FOXBOROUGH -- Even for a veteran, trying to pick up the nuances of the Patriots’ defense can be a daunting task.
But in his first training camp in New England, Leigh Bodden has an ace in the hole.
For three seasons, the veteran cornerback was part of a Cleveland Browns defense under former New England defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel. In that system, Bodden flourished -- the 27-year-old defensive back had 11 picks in three years while playing for Crennel, and had a career-high 92 tackles in 2007. According to Bodden, that defense offered a good foundation for him to become familiar with the one currently used by the Patriots.
“A lot of similarities,” said Bodden, who spent five years with the Browns before spending last season with Detroit. “That was a pretty good defense. I really liked it -- I feel like I excelled in it. It was a great fit for me.
“That makes my transition that much easier. Last year in Detroit was kind of rough -- I kind of got it, maybe late in training camp. This team, it came during [organized team activities in the spring]. I pretty much had my memory back to what we did in Cleveland, and it just ran from there.”
Bodden not only has some background in the system, he’s a big, physical presence that most of the recent New England cornerbacks have lacked. Most of the corners who have come through the Patriots’ system recently barely reached 5-foot-10. (Asante Samuel, Ellis Hobbs, etc.) Bodden is a legit 6-foot-1 and 193-pounds.
“I think he does have a good physical style. He’s a big kid,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “He’s tough. He has long arms. He’s good when he can get his hands on the receivers. He has good playing strength. I would say he’s a physical corner. He’s a good tackler and he jams receivers well. I think he has a physical style, yes.”
Entering his seventh season in the NFL, the undrafted free agent out of Duquesne signed a one-year deal with the Patriots on March 11 of this year, and is one of several cornerbacks competing for a spot. Bodden and Shawn Springs are two new veteran corners who will square off against youngsters Terrence Wheatley and Jonathan Wilhite, second-year players who also have experience in the system. (Rookie Darius Butler will also figure into the mix, as well as Mike Richardson.)
A week into camp, Bodden and Wheatley have seen the bulk of the reps with the No. 1 defense, while both Springs and Wilhite have struggled to get on the field. Bodden has already made his physical presence felt on a handful of really nice plays, including breakups on long pass attempts to Greg Lewis and Joey Galloway.
However, his finest moment in camp likely came last Thursday on the first day of camp (in the afternoon session). Bodden was working against Randy Moss, and ran stride for stride down the sideline with No. 81. The ball was slightly underthrown, and Bodden knocked it away at the last second.
Even with his background in the Patriots-style defense in Cleveland, he hasn’t been shy about asking Wheatley and Wilhite for advice.
“We all can learn, no matter how old you get,” Bodden said. “You can learn from each other. The younger guys can teach older guys and older guys can teach the younger guys. Especially me, being in the system before, I know some things.
“It’s all about spreading the knowledge, and everybody does that, and that’s why this secondary is pretty good so far. That’s all you can ask for as a defensive backfield.”
RSS Center
