Ten Patriots for 2009: No. 4, CB Leigh Bodden
by NESilver on Jul 20, 2009 5:00 PM EDT
in New England Patriots News
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Note: The big boss (aka MaPatsFan) will be away for a bit, so I'll be taking over for this series while he's gone.
Asante Samuel and Ellis Hobbs. These were the names Patriots fans had come to know when it came to the defensive backfield for New England. Both of these players are now cornerbacks for the Philadelphia Eagles, leaving us to wonder who our new starters will be once the 2009 season begins. Bill Belichick addressed the position with three draft picks recently, bringing Terrence Wheatley, Jonathan Wilhite, and Darius Butler onboard. Free agency netted us Shawn Springs and...
Number 4 on our list: Leigh Bodden.
Bodden was signed to a one year deal. You know what that means, right? He'll be playing for a big payday in 2010 (in what could be an uncapped year). Whether Bodden ends up being a one-year rental for us or signing long term, we know he'll be motivated to play hard in 2009. Plus, after playing on the Cleveland Browns and the historically bad Detroit Lions, he sounds excited to play for a winner... and it's no secret that we need someone to step up in our secondary.
"I only visited here. I planned other visits, but I didn’t really feel like it was worth it," Bodden said. "You’ve got to love [Belichick]. When I first met with him, when I first came here on a visit, we just sat down and talked, and he’s just a down-to-earth guy. We talked football, background. He wants to win, and that’s what I want to do. That’s all that we’re here for."
We'll have to see if he can repeat his performance from 2007 (career-high six interceptions) rather than 2008 (only one interception). The good news is that his breakout year occurred while he was playing for Romeo Crennel, in a similar defense employed right here in New England. His down year came on an 0-16 team that tried to fit him into a Tampa-2 scheme with little supporting cast. One writer calls the Bodden and Patriot hookup a "match made in football heaven." Chad Johnson (or Ocho-Cinco... or whatever the heck he's named these days) once called him one of the best cornerbacks he's gone up against in the NFL.
"Yes, he is one of the best cover corners that I have gone against," Johnson said. "He ranks right up there with Champ (Bailey), DeAngelo (Hall) and Nate Clements because of his ability to cover a small area of the field with no help."
While our younger cornerbacks come along, keep an eye on Bodden. He should see a lot of snaps on defense and this could be a big year for him. If he's looking to bounce back from his time spent with the Lions, there's no better coach to do it under than defensive guru Bill Belichick.
What do you think, Pats fans? Do you think Bodden will have a good year? Bad year? Should we have signed him for longer than one year, or do we wait for him to "prove it?" Your thoughts are always appreciated.
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One year is fine
If he’s not willing to play as a hungry veteran, he’s not likely to play with a longer contract.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
by SlotMachinePlayer on Jul 20, 2009 5:18 PM EDT reply actions
i dont think we could of got him longer
his contract makes it so we cant tag him meaing i think he came here in hopes of big money next year so its a win win for everyone
I'm glad you brought that up
I completely forgot to mention the clause in his contract that prevents us from franchising him. Although, if I had to take a guess, I’d say the franchise tag might end up being used on one of our defensive linemen (Seymour or Wilfork, with Green being a longer shot) next year. Bodden would have to play lights out in order to warrant a franchise tag, especially with all of the upcoming FA’s we have.
It's a two sided coin situation
On one side, he will play hard to get a great contract next season and cash in. The flip side is, maybe he has an exceptional year and becomes too valuable and pricey for the Patriots to sign. Either way, at least he will play hard this season and help the Patriots to another Super Bowl run, most likely. It is possible he plays well, the Pats win the SB, and he wants to stay with a winning team. He would still get a nice contract if that scenario plays out. That’s what Patriots fans are hoping for I believe. Eagles, keeo your grubby mits off this one. :D
Besides if either Darius Butler or Terrence Wheatley come through....
we likely won’t need his services.
BB isn’t known to pay big for corners.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
by SlotMachinePlayer on Jul 20, 2009 5:51 PM EDT reply actions
I don't agree with that last thought
The thing Bodden has over TW is about 3 or 4 inches in height, and great cover skills. The thing Butler has going for him is he can jump 10 feet straight up in the air. Okay, a bit of an exaggeration there, but over 40 inches verticle while also having great balls skills. I think Butler takes the starting spot by seasons end. Can’t wait to see it plat out.
Just saying
Bill doesn’t pay big money for cornerbacks.
I like the guy, but if he has a great year and wants to be paid like Asante Samuel or Ty Law, he will get paid elsewhere.
We’ll stick with the cheaper alternatives.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
by SlotMachinePlayer on Jul 20, 2009 6:06 PM EDT up reply actions
Yah, want him or need him vs pay big bucks
That part I agree with, as has been the case since Bill took charge. Although he put out semi decent cash for Springs. Not big money, but okay money. We’ll have to see how greedy he is. Damn Eagles seem to have deeper pockets for some reason.
It's funny...
A major gripe among Pats fans has been the hole in our secondary the past few years, yet the Eagles couldn’t wait to jump all over our starting cornerbacks when the opportunity presented itself. I’ll be interested in seeing how they do over there in Philly with Jim Johnson’s defense.
I just hope Chung and Butler perform well
If they can solidly replace the departed starters, all will be well. If these two perform in similar fashion to Samuel and Harrison, Pats fans will be exstatic
I guess
I am not convinced on Wheatley being better than Bodden or Springs at this point. Let’s hope he has a break out season to prove me wrong.
Is Wheatley a newer version of Ellis Hobbs?
I guess this is my point about Wheatley. Is he, at 5’9, almost an exact replica of Hobbs? In a bad way. I think what BB is trying to do is get taller at DB. The 5’9 guys get burned by the taller WR over and over. I think with Bodden we would have won the SB against the Giants. I say he doesn’t get burned like Hobbs did. I think the 1 year deal sux.
Perhaps...
If Bodden was replacing Samuel in that game, rather than Hobbs. Ellis was definitely not the problem in that game, which speaks a lot about his ability considering he was playing injured.
I don’t know if Wheatley is a newer version of Hobbs, but he was playing well up until the injury (granted it was for a brief period, so take that for what it’s worth). Regardless, I like the depth we have at cornerback this year.
Hobbs "gave up" the touchdown
But it’s hard to blame him for it when his assignment was specifically to cover the slant. The blitz didn’t get there in time, and Eli should’ve never had enough time to throw that fade in the first place.
Also, Hobbs actually caught the interception when he had the chance to, unlike Samuel. Asante also gave up the first touchdown to David Tyree, and later blew his coverage for that once-in-a-lifetime helmet catch. Hobbs held Plaxico to two catches all night.
However, I’d argue the offensive line is what cost us the game, more than the DB’s.
That's definitely the down side
of signing him to only a 1 year deal. We would certainly be a better team with quality depth there
if i were to set standards for him if he starts on our team
i think he should at least 4 int’s this year. to me, it’s hard to judge him because he had 6 int’s with the browns and romeo crennel, and 1 int with the 0-16 lions.
the DB lost that game for us
i think they lost it in the end
harrison missed stoping the catch
samuel droped a int with like under 4 mins that would of won it for us
hobbs let the winning TD get caught
but whatever
i think it was our o-line
that was the only pass hobbs messed up on defending burress
No ONE could’ve defended the pass better than harrison(not even troy or reed).
Samuel just plain messed up.
Even if our db’s were to blame, it wasn’t like a 17 point deficit, it was a VERY close game.
no i was just pointing that out
it wasnt our o line it was the coaching staff
should of had more guys blocking less route running
our qb was sacked 5 times
i’m sure our o-line was a big part of our loss
wait
never mind our coaching staff was a big part as well. but so was our o-line
Well ...
Let’s all just hope we get redemption this season to cap off the decade with a 4th Super Bowl title. That would rock!
true that
lets forget about whatever the last seasons held
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