Brandon Meriweather plays it safe

SAN DIEGO — Brandon Meriweather may have learned his lesson.

For the second consecutive week, the Patriots safety initiated a hit that could make a viewer cringe. Only this time, the hit was legal. In the first quarter yesterday, Meriweather hit San Diego receiver Patrick Crayton with the kind of force that could cause whiplash. Meriweather popped up, saluted toward the sideline, and moved on to the next play.

The salute, Meriweather said, was for a friend who joined the Army. The hit was a tackle that fell within the NFL rules.

“I just did what my coaches asked me to,’’ Meriweather said. “I lowered my aiming zone. I tried to be aggressive. I wasn’t trying to be overly aggressive, and take his head off. But I was trying to play within the rules.’’

Last week the NFL announced it would be more aggressive in penalizing players for hits to the head and neck area that violate the current rules. The increased penalties could include higher fines and suspensions. Last week Meriweather was among three players fined a combined $175,000 for illegal hits.

Meriweather was tagged with a $50,000 fine for what the league determined was a flagrant violation of “player safety rules’’ for his hit on Ravens tight end Todd Heap.

Meriweather apologized for his hit on Heap, who was listed as questionable yesterday but did play in the Ravens’ overtime win over the Bills.
With all the attention focused on Meriweather last week, he didn’t let it affect his approach yesterday.

“You know it’s a game,’’ Meriweather said. “You’re going to play to have fun. I’m not going to think about it. I’m just going to go out there and play.’’

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(boston.com)