stinkypete

Just to give you an idea of what the people who clearly don't pay any attention at all are thinking about our Patriots. Cole has the secondary ranked #22 in the league. Despite ranking #12 last year in defensive pass yards and #13 in defensive passer rating.

DB rankings: Here's why Jets top the Pack - NFL - Yahoo! Sports

"Between draft picks Brandon Meriweather(notes), Darius Butler(notes), Patrick Chung(notes), Jonathan Wilhite(notes) and now Devin McCourty(notes), the Pats have found only one consistent starter (Meriweather) and he still looks clueless from time to time. The Pats still have some stopgaps with vets like Leigh Bodden(notes), but they really need to find some good, long-term answers."

Well, apparently both Butler and McCourty are already busts. Must have slept through the 2010 and 2011 seasons. How'd we do?

Rob0729

Who cares? I do think his comment of only finding one consistent starter of draft picks and including at least McCourty in that mix is stupid considering McCourty hasn't even had his first training camp.

Darrell Revis wasn't a stud his rookie season so writing off Butler is a bit early. Not that I think he will ever be as good as Revis.

BTW, Coles says in his QB ratings that he thinks Brady may be falling apart due to injuries:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_yl...rankings051810

I never liked Coles because he is a Miami rump swab and Pats hater and he lets his biases show in his writing. Hence why he is at Yahoo Sports and not a legitimate publication.

RussFrancis

Our secondary is still largely unproven. Two of our projected starters, at least imo, Chung and Butler, have alot to prove. I think we'd all agree with that. And alot of people's lasting memory of Merriweather right now is that absolutely pathetic angle he took on Ray Rice during that opening TD scamper of the Baltimore game. Not saying he stinks or anything, but as a leader of our secondary, and it definitely needs a leader, he's still pretty much unproven. I like Bodden alot, but we're asking him to be our #1 more than likely, and Im not sure alot of outsiders really see him in that light. Theyve just got alot to prove as a unit, and there's nothing wrong with that. Im hopeful rankings like this will change drastically during the course of the season.

Nikolai

I'm sure someone will be along any minute to explain to us that we're irrationally attacking the media, who is most assuredly unbiased in their analysis and judgment, and that Mr. Cole has many cogent and well-researched points about the Pats secondary.

This is not to mention the inevitable mantra that the only way we would be happy with any media reports is if they were complimentary toward the Pats.

It's not possible that the media could ever be wrong. After all, it IS published, right?

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“On a day when they could have had impact players David Terrell or Koren Robinson..they took Georgia defensive tackle Richard Seymour, who had 1 sacks last season in the pass-happy SEC and is too tall to play tackle at 6-6 and too slow to play defensive end. This genius move was followed by trading out of a spot where they could have gotten the last decent receiver in Robert Ferguson and settled for tackle Matt Light, who will not help any time soon.”

DarrylS

Despite all of the semantical arguments.. #22 is a bit low.

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NSPF

Bodden's only a stopgap? And we signed him for 22 million?!

RussFrancis

I dont know that we need to get into a whole lot of that, but 22 IS pretty low. Especially considering we've got a Pro Bowl safety, and our head coach has pretty much proven himself to be a Dback specialist. Not that it really needed alot of respect. Youd expect maybe just a little more than 22.

ctpatsfan77

If you ask me to name a play from Meriweather, the first thing that will always come to mind for me is that absolutely perfect safety blitz against the Seahawks.

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Rob0729

Coles was so "cogent and well-researched" that he apparently hasn't realized that McCourty hasn't even had a chance to play a down in the NFL yet.

I personally don't give a crap about his rankings, but Coles was and always will be a moron. He could have the Pats ranked #1 in every category and I would think that. I have never respected the guy as a writer and it has nothing to do with article. In fact, I am glad he ranks the Pats' secondary so low.

TommyBrady12

bodden won't be around after his contract expires. he is a stopgap until mccourty is ready to start.

the future of our secondary is:

CB - Butler

CB - McCourty

SS - Meriweather

FS - Chung

Every time I think about our secondary I am reminded of peyton and brees carving it up from last year. with that said, i don't think the jets secondary is that great. I think they are very good at CB but their safeties are nothing to write home about.

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"He’s the greatest quarterback to ever play the game. He goes from being a rookie that nobody is expecting anything from, to taking over with people saying he can’t do it, to winning three Super Bowls....It should already be obvious he’s the greatest quarterback to ever have played. "

- Steelers S Troy Polamalu on Tom Brady