2. Andre Johnson - Houston Texans
Comment: Johnson has provided an explosive threat on the perimeter and has put up elite numbers. He has a rare combination of size, speed, athleticism and receiving skills. He has the speed to stretch the secondary deep as well as the route-running skills and size to be a threat on underneath routes across the middle or to the sidelines. He is explosive off the line and can overpower or avoid cornerbacks trying to jam him at the line of scrimmage. Johnson can sink his hips to get in and out of his breaks with a burst to separate and shows a second gear to pull away from most defenders once he gains a step on them.

14. Ed Reed - Baltimore Ravens
Comment: Reed was banged up some in 2009 and missed four regular-season games. Reed has rare instincts that enable him to be around the ball often. He has elite range and is one of the few backend defenders whom quarterbacks truly fear. Reed is a game-changer from his deep center-field position and allows the Ravens to be very aggressive with their schemes. Not only is he a supreme ball hawk with rare anticipation and ball skills, he is an extremely dangerous weapon with the ball in his hands and is an immediate threat to score. He is also a superb kick- and punt-blocker when used in that capacity. Reed has been a mainstay in the Ravens’ secondary and there is a noticeable drop-off when he is not in the lineup.

32. Reggie Wayne - Indianapolis Colts
Comment: With the departure of Marvin Harrison before the 2009 season, Wayne became the Colts’ No. 1 receiver and responded with a big year. He has good size for the position with excellent deep speed, quickness, agility and body control. He can sink his hips to get in and out of breaks with a burst to separate from defenders and has the extra gear to maintain the separation. He does a good job of reading coverages and finding the soft spots in zone to provide a good target for the quarterback. He is effective after the catch and shows vision as well as elusiveness in the open field.

36. Vince Wilfork - New England Patriots
Comment: Wilfork is coming off his sixth year in the league where he had another solid season before sustaining a foot injury late in the season. He has the size, strength and natural leverage to be productive versus double-team blocks as well as penetrate gaps when in a stunting mode. He can locate the ball after contact quickly and feels pad pressure well to restrict running lanes. Wilfork is a very good athlete for his size showing lateral agility between the tackles. He can push the pocket with a bull rush technique from the inside, but his production as pass-rusher is average at best. Wilfork is a good football player who continues to be the centerpiece for the Patriots 3-4 defensive front.

42. Jon Beason - Carolina Panthers
Comment: Beason has started all 16 games for three consecutive seasons and led the team in tackles in 2009 with 141. He has arguably become the face of the Panthers’ defense and provides leadership both on the field as well as in the locker room. He is a tackling machine
who brings instincts, effort and competitiveness. He is not the biggest linebacker, but does bring a lot of pop and explosion to his tackles.
He is more effective when protected by a big defensive line, but flashes the ability to step up and shed blocks in time to make the play. He gets good depth in his drops and is quick to pull the trigger both against the run and when closing on the pass.

58. Frank Gore - San Francisco 49ers
Comment: Gore has been a quality back who has consistently produced over the five years he has been in the league. He has gained in excess of 1,000 yards in each of the past four years, including 1,120 yards in 2009 with an average of 4.9 yards per carry. He is a compact runner who does an excellent job of running behind his pads and has the kind of balance that consistently gains yards after contact. Gore fights for yards and does a good job of finishing runs off but lacks the premier top end speed that makes him a big home-run threat. He is a good receiver out of the backfield as well as on downfield routes and knows how to read coverages and adjust his routes. He is a patient runner who does a good job of letting his offensive line create run lanes.

72. DJ Williams - Denver Broncos
Comment: Williams rebounded in 2009 after missing five games during the 2008 season due to injuries. He is an extremely gifted athlete who possesses great lateral range and the kind of quickness, agility and body control to be a factor in coverage. He can come off the edge with an explosive burst of speed or can slip through small creases when blitzing the quarterback. Williams has enough upper-body strength to take on and shed blockers and shows the ability to unload with a good pop when making the tackle in the hole. He lacks the top bulk and power to squeeze blocks down and force the ball carrier to bounce it to the outside. He has improved on his route recognition and can close on the ball with a good burst once he pulls the trigger when in zone coverage. He is still improving and appears to be on the verge of becoming an elite linebacker.

91. Kellen Winslow - Tampa Bay Buccanneers
Comment: Winslow is a former first-round draft pick who can be a franchise tight end when healthy. He is a big matchup problem as he is generally too fast and too athletic for linebackers to cover and can overpower most safeties. He can stretch the secondary down the middle and will often line up wide to match up against smaller cornerbacks. He is a willing blocker who shows effort and tenacity, but lacks the size and power to be a dominating inline blocker.

111. Vernon Carey - Miami Dolphins
Comment: He is the most versatile offensive lineman on the Dolphins roster because he has played four positions at one point or another. Carey has settled in well at the right tackle spot. He possesses a nice combination of size and strength for the position. He is a good overall athlete. He has left tackle-quality feet and athleticism. He does a good job of protecting the edges in pass protection and adjusts well versus double moves. Carey will ride the defender wide and allow the QB to move up into the pocket. He plays with good leverage in the run game. He is a solid player on an underrated offensive line.

119. Ray Lewis - Baltimore Ravens
Comment: Lewis, entering his 15th year, is coming off another extremely productive season. He has diminishing skills, but his experience, toughness and instincts enable him to be a force in the middle of the Ravens’ defense. He is a powerfully built player with outstanding tackling power between the tackles. His ability to wrap up and tackle with jolting force is still evident. He has excellent instincts and vision to react quickly to the run and pass. He has outstanding football intelligence and is able to make all the checks and adjustments needed in the complex Ravens scheme. He uses his hands to work through trash and has natural power to run through blockers. Lewis is a crafty veteran who takes great angles in pursuit and maintains leverage on the ball carrier. He is a solid pass defender primarily because of excellent anticipation and route recognition. Lewis has been remarkably durable over his career, but he clearly is on the backside of his career.

140. Eric Winston - Houston Texans
Comment: Winston has been the Texans’ starting right tackle for the past four years and has done a good job of solidifying his side of the line. He has excellent dimensions for the position with good initial quickness, body control and balance. He has a good understanding of blocking schemes and angles and is quick to engage and work his blocks. He shows good recognition of games up front like twists and stunts, and he plays the game smart. Winston is a good knee-bender who can keep his pad level down to leverage blocks and does a good job of keeping his feet moving to sustain and finish blocks off. He will overextend and let his weight get too far forward when in space and struggles to react and adjust to counter moves by the pass-rusher. Overall, he is a solid right tackle who still has potential to grow in technique and strength.

148. Jonathan Vilma - New Orleans Saints
Comment: Vilma is a slightly undersized middle linebacker who can be a disruptive playmaker thanks to rare speed, agility and a very good nose for the ball. He is a student of the game who understands blocking angles, defensive schemes and how to leverage his way to the ball. He has excellent range laterally and shows a good burst to close on the ball. He pretty much needs to stay protected by the defensive front as he lacks the size and power to take on blockers and squeeze the play down. He gets very good depth in his drops and shows good route recognition as well as the ability to read the quarterback to get a jump on the ball.

162. Brandon Meriweather - New England Patriots
Comment: Meriweather had another productive season in 2009 and has settled in as the Patriots’ starting safety. Meriweather has adequate size with very good athletic skills for the position. He displays good instincts, speed and range. He shows good versatility as he is used in a variety of alignments. Meriweather still has some inconsistencies in coverage. He struggles to maintain leverage on wide receivers and has taken poor angles out of breaks. He’s aggressive and active in run support and has been one of the most consistent players on the New England roster.

196. Calais Campbell - Arizona Cardinals
Comment: After spending his rookie season as a situational backup with the Cardinals, Campbell earned a starting position and played in all 16 games, starting 15 and finishing with 48 tackles and seven sacks in 2009. He has rare size for the position, and he is quicker and shows better speed than you’d expect for someone with his length. He shows a good feel for the position as he recognizes blocking schemes and will fight through pressure with good hand use. He must work on keeping his pad level down to leverage blocks and could use more upper-body strength to control and disengage. He has a lot of potential and has become a quality starter.

200. Devin Hester - Chicago Bears
Comment: Hester has become a larger part of the Bears’ air attack and was utilized less as a pure return specialist in 2009. He is an excellent athlete with outstanding speed, burst and quickness. He has developed as a route-runner and has made marked improvement in this area. Hester can eat up a defender’s cushion quickly with deceptive push off the line of scrimmage and can stretch deep zones with a second gear downfield. Hester is an explosive player with the ball in his hands because he can distort angles in the open field. He has average size, struggles to break tackles downfield and can get rerouted at times versus press man coverage. Hester continues to be utilized as a punt and kick returner but has lost some of his edge in this area.

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FOXBORO - Even though he made the Pro Bowl last year (snuck in as an alternate), Brandon Meriweather was a maddening player to watch. Some games he hit. Other games he watched. Some games he covered well. Other games he gambled and lost. His tackling? Not something you want to use to teach the kids.

But instead of getting fat and happy with the Pro Bowl honor, Meriweather is at least saying and doing the right things to get ready for 2010. He's breaking down film of the games gone bad, working with Ravens safety Ed Reed, concentrating on his weaknesses and augmenting his strengths. If there were an All-Pro team in March, he'd be getting my vote.

In a rangy conversation on the Gillette Stadium turf Thursday, Meriweather hit on a ton of topics including the insertion of Corwin Brown as secondary coach.

"I think it'll be extremely important," Meriweather said of the former NFL safety who most recently was defensive coordinator at Notre Dame. "I sat down and talked to him about five times and every time I talk to him I'm intrigued by how much he knows and how much he says he could help. I'm not one who believes talk but he can have his chance to show it and I'll have my chance to show I'm a good student. It's gonna be good to have someone I can actually communicate with who actually has played the position and knows what I'm looking at."

If that statement sounds like an indictment of coaches who haven't played at the NFL level, well, it kind of is. Although Meriweather tries to couch it as tenderly as possible, it's clear he prefers knowing there's someone on his side of the ball who's looked at the same things he's looking at.  

"It's easy to say something when you're just looking at it from an X and O's perspective but until you actually have done it, you get a lot more credit when you say something," he said. "Everybody knows Bill (Belichick) is a mastermind at what he do. He's a great coach. No disrespect to Bill or anybody else. But once you are actually in that spot and you know exacly what I'm looking at back there, you know exactly what I'm thinking.

"Bill is very great at it but for him not to have ever played in the NFL he knows 90 percent of what I'm looking at and what I'm thinking but I think with (Brown and Belichick) together and (former secondary coach Josh Boyer) and the rest of the defensive staff we'll be very, very good this year," Meriweather said.

Meriweather pinpointed aspects of his game he wants to improve - tackling, aggressiveness, communication in the secondary. The film work, he said, is ongoing.  

"I usually watch the games that we did terrible in," he said. "Today, I'm going to watch the Saints game. I'm going to see what the Saints did so good and what we did so bad that made Drew Brees throw for 400 yards. I'm going to see the things that we did and hopefully what I find I can go back and tell Jonathan (Wilhite), Darius (Butler) and Leigh (Bodden)."

Meriweather says he'll be dividing his time between Foxborough and Miami.

"I go down there because of Ed (Reed) and because it's home," he said. "I also think you need to get a different part of working out. I don't think it's necessary that we all have to be here to get that experience. For instance, when I go home, Ed always tells me my break is too flat. I would never have got that from watching film myself."

Given the adoration Belichick has for Reed's ability, Meriweather was wise to choose Reed as a mentor. He says he owes a significant amount to the future Hall of Famer.

"A lot of the things I do to make plays, I would’ve never did if he wouldn’t have told me to try it," said Meriweather. "Other than Ed, a lot of it goes to my college coaches, and actually Bill. Bill helped me, too."

Oh yeah, that guy.

Click here to order Brandon Meriweather's proCane Rookie Card.



(necn.com)

At least 40 players were in attendance on Monday at Gillette Stadium for the Patriots’ first day of voluntary offseason workouts, which is a “great attendance” figure, according to a source.

Vince Wilfork, who just signed a five-year contract extension, was among the team’s stars who attended the workout. Linebacker Jerod Mayo, safety Brandon Meriweather and running back Laurence Maroney were a few others who attended the workout. Quarterback Tom Brady, wide receiver Randy Moss and linebacker Adalius Thomas were among those not in attendance. Wide receiver Wes Welker, who is recovering from knee and shoulder surgeries, was also missing.

These camps are typically attended by younger players, and veteran absences aren’t out of the ordinary. Yet, after Wilfork said last week he wanted to help the team improve its leadership, it comes across as a positive sign that he was among the large group of players who showed up to Gillette. Players often rave about how these offseason workouts go a long way toward the team-building process.

Monday’s workouts focused on cardio and weightlifting, and the players were in and out of the facility within a few hours. The workouts will steadily progress throughout the offseason and leading up into minicamp. If players want to be compensated for the workouts, they must show up for four workouts in a given week.

Click here to order Vince Wilfork's or Brandon Meriweather's proCane Rookie Card.



(nesn.com)

Check out our exclusive photos from Saturday Morning's AFC and NFC Pro Bowl Practices. Six of the record 11 proCane Pro Bowlers were on hand, including Warren Sapp of the NFL Network. Click here or above on the proCanes Gallery link to view the photos.

The NFL 2010 Pro Bowlers were announced with 11 proCanes named on the AFC and NFC rosters.

AFC:
- Andre Johnson - WR - Houston Texans - Starter
- Brandon Meriweather - S - New England Patriots - Starter
- Reggie Wayne - WR - Indianapolis Colts - Starter
- Vince Wilfork - DL - New England Patriots
- Ray Lewis - MLB - Baltimore Ravens - Starter
- Ed Reed - S - Baltimore Ravens - Starter
- DJ Williams - OLB - Denver Broncos - Alternate

NFC:
- Bryant McKinnie - OL - Minnesota Vikings - Starter
- Jonathan Vilma - MLB - New Orleans Saints
- Antrel Rolle - S - Arizona Cardinals - Starter
- Frank Gore - RB - San Francisco 49ers - Starter

*Updated 1/25/10

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The Baltimore Ravens wear purple, but several of the stars on this team said they still bleed green and orange -- the colors of the University of Miami.

The Baltimore roster is replete with former Canes, and we're not just talking the guys at the bottom of the roster.
Ed Reed is the starting free safety. He had an interception and a 25-yard return Sunday that helped set up a touchdown.

Ray Lewis is the starting middle linebacker. He led the Ravens with 13 tackles, a sack, two quarterback hurries and a tackle for loss.

Willis McGahee is the team's change-of-pace running back. He carried the ball 20 times for 62 yards and one touchdown.

The Ravens, it should be noted, rushed 52 times for 234 yards against and four touchdowns against the Patriots.

``We had a good running game coming in,'' McGahee said, ``but busting the first run just opened everything up. We had three different styles of runners coming in, and we just switched it up and they didn't know how we were going to run the ball. It was a great feeling.''

Not all former Hurricanes went home happy Sunday.

Brandon Meriweather and Vince Wilfork play for the Patriots.

``I feel for Vince,'' Reed said. ``He's a Hurricane, so you know he came to play [Sunday]. Hurricanes don't quit. When we played there, we played a lot of big games and always expected to win. We always expected to go undefeated.''

TIME FOR LEWIS TO STUDY
The Ravens will play Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts, who beat Baltimore 17-15 this season.

``I will be [studying] film on the plane going home,'' Lewis said. ``I give my team the 24-hour rule, but for myself, it's back to work. This journey has been up and down. We are on a great journey right now. We know what is going to be coming up next playing in Indy. We know that [Peyton Manning] is probably the best quarterback in the last 10 to 20 years. So here we go again.''



(miamiherald.com)

Check out our new wallpaper featuring Brandon Meriweather. Click here to download our Brandon Meriweather Wallpaper and many other ones or click above on proCanes Wallpapers. Enjoy and stay tuned to more wallpapers in the near future.

It’s bound to happen almost every Sunday, and last Sunday it was caught on camera. Brandon Meriweather laid out fellow Cane Jeremy Shockey in the Patriots loss versus the New Orleans Saints last Monday night. We’re family but it doesn’t mean we can’t show some tough love occasionally.



Click here to Brandon Meriweather’s or Jeremy Shockey’s proCane Rookie Card.

WR Reggie Wayne, Colts — Great hands and route-running skills, coupled with intimate knowledge of the offense, have led to Wayne’s incredible consistency over the years. He’s doing it again, having caught 59 passes for 753 yards and six touchdowns. He has broken the 125-yard barrier in three games and scored in all but two contests.

WR Andre Johnson, Texans — Many talent evaluators will tell you Johnson is the AFC’s most gifted receiver. With great size and strength, plus the speed to get deep, Johnson is a game-changer who presents a constant challenge for defenses. He also possesses a work ethic that makes him want to get better each and every week, a rare trait in a league filled with more than a few divas at the position.

S Brandon Meriweather, Patriots — The Patriots lost a ton of veteran leadership with the departures of Rodney Harrison, Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel and Richard Seymour. But the defense has performed admirably, and Harrison has gone on record as saying that Meriweather is the team’s defensive MVP. Meriweather is starting to show the instincts that made fellow Miami (Fla.) safeties like Ed Reed and Sean Taylor stars. Meriweather’s breakout game came in London against the Buccaneers, when he snared two interceptions, returning one 39 yards for a touchdown.

Click here to order Reggie Wayne’s, Andre Johnson’s or Brandon Meriweather’s proCane Rookie Card.



(profootballweekly.com)

Aside from the fact the Patriots recorded another blowout against an inferior opponent Sunday, arguably the biggest story emanating from London is the performance of safety Brandon Meriweather, who came up with two big interceptions in a 35-7 victory.

Meriweather's first pick resulted in a 39-yard return for a touchdown on Tampa Bay's opening possession, which immediately set the tone.

His second pick came later in the opening quarter. In the end, Meriweather's prowess on defense, coupled with another big game from Tom Brady, upped New England's record to 5-2 and began discussions about whether the safety is the playmaker this team desperately needs.

Has the bar been raised for Meriweather? Impossible, says the third-year safety.

"The level of expectation? I don't know, because, to be honest, my level of expectation is already through the roof," he said. "I expect myself to be great every day. Not good here, good there, great here, great there -- I expect to be great every day."

That sounds great, but the truth is Meriweather hasn't always been great. Few players have, but Meriweather's overall game still needs some work. Nonetheless, his performance Sunday is a breath of fresh air for the Patriots, who are looking for leadership in the aftermath of Rodney Harrison's retirement.

"Brandon stepped up with some huge plays (Sunday), and those are the plays he's capable of making," Belichick said. "He's been around those, and today they fell for him. But he's a good player for us, and there's a lot of plays that don't show up on the stat sheet.

"(Sunday's) plays did, but there's a lot of ones that he makes that don't. He's done a real good job."

Meriweather's always been a smooth talker, but now he's backing up his words on the field. This is exactly what the Patriots need -- a playmaker on defense who can control the secondary and deliver the kind of game-changing plays that swing the momentum.

"Before we came into this game, he said he was going to have two picks," teammate Brandon McGowan said. "He didn't say he was going to take one to the house, but he did that, too. You know, the (defensive backs) talk a lot, and he talks. He's the first person I heard when I stepped in here May 5."



(nwe.scout.com)

FOXBORO - Brandon Meriweather reacted to the news that he had been named the AFC’s Defensive Player of the Week with what amounted to a shrug. The Patriots [team stats] safety said he was “excited about it,” though he didn’t seem to be.

“I feel like there’s still work to be done,” Meriweather said.

Meriweather was honored for grabbing two interceptions in Sunday’s 35-7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in London, including one he took back for a 39-yard touchdown.

The former University of Miami star wasn’t ready to celebrate the award yesterday. He even deflected questions as to whether he’s proven why the Patriots picked him in the first round of the 2007 draft.

“I don’t know. I think I’ve kind of shown little glimpses of it every now and then,” the 5-foot-11, 200-pounder said. “I don’t think I’ve hit my peak yet. I think I still have a lot to learn.”

Meriweather may not have bragged on himself, but NBC analyst and former Pats safety Rodney Harrison [stats] had no such worries. He decreed on NBC that Meriweather was this team’s MVP and one of the AFC’s best safeties along with Brian Dawkins, the former All-Pro who joined the Denver Broncos this year after 13 seasons in Philadelphia.

“Ha, ha, ha, is that what he said?” Meriweather said. “I have no comment on that. Everyone has their own opinion on that. He might think that, but somebody else might think something different.”



(bostonherald.com)

Brandon Merriweather, former student at the University of Miami, asked us not to remind him of the still-painful overtime loss to rival Clemson on Saturday night. "Oh man, why did you have to bring that up?" he said.



(sportinglife.com)

Meriweather was fined $7,500 for unnecessarily taunting an opponent. Meriweather was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after he was ruled to have taunted Broncos receiver Eddie Royal following a fourth-quarter incompletion. Denver tied the game on an 11-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall on the next play.



(boston.com)

Brandon Meriweather lays a hit on Willis McGahee in Week 4 during the Patriots win over the Ravens. McGahee scored a touchdown on the play though Meriweather got the last laugh as the Patriots won.

Brandon Meriweather, New England Patriots safety: Despite his late-game heroics Monday night, can you really say Tom Brady's stock improved? In the absence of so many retired veterans on the Patriots' defense, Meriweather showed signs he's ready to step into a leadership role.

Meriweather was credited with a team-high eight tackles against the Bills. He threw Fred Jackson for a 4-yard loss and made the initial hit that stood McKelvin up before he fumbled.

Reggie Wayne, Colts WR: Wayne technically became the team’s top receiver in 2007, but the real takeover over the past two years as the team adjusted to an injured, less than effective Marvin Harrison took a while. Sunday, with Harrison gone and Anthony Gonzalez out early with a right knee injury, Wayne was practically unstoppable.

Deep, short, in the middle of the field and on the perimeter, he was getting a steady diet of throws from Peyton Manning and making the most of them. He’ll need to continue that production while rookie Austin Collie and second-year man Pierre Garcon work as the second and third wideouts.

Jeremy Shockey: Saints TE: Shockey’s been a target for ridicule throughout much of his career. Some of it’s due to injuries and some of it's because of his behavior.

But you can never forget that he’s an enormous talent. He caught two touchdowns on Sunday, which is two more than he had all of last year. Makes you wonder what’s possible if he can stay healthy all season.



(espn.com)

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Brandon Meriweather's eyes widened when his 2008 statistics were repeated within context.

In looking at where he ranked among his teammates in the various categories, it can be argued sincerely that Meriweather had the best season of any New England Patriots defender.

He didn't become their starting strong safety until Week 8, yet he led the Patriots in interceptions and takeaways, made more tackles than Tedy Bruschi and Mike Vrabel and recorded as many sacks as Vince Wilfork and Ty Warren.

"I didn't know all that," Meriweather said with a beaming smile.

If Meriweather didn't realize just how impressively he performed last year, then you can't blame the rest of the football world for overlooking him. While everybody raved about rookie linebacker Jerod Mayo and fretted over myriad injuries, Meriweather quietly put together a superb sophomore season.

Folks will start to notice. With veteran Rodney Harrison retired to the broadcast booth, Meriweather has emerged as one of New England's defensive leaders in his third NFL season. Add his ability to make a game-changing impact in multiple ways, and you'll see why we made Meriweather our choice as the AFC East's Emerging Star for 2009.
"It's all there," Scouts Inc. analyst Matt Williamson said. "He's ready to blossom and be a player."

Meriweather led all Patriots defensive backs in stops and finished second overall with 57 solo tackles. His 22 assists placed him third in total tackles behind Mayo, the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, and Wilfork, an elite 3-4 nose tackle.

Meriweather also snared a team-high four interceptions and tied for the lead with two forced fumbles. He was second to cornerback Ellis Hobbs in passes defensed. Meriweather added two sacks. His 11 special-teams tackles ranked third.

He was one of only four defensive backs last year with at least two interceptions, two sacks and two forced fumbles. The others were Adrian Wilson, Antoine Winfield and Quintin Mikell. Wilson and Winfield went to the Pro Bowl.

"I want to be one of [those] safeties that you don't have to take off the field for nothing, not for special teams, and if I could I'd play offense," Meriweather said. "I'm just trying to be an all-around player.

"I envision myself to be a smart player, instinctual, an all-around athlete. I don't want to be just a safety. I want to be known as a cover safety, a deep safety. I want to be known as a safety that can do a little bit of everything."

Patriots coach Bill Belichick has been pleased with Meriweather's development. For the first time, Meriweather went into training camp as the starter and didn't disappoint.

"Each year he's taken a jump in the offseason and then through the course of the year, and then another jump the next offseason and through the practice sessions in the spring," Belichick said. "In training camp he's a guy that's improved pretty steadily, as I said, with a couple big offseason jumps.

"He's smart, works hard and he's really kind of starting to quarterback the secondary now. He and [free safety] James [Sanders] both do a good job of communication back there and getting everybody on the same page. He's had a very productive camp for us this year."

Meriweather should thrive with the Patriots in 2009 not only because he's another year wiser, but also because situations probably will be in the defense's favor more often than not.

With quarterback Tom Brady returning to a potent offense that's deep at running back, receiver and tight end and features three Pro Bowl linemen, the Patriots should be playing with a lead frequently.

"He can make more plays on the ball, get more interceptions," Williamson said. "He's shown an ability to get his hands on the ball already.

"You can't get away from the physical attributes that he has. He's fast. He's fluid. He has good size. He can be in the box and throw his body around. He has the ability to play man against tight ends or slot receiver at the line.

"And he's not afraid at all to come up and hit. He can be an intimidator over the middle in the passing game."

The Patriots drafted Meriweather 24th overall two years ago out of the University of Miami. He had the talent to be selected much higher.

Some teams rated him the No. 2 safety in the draft. Others projected him as a big cornerback because of his agility and coverage skills. He was a ferocious hitter, garnering the nicknames "Hit Stick" and "B-Ware." He left Miami as its career leader among safeties with 182 solo tackles. Ed Reed and Sean Taylor were Hurricanes, too.

But a pair of incidents hurt Meriweather's stock and deleted him from a few teams' draft boards. He was the fourth safety and seventh defensive back taken.

Meriweather was involved in a shooting incident in July 2006, firing three bullets at an unidentified assailant who had shot his Hurricanes teammate, Willie Cooper. No charges were filed because Meriweather was defending himself and the handgun was registered.

Three months later, Meriweather stomped opposing players with his cleats during the infamous Miami-Florida International brawl.

But after interviewing Meriweather before the draft and with the testimony of Hurricanes coaches Randy Shannon and Larry Coker, the character-conscious Patriots didn't detect a significant risk and made him their first pick.

Meriweather didn't start as a rookie. He made his mark on special teams with 18 tackles, but had trouble getting on the field defensively. He had 11 games with one or zero defensive tackles.

"What's difficult about it is the expectations," Meriweather said of the NFL transition. "You expect and the coaches expect you to be almost perfect. That's why people say our system is difficult. We have good coaches that expect good things out of you. When you put so much pressure on yourself, it gets hard."

Meriweather got his shot last season when Harrison suffered a torn quadriceps in Week 7. The injury ended Harrison's season, and the way Meriweather played ended Harrison's career.

Meriweather's progress was illustrated by the coaching staff's belief in him late in the season. Both of his sacks happened in December. His first was a critical strip sack of Seneca Wallace to seal a Week 14 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

"I prefer to get an interception to a sack, but whenever you get a chance to blitz, that says something," Meriweather said. "That says your coaches trust the rest of the players around you, trusts your timing and ability to get to the quarterback. That shows your coaches have faith in you."

As an emerging leader in the secondary, he knows he must play even better this year.

"The more that's given, the more's expected," Meriweather said.

In that vein, he intends to open up as he gets more secure in his role.

For example, he thinks it's about time to break out the Hit Stick again after a couple of seasons of keeping it stashed while he learned the NFL game.

"He's still alive," Meriweather said. "He's been in the background, trying to adjust and learn the system and learn the NFL level and how to be a pro.

"He's been hiding a little bit, but he's coming back soon. Real soon."



(espn.com)

Looking back, does Bill Belichick regret taking Brandon Meriweather over Jon Beason when he had the opportunity to do so in the first round of that 2007 draft?
A: I thought the Patriots would have selected Beason when he was available to them in the first round (24th overall), as he filled a need and seemed to have all the intangibles the team would want at the hard-to-fill position in their system. In the end, I think the team didn't pick him because his testing numbers (e.g. 40-yard dash) weren't great and there were some questions of how he'd hold up physically in a 3-4 defense. If they could do it over again, knowing what they know now, I'd be surprised if the Patriots (and as many as 15-18 other teams) passed Beason (25th overall) over. I was recently watching a replay of a Panthers game on NFL Network and Beason was consistently around the ball. Some of the tackles did come downfield as it was common to see him drop 15 yards into pass coverage on one snap, and then be playing more downhill on the next. Overall, Beason is probably a better fit for Carolina's 4-3 alignment, but I still thought he could have fit here -- his instincts are excellent. Meriweather could still have a nice career, but to me, Beason has been the better player to this point.



(boston.com)

1. Ed Reed, Ravens. Reed was the only unanimous selection for the 2008 All-Pro team and rightly so. He led the NFL with nine interceptions and returned two for touchdowns, and he tacked on another TD in the playoffs. The system won't change in Baltimore this year, and Reed is on his way to a Hall of Fame career if he can stay healthy.

17. Brandon Meriweather, Patriots. He came on strong late in 2008 as the injury replacement for Rodney Harrison. Meriweather is a tough, hard-working run defender who eventually will excel as a deep safety, where his explosive speed and ball skills will be highlighted.

See the rest of the rankings here.

(sportingnews.com)

When starting safety Rodney Harrison suffered a season-ending thigh injury Oct. 20 against the Denver Broncos, the question was if Brandon Meriweather could fill the void.

It turns out the 2007 first-round draft choice has filled it to the rim.

In a statistic that reflects how Meriweather has become a steadying presence in the Patriots' secondary, he hasn't just started all eight games since Harrison's injury, he has played every snap, a string of 493 plays (including penalties).

It has been a major jump for the 24-year-old Meriweather, who didn't start a regular-season game in his rookie campaign and earlier this season was the team's first defensive back off the bench.

His performance was lauded by coach Bill Belichick yesterday.

"He's certainly come a long way as a player in these two seasons and it just continues to get better," Belichick said. "He's a really dependable guy, smart, and makes very few errors back there in the secondary - not just himself but also in terms of his overall communication back there with the group. He's playing with a lot of confidence and I think we have a lot of confidence in him because of the way he's playing."

Coaches have credited Meriweather with 70 tackles, tied for third on the team.

Belichick said Meriweather has really improved on working closer to the line of scrimmage. That was a Harrison specialty, as he attacked the physical challenge of taking on bigger blockers to assist against the run, but also had speed to protect the middle and deep parts of the field.

Meriweather (5 feet 11 inches, 200 pounds) has also been utilized more as a coverage player, such as when he lined up in the slot against four-receiver packages against the St. Louis Rams Oct. 26.

"Through the course of the season, he's been asked to do a lot of different things and he just really has improved in all of them," Belichick said. "I think he's having a good year."

Meriweather, who estimated he dropped about six would-be interceptions last season, believes his ball skills are one area he has improved from his rookie campaign (he has a team-high four interceptions). He's had few, if any, physical problems from the expanded role.

"I've always tried to be one of the best-conditioned guys on the team," Meriweather said. "My comfort level is pretty high right now. I'm having fun playing the game."

(boston.com)

Brandon Meriweather, S, New England. This is the kind of breakout game that can launch a player's career. Six tackles -- three of them behind the line of scrimmage -- plus one sack, two passes defensed and the most important forced fumble of his two-year career. With 1:56 left in the fourth quarter, he leaped over the line to sack Seneca Wallace, forcing the fumble that essentially ended the game. With injuries already battering the defense, and Vince Wilfork, Tedy Bruschi and James Sanders leaving the game with more of them, young guys like Meriweather have to come through for this team to make it to January.

Ray Lewis, LB, Baltimore. When will he slow down? 2014? The more I watch the Ravens, the more I marvel at his staying power -- and not just the staying power to hang around. He's excelling the same way he was in the Ravens' Super Bowl year, and he's leading the same way too -- at 33, in his 13th season. In the 24-10 beatdown of the Redskins (it could have been much worse), Lewis had 13 tackles (three for loss), two quarterback hits and a 13-yard sack.

(cnnsi.com)

Ronde Barber has put up some huge numbers recently, but Meriweather's production is more sustainable. He has posted double-digit tackle totals in two of the past three games. In between, he paired six total stops with his fourth interception of the season.


(sportingnews.com)

The Patriots appear to have dodged a bullet with the leg injury to safety Brandon Meriweather.

A league source said Meriweather should be 100 percent by the season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs Sept. 7. However, he could be done playing for the preseason. After the Patriots face the Eagles, they conclude the preseason schedule with a road game against the New York Giants Aug. 28.

The second-year safety was injured on the initial drive of Friday's game, limping off following a 2-yard run by Warrick Dunn. It appeared that Meriweather was hurt on the previous play, when he tackled Dunn at the conclusion of a 7-yard rush and had defensive end Richard Seymour land on top of him.

(boston.com)

Tampa -- Patriots second-year defensive back Brandon Meriweather went down with an apparent leg injury with 6:55 remaining in the first quarter.

Meriweather tried to limp off the field on his own power but ultimately he had to be helped off the field by two trainers.

If the injury is serious it could be a big blow to an already depleted secondary. Defensive backs Jason Webster, Jonathan Wilhite, Lewis Sanders, James Sanders, and Rodney Harrison were not out on the field for warmups before the game started.

(beloblog.com)

FOXBOROUGH - There has been a new sound emanating from the Patriots' defense this year, one that has caught the ears of everyone from coach Bill Belichick to linebacker Tedy Bruschi to safety Rodney Harrison.

It is coming from Brandon Meriweather, who has been shouting instructions from the secondary with confidence and authority.

Off the field, the second-year safety has a soft-spoken timbre. He's polite, unassuming, and almost timid, but on the field his teammates have noticed a difference both in Meriweather's communication skills and his play. The 24-year-old, who struggled to be heard from at times during his rookie year, has been making noise in training camp - both literally and figuratively - emerging as one of the team's breakout players after the first week.

With the contracts of Harrison and safety James Sanders set to expire after this season, Meriweather finding both his voice and his place in the secondary couldn't come at a better time for Belichick and vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli.

"I think he made a lot of improvement last year during the course of the year," said Belichick. "He had a good offseason. He had a good spring. I think he's much better than he was last year at this time, as you would expect, and he continues to improve on a regular basis."

Meriweather has not only become a better communicator; he's become a better interceptor. The 5-foot-11-inch, 200-pounder watched balls clank off his hands last year, including one that could have potentially clinched a victory in the Super Bowl.

In response, he spent the offseason catching passes fired by defensive line coach Pepper Johnson and catapulted from a JUGS machine, and doing reaction drills he learned from former Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel, to improve his hands.

The difference has been noticeable, as Meriweather has intercepted two passes already in camp, including a juggling effort Wednesday.

"Every one you catch you get a little bit more confidence in yourself, and you start to put stuff behind you," said Meriweather. "So, every one that I get to put my hands on that I actually come up with, it's just going to be that much more of a confidence booster."

Confidence was something Meriweather lacked for much of last season as he tried to get acclimated to the NFL. After being selected with the 24th overall pick in the draft, the former University of Miami star was miscast as a cornerback. With Samuel refusing to sign his franchise tender at this time last year, Meriweather was projected as his potential replacement.

That seemed to stunt his growth, as he had trouble learning the cornerback, slot corner, and safety positions in the playbook. However, Meriweather came on down the stretch last season, when he was employed in more of a safety role as a nickel (five defensive backs) or dime (six defensive backs) defender. He finished the season with 16 tackles and three passes defended and earned his first career start in the Super Bowl.
Belichick said that with Meriweather's increased confidence, he is playing faster. Returning to safety, the position he primarily played at Miami, seems to have brought out the best in him.

"To be honest, I just play whatever my coaches ask me to. It's not really a comfort level with safety," said Meriweather. "It's more of me just knowing what to do and how to do it."

And now he's letting everybody know it. In fact, sometimes Meriweather has been too boisterous.

"I even had to tell him to shut up because he was trying to tell me how to do my job," joked Harrison. "It's nice to see [from] Brandon. Obviously, he's a very talented young man. He's worked extremely hard this last year, and as he gets older and his role increases, he's going . . . to become more vocal, and he's definitely becoming a leader out there."

Where has Meriweather's newfound talkativeness come from?

"Being confident," said Meriweather. "Confidence in your playbook and confidence in the players around you. Having confidence in and knowing that what you're saying is right."

Meriweather feels he has something to prove after a less-than-riveting rookie season. His career will always be followed closely because the draft pick the Patriots used to select him was acquired when they shipped wide receiver Deion Branch to the Seattle Seahawks.

Meriweather spent part of the offseason picking the brain of another former Hurricanes safety who went 24th overall, Baltimore Ravens All-Pro Ed Reed.

"Just to talk to him is a blessing. Ed Reed is a good friend and everything I can learn from him, I am," said Meriweather.

Meriweather may never reach the level of play of Reed or Harrison, two of the biggest talkers and best safeties in the game, but he's no longer afraid to speak up.

But as vociferous as Meriweather has become on the field, he was at a loss for words to explain how different this training camp feels from his rookie year.

"I can't put that into words. It's a totally different Brandon right now," he said.

(boston.com)

FOXBORO - Brandon Meriweather was a first-round pick by the Patriots [team stats] in 2007 who had the advantage last year of learning the ins and outs of playing NFL defense from veterans including cornerback Asante Samuel [stats].

But Samuel has moved on as a free agent to Philadelphia, and it was only natural that Meriweather, a second-year defensive back, was asked yesterday if he would miss his former teammate.

Meriweather looks at Samuel’s departure philosophically. As a friend, yes, absolutely, Meriweather was going to miss Samuel. But in the ever-evolving world of the NFL, it was stretching things to suggest he was going to “miss” a guy who signed for big money with the Eagles.

“It’s going to be a little different, but at the same time we have new players and every year on every team there are new players,” he said. “That’s really it.”

But substitute “player” with “friend,” and Meriweather takes a different attitude.

“Asante’s a good friend of mine,” he said. “We’re both from South Florida. He’s a great player and all, but he’s also a great person . . . of course I miss him as a person. But this is a job, and he had to go handle his business.”

During his talk with the media yesterday, Meriweather was asked if he agreed with Pats coach Bill Belichick’s assessment that players often show their greatest improvement in their second season. Meriweather responded by making a run at the world record for most usages of the term “opportunity knocking” without stopping for air.

“Opportunity is knocking,” he said. “It’s not just because I’m a second-year player I feel like opportunity is knocking. Last year, opportunity was knocking. Year before that . . . whenever you’re a part of something, opportunity is knocking.”

Asked if he has watched a tape of the Patriots’ 17-14 loss to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII, he replied, “Not yet,” then he added, “I think that’s a good game to learn from. But right now, the primary focus is on this year, and the focus is on getting better.”

Talking a bit more about the Super Bowl loss, Meriweather said one thing he learned was “capitalize on mistakes. I think me, myself, personally that’s something I need to do better . . . the little things, the details, and capitalize on other mistakes.”

“Right now,” he said, “my challenge is to learn my playbook and get good chemistry with my teammates.”

(bostonherald.com)

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)

A quick glance at the Patriots' depth chart at cornerback reveals just how poor the situation is. The two players penciled in as starters, Ellis Hobbs and Bills castoff Jason Webster, are undersized, injury-prone and marginal players. According to one team insider, the situation could be considerably aided by the move of Brandon Meriweather from safety to corner. An '07 first-round pick, Meriweather had a rough rookie season, appearing lost and physically unprepared to meet the demands of the NFL. In fairness to him, part of his problem was a coaching blunder of starting him out at corner, then moving him back to safety ? the position he starred at during his collegiate career at Miami (Fla.) ? thereby stunting his absorption of the playbook. But a permanent move to corner appears to be the best approach. He's exceptionally quick and has very good speed but isn't nearly the physical hitter that the Patriots covet at safety.

(profootballweekly.com)