playing closer to the line, which factors in hip movement, sudden quickness etc. ...Fred, I include Williams as an inside linebacker, not a safety. I don't think he's a player the Patriots would feel comfortable with in the back end. So while he's listed as a safety, I'd say more linebacker.
--Mike

No sure if Slater is higher up on the food chain than McGowan especially if there are any injuries early on with Meriweather, Sanders or Chung. With 12 draft picks and good overall depth at most positions, Slater really needs to make a strong mark on returns in the offseason.

Chung has the size and hitting attributes to be the successor to Rodney. How smart is Chung? Will he play with a "bad" attitude and own the middle of the field like Rodney? I'm thinking of another safety, 1st round pick, big, fast etc. Tebucky Jones!

I'm utterly confused--isn't Matthew Slater nominally a WR, not a safety?

I am big fan of Patrick Chung but will he contribute in his rookie year??? I hope so because he is a good tackler and has smarts for game. Mike Reiss explained it well, that no Pats safety is a playmaker like Polamalu and Reed. Finding someone like them is like just to hard BUT 2010 draft you will probably see 4 safeties taken in the first round...Mays and Berry are the best 2....
BB likes safeties who can play at cornerback....Merriwheather can play both and I know Chung can too..Any of you think McGowen will make the team??. I know when he was in Chicago, he got beat alot down the field BUT maybe with Belichek's teaching, he could be alot better.

Maybe that s why out of all the needs we had, we picked a safety with our top pick. Sounds to me that maybe B.B. knew Brandon would not be ready by the opener thus forced him to grab a safety early than can make an immediate impact, and seeing as though the other safety Delmas was chosen right ahead of chung, its posiible B.B. could have been looking at Delmas too. I hope this is not the case, but I would feel comfortable if chung was in there early until he gets healthy...

ISN'T THERE ANYBODY, OR SOMEWHERE TO GO, TO FIND OUT EXACTLY
WHAT MERIWEATHER'S CONDITION IS RIGHT NOW??? WHAT'S ALL THE MYSTERY?? ALSO, TANK WILLIAMS, A STONG SAFETY?? ALL I HERE IS HOW
HE IS DOING AS A LINEBACKER. DON'T THE PATRIOTS HAVE ENOUGH OF THEM? AND AS A LINEBACKER, HEARING HOW HE DOESN'T LOOK GOOD IN THE SECONDARY? I THOUGHT THEY GOT HIM AS A RODNEY HARRISON TYPE
STONG SAFETY???

James Sanders is good but I feel Chung will be starting in this rotation by the end of the season. He is a safety that has strong tackling skills which was lacking last season. He is the type of Safety BB loves one that has speed to cover but is also a punishing hitter. He reminds me a lot of Eugene Wilson and we all saw the wide outs that he lit up his rookie season. I say just give him an opportunity they gave Eugene a shot and I feel they will give Chung one to his rookie year.

Chung will surprise everyone and, by mid-December, be the man and the #1 safety. Mark it down.

LOL @ "brian!"

A LOT of folks recognize Chung's potential, bub! He's not exactly the deep dark secret that you imagine!

Many have predicted great things for him, and I, myself, have described him as the Rookie version of Rodney Harrison on several occasions...And we all did so LONG before your attention-seeking self arrived at the party! Hah!

One always wants to keep some players that we end up cutting, but Coach Bill has done SUCH an outrageously splendid job of accumulating Depth of Talent over the last 8 years...that we've finally reached a point where the cutting process could simply SUCK.

There're about 64 guys I'd like to see on the final roster. I KNOW I'm gonna be doing some serious CRINGING, supplemented by an heavy bout of WINCING...in about 6 weeks or so!

Fortunately, Coach Bill has demonstrated, time and again, both the vision and the guts to see Surpluses well ahead of time, and to make trades while we still have the time to extract value for them: Hence, my loud applause when we got schweet Value for the admirable Ellis Hobbs, when we did!

In other words ~ and to repeat an earlier post ~ I'll bet we make at least one, and quite possibly two or three trades, over the next 6 weeks or so, moving surplus Talent for 2010 draft picks.

Ben Watson for a 3rd stands prominently in my mind.

And we have such a surfeit of Front Wallers on the O Line that I could definitely see an O'Callaghan or an Hochstein getting moved for a 4th.

Finally, it wouldn't shock me to see Ellis get moved for a 4th Rounder, or ~ brace yourselves ~ Maroney find his way out of town for a 3rd!

"I'll bet we make at least one, and quite possibly two or three trades, over the next 6 weeks or so, moving surplus Talent for 2010 draft picks."

Not before the first preseason game. The talent has to be shown off. Watson has to run fast, the uglies have to shove someone, Maroney has to hit the hole at least once.

i am a Pac 10 fan and was barely aware of Chung'sexistance until they drafted him. I can't believe they passed on the great LBs available to take him. He's gonna be a bust. We have enough safeties. Not enough decent linebackers.

NFL PERSPECTIVE ?

I agree on many points Mike. I disagree that are secondary is at the middle of pack.. I believe that the addition of Shawn Springs will bring some leadership to the Defense Backfield. We have to studs in Chung & Meriweather

Regardless high expectations if the Pats remain healthy

Guys, I'm just not seeing the Merriweather thing. When you pick a guy that high he needs to produce more than what we've seen out of Merriweather. He's average at best. Chung will be the man soon. He's got the frame and game to be aggressive and attacking. Something we have not seen out of the slighter Merriweather or Sanders.

The Panthers (after picking themselves off the floor in disbelief) definitely got the better pick in Beason. Imagine that....Mayo and Beason in the middle. Yeah, safe to say we screwed that pick up. Meriweather is no more than average. I was surprised at the pick, now I'm just disappointed.

Calling Merriweather a bust is rediculous! He is already an average, starting quality NFL safety after just two years in the league.

If you expect a 10 year pro-bowl lock with the 24th pick than you are in La La Land. At the end of the first round you are looking for quality, average starters, that offer some potential for more upside. that is EXACTLY what they got in Merriweather.

He has proved he can play in the NFL, his game still has room to grow. Considering the bust rate for 1st rounders (y they did pretty damn well with that pick!