Brandon Meriweather is now an elite safety - Page 2 - New England Patriots Forums

BadMoFo · 10-05-2009, 07:48 AM

He's good, but that's about it. He'll get better.

Let's stop being such homers here.

PATRIOTSFANINPA · 10-05-2009, 07:55 AM

Putting my favorite team aside,if I was not a fan of any team I would put Meriweather 3rd behind Reed and Polamalu at this time.

Its baby steps for Brandon to climb to the top but he is taking big leaps every game

Nonentity · 10-05-2009, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BadMoFo

He's good, but that's about it. He'll get better.

Let's stop being such homers here.

Agreed. He's playing well and if he was in the NFC, we'd think about putting him in the Pro Bowl already. But the AFC has both Troy Polamalu and Ed Reed, both are All-Pros who are edging towards the HOF. Four safeties get to go to the Pro Bowl so that leaves Meriweather with two possible spots - and he's on his way.

But Pro Bowls need stats, the only safeties your average fan really knows are Reed and Polamalu. He needs to make turnovers - INTs, sacks, forced fumbles, it doesn't matter which.

He's proven in these four weeks that he's good enough. Now he needs to do it consistently, and they will come.

***KontradictioN*** · 10-05-2009, 12:02 PM

BM is a beast of a football player, but you can't mention him in the same sentence as Ed Reed quite yet. BM is one of the better safeties in the game today while Ed Reed is one of the best safeties of all time.

***Rob0729*** · 10-05-2009, 12:07 PM

Meriweather has risen his game this season, but he isn't an elite safety. Teams don't gameplan around him like they do with Ed Reed or Polumalu (or Rodney, Dawkins, or Lynch before them). I don't even know if he is a great safety at this point. He is a good safety who might be considered great by the end of the season, but I don't think he is any more yet.

BTW, all you had to do is watch Polumalu before he was injured this year to see an elite safety and Meriweather is nowhere near there yet. Heck, last week it was McGowen getting all the love on this board, not Meriweather.

Remix 6 · 10-05-2009, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by patchick

Here's what impresses me most about Meriweather: he doesn't have elite speed. Physically, he's pretty ordinary. He's been giving the illusion of speed and making those plays out of nowhere by diagnosing situations and reacting brilliantly. He's the perfect illustration of the principle that the best way to get someplace fast is to make sure all of your steps are in the right direction.

Meriweather doesnt have elite speed? Well he runs in the 4.4s which is very good speed but game speed is elite. If you watch him..hes moving faster than anyone else out there

PatsFanInVa · 10-05-2009, 12:36 PM

He's good. Eugene Wilson was good. For a minute anyway.

He's not elite yet... a few more standout games and it may be kosher to think of him that way.

Someone mentioned the names Palomaulu and Reed... come on. Don't say them in the same breath, at least, not now. He had a good game, and no major lapses in previous games.

Give it time.

bostonia3333 · 10-05-2009, 12:37 PM

Brandon Meriweather has played 3 good games and 1 exceptional game this year for the Pats in 2009. Let's not go overboard here by crowning him has the 3rd best safety in the NFL

***HEY BRO! WHAT UP?*** · 10-05-2009, 12:37 PM

He's not elite yet. However, he's on his way.

Patspsycho · 10-05-2009, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HEY BRO! WHAT UP?

He's not elite yet. However, he's on his way.

Whether or not he is elite is not really important to me, only his impact on D is really meaningful.

Case in point: Mason has 6 catches for 77 yards on the first drive, then for the rest of the game he gets 1 rec. for 11 yards.

What happened?

Simply, the D went to split safety coverage which allowed CB's to play tight against receivers. This is the kind of trust BB has in Meriweather to handle Mason over the top in his half of the field.