The Youth Movement Starts In The Patriots Secondary

(Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

The other day I was doing a mental checklist on New England's secondary, and one fact struck me: Other than Shawn Springs, all the Patriot DBs are under 30. It's funny because young and New England's defense do not often go together.

It's reasonable to think that Springs and Leigh Bodden will be the starting cornerbacks for the Patriots. However, I'm thinking this might not last past next season. They have invested two second-round picks in cornerbacks the last two drafts—Terrence Wheatley in 2008 and Darius Butler in 2009.

They clearly expect them to step up and become starters eventually. Jonathan Wilhite, who played well towards the end of last season, will push for playing time and even a starting spot. This group is talented, and if nothing strange happens, they will take over sooner or later.

At the safety position, Brandon Meriweather will start at free safety, where he showed his ability to make plays in the deep field. Tank Williams will play a safety/linebacker hybrid role, and I believe McGowan will be primarily a backup.

The battle will be at Strong Safety. I like James Sanders, but I don't think he's ideally suited for SS. Patrick Chung, on the other hand, seems to be especially good playing closer to the line of scrimmage. I believe eventually he will become the starter.

All these brief predictions might be proven wrong, but I truly believe the projections are not illogical. However, only time and Bill will tell.

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