Ed Reed, the Ravens All-Pro safety and fellow "U" alum, encouraged Brandon to study film, Meriweather told us. Meriweather also revealed that his goal for 2010 is to lead the AFC in interceptions.
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Well thank god Ed Reed!
Because if he didn’t tell Predator to study film….well he would have just gone on playing Xbox all off-season like coach told him too.
Did you know that BBizzay (that’s what the U guys call coach) actually threw down a DJ Hero challenge…..to Merriweather? CRAZY!
Belichek and DJ Hero? In the same sentence?
The 2010 New York Mets: Maybe it's the Phillies' turn to have 95% of its roster on the DL
The 2009 New England Patriots: At least we got our division title back
The 2009-10 New Jersey Devils: Allergic to second periods
5 Million dollar body, ten cent head...
I am going to get picky here.
This comment is indicative of the guys the Patriots have replaced the old guard (Harrison, Vrabel, Bruschi) with. Personal goals over team goals.
I fear for the rooting interests of future generations of Pats fans.
His mentor is Ed Reed, a character guy
who is all about team and professionalism. Meriweather is willing to learn and coachable which, at the very least, is an encouraging sign.
Keep the faith!
I agree...
His skills make him part of the solution and not part of the problem. And if he is willing to learn and be coachable, I agree too, that is an encouraging sign.
His mentality however should be questioned. He seems to me to have a little more “Chris Canty” in him, a reference for those that have been fans longer than the pats have been an elite team, than Ed Reed.
Also I think it is dangerous to play like Ed Reed or at least in that fashion, unless of course you are Ed Reed. What separates Reed are his instincts and his closing speed when the ball is in the air. In the history of the NFL there has been probably only a handful of guys that can gamble like he does and get away with it.
I question if Meriweather can consistently take the correct angles on run plays and can consistently not blow coverage calls. His angle on the Ray Rice run in the playoffs and the NO Saints blown coverage both came at crucial points in the season – and both cost the Pats dearly.
Right now I agree with you that he is part of the solution because there are many more areas of the team that are in worse shape. But I wonder if in the end is he really the leader the Pats need back there. I think we can all agree, we all hope he is becoming that. Time will tell. Right now I am a bit dubious.
Not a favorable reference...
Chris personified the “cant” in Canty.
As un-statistical and un-analytical as this response is, I like Meriweather. Maybe I’m still giving him a “he’s still young” cushion, but I like his hustle, his energy, and his determination to improve.
There are still questions about him right now I agree, but if he’s as coachable as I think he is, his numbers will improve as well this season. Studying where he went wrong and then setting out to correct the mistakes (i.e. wrong angles, missed tackles) is what the off-season is for and it seems like he’s taking full advantage of the time available.
Keep the faith!
Harrison was already a veteran before the Pats picked him up
You’re basically picking on a young man for acting like a young man on occasions.
You’re also re-writing history to some extent. Harrison was arguably a head-case with a particularly bad rep for being thuggish in San Diego; he was a locker-room favourite there, but I’m not sure he was what you’d call a ‘good influence’ or ‘leader’ there – he learned that in NE.
Vrabel was another kettle of fish. He couldn’t crack the Steelers starting lineup, so he looked for opportunities elsewhere. He had to work his butt off because he was an outside chance; Meriweather was a first-round pick and didn’t have the same road. And even then it took him several years to become the Mike Vrabel we all know; he wasn’t the all-singing, all-dancing OLB as soon as he arrived, after all.
Bruschi is another who took a few years to find his niche – he was only a situational pass-rusher in the Tully Banta-Cain mould for his first few years in a Pats uniform. He certainly wasn’t the “face of the defence” or any of that in his first three or four years. So again you’re criticising Meriweather for being a young man when Bruschi himself took several years to develop into what he became.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
by Comedic.Sans on Mar 20, 2010 5:23 AM EDT up reply actions
Wait a minute....
as usual I pretty much disagree with everything you say.
Were you a fan of the Pats in 2003? If you were, you will remember clearly 3 things from Rodney that happened early:
1. Rodney signed on in March. Before September he was named co-captain by his teammates. We cant really rationalize and think that somehow the smell of the ink from his Patriots contract magically made him a leader in NE. He was a leader before that point in SD. Had been to 2 pro bowls and a super bowl with SD.
2. In training camp, Rodney made a point to crush a receiver coming across the middle. This according to players and scribes that followed the team was a tone setter for the year.
3. Lastly, the Patriots felt comfortable enough with Rodney as a player and leader for the secondary that they cut their starting SS, who had been to 2 super bowls and 2 pro bowls and was also co-captain the previous season.
So insinuating that Harrison and Meriweather are even in the same category in terms of leadership is comical.dumb. Maybe, and this is a big maybe, Meriweather can one day become the leader that Harrison was. I am doubtful of this. Meriweather takes poor angles on run plays and has blown key coverage calls in crucial situations. Meriweather has a troubled history. The FIU “stomping” and shooting a man in the buttocks come to mind. Not the kind of guy I would let babysit my kids.
Finally, I think you are confusing production and leadership. I agree it took awhile for Vrabel and Bruschi to find their optimum performance, but I can bet they both displayed leadership in the limited roles they had.
I can absolutely guarantee that neither guy would go into a season with their goal for the year being personal in nature. Any primary goal besides winning the Super Bowl, seems to me to be counter intuitive to the Patriot way.
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