Patriots' Meriweather ready for a bigger role

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)