Injured Patriots Corner Leigh Bodden: "I Could've Played in The Super Bowl"

This article debuted on SpotsHaze.com/Boston

Speaking to local media representatives two weeks ago, Patriots' cornerback Leigh Bodden commented on his season ending shoulder injury, which we now know was sustained in the third preseason game versus the St. Louis Rams.

Bodden described the play, which resulted in a torn rotator cuff that required surgery to repair.

“It was a run to my side, the tight end blocked me, I reached out with my left arm, it kinda got extended, then I fell on it, that was it,” Bodden said. “I felt it, but I just kept playing and then after the game, I went home, tried to go to sleep, couldn’t sleep, and that was it.”

"I just felt like it was some slight thing, I’ll get over it. I figured, in my head, I’ll just wear a sling in the Cincinnati Bengals game, and it’ll get better. But I think probably playing and trying to do things that it couldn’t do, made it worse."

The loss of the veteran corner, who had signed a four-year, $22 million contract prior to the season, was a huge blow to the Patriots defense. Rookie Devin McCourty was thrust into the starting role alongside Darius Butler at the beginning of the season.

In week two, New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez torched Butler on multiple occasions, leading to his benching. Undrafted free agent Kyle Arrington, who had been effective on special teams coverage in 2009, was promoted to starter in place of Butler.

The secondary strongly missed Bodden's presence, but held it's own with very inexperienced pieces. The emergence of Pro Bowler Devin McCourty, who finished second in the league with seven interceptions, spells good things for the future, especially with the return of Bodden.

Projecting the 2011 starting lineup is a bit futile at the moment, but it's also quite exciting. With the veteran leadership of Bodden, Brandon Meriweather and James Sanders present, we can expect even more growth out of McCourty, Arrington, Butler and Pat Chung.