FOXBOROUGH - As the Patriots
prepare for the NFL draft (April 26-27), last
year's first-round pick, defensive back Brandon
Meriweather, is preparing for an increased role in
2008.
The question is, where? Cornerback or safety?
The 24-year-old Meriweather, who was selected 24th, had
an up-and-down rookie campaign, bouncing between
cornerback and safety. He began training camp playing
cornerback, both outside and in the slot, when Asante
Samuel was holding out. He overtook Eugene Wilson late
in the season as the third safety in the dime package
(six defensive backs) and ended the season by making
his first start, as a nickelback in Super Bowl XLII.
Pinpointing where Meriweather, who was credited with 16
tackles in 16 games last season, will play in the
secondary could provide a clue to the Patriots' draft
plans. With the departures of Pro Bowl cornerback
Samuel and third cornerback Randall Gay, the Patriots
need a player at that position, one of the deepest in
the draft. And judging by the combination of the
5-foot-11-inch Meriweather's buffer physique this
offseason and his play last season, safety seems his
destination.
However, neither he nor the Patriots are tipping their
hands.
"I'm preparing to be a football player," said
Meriweather, who got a jump-start on offseason
conditioning by training with fellow University of
Miami football alums Santana Moss of the Washington
Redskins, Reggie Wayne of the Indianapolis Colts, and
Ed Reed of the Baltimore Ravens, among others, on the
Miami campus.
"I'm not trying to go in thinking whether I'm a safety
or a corner or whether I'm a kicker or quarterback. I'm
just going in to be an athlete. Whatever my team needs,
I'll do."
Asked if he could replace Samuel or Gay, Meriweather
toed the company line - whatever is in the best
interest of the team.
"I feel like this is a great organization, and
everything they do is for the best of the team, so
whatever they're going to do is going to be strictly up
to Coach Bill [Belichick], so if you really want that
question answered, you have to ask Bill."
Belichick said yesterday Meriweather's position will
not dictate the team's draft strategy.
"Whoever we have on our team, we have. Whoever is in
the draft is in the draft, and we'll take the players
that best suit our team," Belichick said. "I'd say
Brandon is a versatile player. I'm sure he'll have a
variety of jobs going forward. How that plays out,
we'll wait and see on that when we get to the spring
camps and training camp. But he's a good player. He'll
help our football team. Hopefully, we'll draft somebody
who will also be able to help our team. That's our
goal."
Meriweather said there was no eureka moment last
season, just a lot of hard work and the nurturing of
the coaching staff. He met often with Belichick and was
pushed hard in practice by defensive coordinator Dean
Pees.
"I just had to grow up. I just had to learn how to be a
pro on the run," said Meriweather. "I had to learn the
little things about how to practice and how to continue
to work hard even when you're tired, how to look over
things that really don't matter, how to take coaching,
how to watch film and get something out of it instead
of watching film just to watch it as a game.
"There were a lot of things I had to learn from college
to the pros, and it just took me a little longer than
it usually takes other people."
Whatever position he plays, Meriweather said he will be
more confident.
After a slow start last season in which he played
primarily on special teams, Meriweather was featured in
the dime (as a safety) during the Monday night miracle
in Baltimore in Week 13. He was a steady contributor in
extra defensive back packages the rest of the way,
while continuing to play on special teams. He finished
tied for second on the team with 18 special teams
tackles.
As a measure of how far he progressed, Meriweather was
on the field for the final drive by the Giants in the
Super Bowl. He had a chance to be a hero. Three plays
after Samuel failed to snare a game-sealing
interception, Meriweather had an Eli Manning pass clang
off his hands, one of a handful of potential
interceptions he dropped last season.
Meriweather's hands of stone made him the target of
taunts from his teammates. The owner of seven career
interceptions at Miami, but none in the NFL,
Meriweather has worked hard to rediscover his
dexterity.
"Yeah," said Meriweather, chuckling. "I've been doing a
lot of Jugs machines and some catching [drills] with
the defensive backs up here, me, James [Sanders], and
all of us who work out together do a lot of catching
after we run. It's little things. I kind of walk around
with a football at night; you might catch me walking
around with a football just to keep my hands warmed up
to it. I do a lot of little things. I'm trying to go
back to the technique days, back when I was little and
I had to work on catching."
Improving his ability to catch shouldn't be that hard
for Meriweather, who has already proven he can juggle
positions.
(boston.com)