Meriweather's Breakout Performance

Aside from the fact the Patriots recorded another blowout against an inferior opponent Sunday, arguably the biggest story emanating from London is the performance of safety Brandon Meriweather, who came up with two big interceptions in a 35-7 victory.

Meriweather's first pick resulted in a 39-yard return for a touchdown on Tampa Bay's opening possession, which immediately set the tone.

His second pick came later in the opening quarter. In the end, Meriweather's prowess on defense, coupled with another big game from Tom Brady, upped New England's record to 5-2 and began discussions about whether the safety is the playmaker this team desperately needs.

Has the bar been raised for Meriweather? Impossible, says the third-year safety.

"The level of expectation? I don't know, because, to be honest, my level of expectation is already through the roof," he said. "I expect myself to be great every day. Not good here, good there, great here, great there -- I expect to be great every day."

That sounds great, but the truth is Meriweather hasn't always been great. Few players have, but Meriweather's overall game still needs some work. Nonetheless, his performance Sunday is a breath of fresh air for the Patriots, who are looking for leadership in the aftermath of Rodney Harrison's retirement.

"Brandon stepped up with some huge plays (Sunday), and those are the plays he's capable of making," Belichick said. "He's been around those, and today they fell for him. But he's a good player for us, and there's a lot of plays that don't show up on the stat sheet.

"(Sunday's) plays did, but there's a lot of ones that he makes that don't. He's done a real good job."

Meriweather's always been a smooth talker, but now he's backing up his words on the field. This is exactly what the Patriots need -- a playmaker on defense who can control the secondary and deliver the kind of game-changing plays that swing the momentum.

"Before we came into this game, he said he was going to have two picks," teammate Brandon McGowan said. "He didn't say he was going to take one to the house, but he did that, too. You know, the (defensive backs) talk a lot, and he talks. He's the first person I heard when I stepped in here May 5."



(nwe.scout.com)