New England Patriots: Defensive Backs Pre-Draft Position-by-Position Breakdown

Labor Drama continues to dominate NFL headlines but teams must keep their eye on the ball as they prepare for the upcoming draft. 

Defensive Backs

Cornerback

One of the brightest spots in the New England Patriots 2010 season came from the play of rookie CB Devin McCourty.  The pick of McCourty in the first round by the Patriots had elicited a nearly universal “Who?” by Pats fans after the draft, but by the end of the season McCourty was a certified fan favorite. 

Superior coverage skills combined with an above average physical presence make McCourty a candidate to someday join Asante Samuel and Ty Law as the preeminent corners in the Bill Belichick Patriot era.

While McCourty was clearly the Pats premier CB of 2010 that designation had been intended to be Leigh Bodden’s title. 

After the Pats re-signed the free agent to a four year $22 million contract the hope was Bodden would become the closest thing NE could expect to a “shut down” corner.  Instead, Bodden was placed on IR following the preseason and 2010 became a lost season for the eight year vet.

Kyle Arrington quietly put together a solid if not spectacular season after unseating Darius Butler in the starting lineup.  Along with OL Dan Connolly, Arrington was one of the most unsung players for the 2010 Pats.  Arrington should now be an exclusive rights free agent.  We’ll see how a new CBA could potentially affect his status, but expect the Pats to keep him around.

Darius Butler was originally given the Bodden starting spot but lost it in short order to Arrington. 

The Patriot roster is filled with undersized players who have became overachievers (Welker, Faulk, Woodhead) but frankly Butler looked like a boy amongst men in 2010.  He had a size and physical presence disadvantage in just about every matchup he took part in and made critical errors in judgment as well. 

He’ll need to take better advantage of his ball hawking skills, something he had occasionally shown flashes of during his rookie season of 2009, or he’ll continue his slide down the depth chart. 

Former fourth round draft pick Jonathan Wilhite’s 2010 season saw him battle hip and hamstring injuries and ultimately ended with him being placed on injured reserve midway through the season.  Wilhite may stick around but according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss he is scheduled to see his salary jump to $1.2 million in 2011.  That salary bump could spell trouble for Wilhite. 

Tony Carter has kicked around the practice squad and 53 man roster of the Broncos and the Patriots over the last two seasons.  Carter will be in a dogfight to keep his spot in 2011.

Position Summary

McCourty is a legitimate star-in-the-making and should avoid a sophomore slump. 

A healthy Bodden could go a long way towards shoring up a unit that came under fire early in 2010.  The extra playing time that Arrington, and to some extent Butler, logged in 2010 could pay dividends in 2011.

Could the Pats look CB in the draft?  Absolutely. 

In an NFL that often has teams using three or more CBs at a time, depth is always a concern.  Arrington and Wilhite’s contract status could be contributing factors as well. 

Butler’s 2011 season, his third in the NFL, will go a long way towards determining his long-term future in New England.

Safety

There is no other player on the New England roster that is more polarizing among fans than Brandon Meriweather. 

Meriweather was once again elected to the Pro Bowl following 2010, despite being wildly inconsistent at times. 

A physical player famed for his hard (and occasionally illegal) hits, Meriweather is also known for taking some of the worst angles a four year veteran NFL safety could possibly take (see December 2010 Packers vs Patriots, or January 2010 Ravens vs Patriots Playoffs). 

An offseason shooting incident, which is still under investigation, has his attorney Adam Swickle claiming Meriweather was a peacekeeper but the matter remains under investigation.  An email from Captain Angelo L. Nieves of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office states “The case has not concluded and is ongoing with an active investigation and interviews having been conducted.  I do not have a conclusion estimate.”

Regardless of the outcome of this investigation, this is the second gun related incident of Meriweather’s life.  It certainly leads one to wonder if Meriweather has incredibly bad luck, or perhaps he’s making some poor decisions. 

At this point in his life, Meriweather is a lot closer to being the next Wyatt Earp than the next Ronnie Lott.

James Sanders is the anti-Meriweather.  Not nearly as physical more of the classic centerfielder style safety.  Sanders was involved in some of the Pats' biggest defensive plays of 2010, none bigger than his pick of Peyton Manning to finish off the Colts.

Patrick Chung is a big part of the future in New England.  The most versatile of the safeties, Chung brings both a physical presence and a nose for big plays.  His presence may ultimately make Meriweather expendable.

Jarrad Page managed to carve out some playing time after returning from injury midway through 2010.  Page’s playing time—despite the crowded three man rotation of Meriweather/Sanders/Chung—may very well be an indication of Belichick’s high regard for him.  Page, a restricted free agent, was tendered a contract offer at the conclusion of the season.

Brandon McGowan spent 2010 on IR and may find himself squeezed out by the continuing development of Chung.

Sergio Brown made the club as an undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame and made the most of his opportunities on special teams.

Ross Ventrone, Thad Turner, Brett Lockett and Josh Barrett round out the roster.  Each will fight for the opportunity to contribute on special teams before realistically being called on to contribute at safety.

Position Summary

BB has a solid rotation of safeties at his disposal allowing him to use them in his “big nickel” and other defensive configurations.  Chung’s continued development could make it difficult for BB to take him off the field.  Will Meriweather stick around?  Ask the authorities.  Look for Page and perhaps Brown to join the rotation if Meriweather is jettisoned. 

Unit Summary

It’s difficult to defend a unit that finished 30^th in Passing yards allowed in 2010, yet that’s exactly what I’m going to do. 

Bill Belichick ran a “bend don’t break” defense all season long (save the Pittsburgh game when he took off the shackles).  BB managed games by taking away the big play from opposing offenses instead forcing Patriot opponents to execute more conservative plays. 

The yards piled up but, for the most part, the points allowed remained manageable.

30^th in the league in passing yards allowed, 25^th in the league in total yards, but a much more respectable eigth in the league in points allowed.

Points are the only thing that matter on a scoreboard and, in the end, BB’s strategy worked more often than not as New England finished the season with a solid 14-2 record.

This isn’t anything new in NE either—check out the numbers from the club’s three championship seasons:

2001              24^th in Yards allowed.       6^th in points allowed.

2003              7^th in Yards allowed.          1^st in points allowed.

2004              9^th in yards allowed.          2^nd in points allowed.

Throw in a below average pass rush and the fact the Patriots were often ahead in games (encouraging teams to throw early and often) and you have two other factors that contribute to that dismal yardage number.

The Patriots led the NFL in interceptions in 2010 and have a number of good young defenders.  Look for Belichick to turn them loose more often as he gains confidence in them over the next couple seasons. 

Can this collection of defenders make the same type of jump that the 2001 bunch made?  Only time will tell, but you could argue the potential is there.    

If the Pats do draft a defensive back, my hunch is it will be later rather than sooner, but of course it always comes down to that one word in NE—value.  At the risk of embarrassment I’ll take a stab at a couple of potential picks.

Texas' Aaron Williams is projected as a potential late first or early second round pick and will probably be gone before BB would consider taking him.  However if guys like Colorado’s Jimmy Smith, Miami’s Brandon Harris, or Louisville’s Johnny Patrick leap frog him he could be a surprise selection.

More likely is a scenario where New England grabs a CB like Chimdi Chekwa of Ohio State and his nearly 40 career NCAA starts, or a S like Quinton Carter of Oklahoma, a player who’s stock dropped after mediocre 40 times, or North Carolina’s Deunta Williams.