Leigh Bodden: Transition Tag?

[JMarr]

We had a #1 in Asante Samuel. Do you consider Bodden on the same level or better than Asante?
I certainly don't after watching both of them play in NE. Bodden was a solid addition after having Hobbs and O'Neal as our starting CB's last year, but in no way shape or form do I consider him as good as Asante was. Bodden is good but there are too many times he has his back to the ball. Also, he doesn't have great closing speed IMO. And half of his interceptions hit him right in the chest thanks to Mark Sanchez.I think he's a very good #2 CB, but I would not pay him #1 money.

This post couldn't be farther from the truth. Bodden was a rock in our secondary this year.

Asante had good INT numbers [as always], but if you had watched him with any regularity this year you'd know that he is GARBAGE [again this year]. He is a decent in one on one coverage, but his INT numbers are high because he jumps routes all the time and gets burned more often than it's worth. He not only regularly whiffs on tackles, but most of the time actually shies away from contact like Dion Sanders used to. Dion had the talent to almost make that acceptable, but as one poster's sig. says, BB has no use for a player who can't or won't tackle.

Like Asante, Bodden is a good ballhawk who can cover one on one, but he plays smarter. Unlike Asante, he is a tough physical corner who is more than willing to come up and lay the wood in the running game. His closing speed is above average. Bodden, not Samuel, may actually be worth $60 million. LOL.

And INT numbers are about the least important thing I can think of in comparing different cornerbacks in this league.

 

[BillBelichickFan79]

This post couldn't be farther from the truth. Bodden was a rock in our secondary this year.

Asante had good INT numbers [as always], but if you had watched him with any regularity this year you'd know that he is GARBAGE [again this year]. He is a decent in one on one coverage, but his INT numbers are high because he jumps routes all the time and gets burned more often than it's worth. He not only regularly whiffs on tackles, but most of the time actually shies away from contact like Dion Sanders used to. Dion had the talent to almost make that acceptable, but as one poster's sig. says, BB has no use for a player who can't or won't tackle.

Like Asante, Bodden is a good ballhawk who can cover one on one, but he plays smarter. Unlike Asante, he is a tough physical corner who is more than willing to come up and lay the wood in the running game. His closing speed is above average. Bodden, not Samuel, may actually be worth $60 million. LOL.

And INT numbers are about the least important thing I can think of in comparing different cornerbacks in this league.

There is no way Bodden is worth 60 million dollars. And my Sanchez comment was to prove that INT is a meaningless stat. Usually the best CB's don't have a ton of picks because people try to avoid throwing their way.

Bodden was good for us, I'm not denying that. But I'd still take Asante any day. If Bodden was better than Asante, how come he was on Garcon while Wilhite was on Wayne for a majority of the game?

Bodden isn't that physical of a CB. He's got a slight build like Asante and plays 5 yards off his man a lot of times. The most physical CB we had this year was Springs.

 

[doesntmatter1]

I assume you are talking about Ellis Hobbs. We'll compare the two. On top are the numbers Hobbs from 2008, below are the numbers for for Whilite from this year:

TA  	Rec  	% Ct  	Yds  	Avg  	YAC  	LG  	TD  	In  	PD  	NFL Rating

78	45	57.7	728	16.2	266	78	9	3	9	111.5

67	44	65.7	660	15.0	198	68	6	2	0	115.3

They stack up really well. Hobbs got thrown on less, yet gave up more yards and TDs. Seems to me like Bill made a lateral move. In making that move, Bill managed to acquire two picks that were parlayed into our current long snapper and a back up lineman. That's pretty solid work. I thought getting rid of Hobbs for two 5th was pretty stupid at the time - now I feel differently.

You are making it sound as if teams can spend like there is no tomorrow. This is inaccurate. There are stipulations. What you pay someone in the uncapped year will indeed affect how you pay them in the years beyond. The FAQ thread addresses this.

The number that sticks out to me is pass deflections. Considering that Wilhite always seemed to be in good position and not have a single deflection. wow

 

[Shockt327]

There is no way Bodden is worth 60 million dollars. And my Sanchez comment was to prove that INT is a meaningless stat. Usually the best CB's don't have a ton of picks because people try to avoid throwing their way.

Bodden was good for us, I'm not denying that. But I'd still take Asante any day.

OMG, not every #1 CB makes 60 million. And it is absolute nonsense that there are only 10 CBs that are capable of having success as a #1. The whole argument seems akin to saying that you shouldn't bother to re-sign a guy like Matt Schaub or Eli Manning just because they'll never be Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. In a normal year it's perfectly reasonable to assume that you could resign a guy like Bodden to a contract that would have a reasonable cap hit - say 6.5. I obviously do not know what the uncapped year will do to contracts. Its unprecedented in this day and age. But people need to stop acting like Bodden has a "get paid" tat on his arm; and even if he did, is still capable on commanding the retarted 15 million dollar per year contract that Al Davis gave Asomugah or even the more reasonable 10 mil per year contract Asante has.

 

[mgteich]

A $6.5M cap the first year under the old system could be a $36M 4-year contract with a $16M bonus and an initial $2.5M salary. That's $9M a year. I have thought that we might be able to get Bodden for a bit less, perhaps $7M a year.


QUOTE=Shockt327;1689963]OMG, not every #1 CB makes 60 million. And it is absolute nonsense that there are only 10 CBs that are capable of having success as a #1. The whole argument seems akin to saying that you shouldn't bother to re-sign a guy like Matt Schaub or Eli Manning just because they'll never be Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. In a normal year it's perfectly reasonable to assume that you could resign a guy like Bodden to a contract that would have a reasonable cap hit - say 6.5. I obviously do not know what the uncapped year will do to contracts. Its unprecedented in this day and age. But people need to stop acting like Bodden has a "get paid" tat on his arm; and even if he did, is still capable on commanding the retarted 15 million dollar per year contract that Al Davis gave Asomugah or even the more reasonable 10 mil per year contract Asante has.[/QUOTE]

 

[Shockt327]

Just for reference, FootballOutsiders lists the top 10 CB contracts.

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | Under the Cap: Top Ten Cornerbacks

 

[BillBelichickFan79]

OMG, not every #1 CB makes 60 million. And it is absolute nonsense that there are only 10 CBs that are capable of having success as a #1. The whole argument seems akin to saying that you shouldn't bother to re-sign a guy like Matt Schaub or Eli Manning just because they'll never be Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. In a normal year it's perfectly reasonable to assume that you could resign a guy like Bodden to a contract that would have a reasonable cap hit - say 6.5. I obviously do not know what the uncapped year will do to contracts. Its unprecedented in this day and age. But people need to stop acting like Bodden has a "get paid" tat on his arm; and even if he did, is still capable on commanding the retarted 15 million dollar per year contract that Al Davis gave Asomugah or even the more reasonable 10 mil per year contract Asante has.

I never said that he was going to get 60 million. The other poster suggested that Bodden was more worth 60 million than Asante. I don't see where he comes up with that at all.

If Bodden is a true #1 CB in your eyes, why has he been matched up with the #2 WR all year? Against Denver he was on Royal, not Marshall. Against Indy he was on Garcon, not Wayne. Against N.O., he wasn't on Colston.

Bodden did a pretty good job this year, but obviously the staff didn't think he was up to the task of taking on #1 WR. They had Wilhite on guys like Wayne and Colston while Bodden played against Royal and Garcon. And even against those guys of lower caliber, Bodden still gave a lot of cushion. I don't know where people get the idea that he is a physical press corner. He's one of the CB's that has been playing 5 yards off his WR almost all season long. Springs was probably our best press corner.

Asante wasn't a physical press corner either, but he was better than Bodden. He had a nose for the ball and came up with game-changing plays. He was great in zone coverage, and when in man coverage, he often went up against the other team's #1 WR.

 

[mgteich]

Thank you for the post. I don't think that Belichick intends to pay Bodden top 10 money.

Just for reference, FootballOutsiders lists the top 10 CB contracts.

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | Under the Cap: Top Ten Cornerbacks

 

[Shockt327]

If Bodden is a true #1 CB in your eyes, why has he been matched up with the #2 WR all year? Against Denver he was on Royal, not Marshall. Against Indy he was on Garcon, not Wayne. Against Indy, he wasn't on Colston.

The Patriots corners seem to play one side regardless of who lines up against them. I could just as easily point to Ellis Hobbs playing against Plaxico Buress in the superbowl. Or Terrel Owens going against Randall Gay in SB 39, when Asante went up against Marvin Harrison a few weeks earlier. Hell, in 2007 Marvin Harrison was out and the Pats still had Ellis take Reggie Wayne and left Asante on the right to take A-Gon.

Thank you for the post. I don't think that Belichick intends to pay Bodden top 10 money.

Nor do I. Its just a reference. A lot of people are seem to be under the impression that a #1 CB is going to command outrageous sums of money. Yet, as the chart shows, the bottom rung of the highest paid are really only getting 8.4 mil per year. Since we all seem to agree Bodden isn't a top 10 guy; it gives your 7 mil per year some added context.

Of course, we don't know what a non-capped year will do.

 

[BillBelichickFan79]

So would you rather have Samuel at 9.5 million or Bodden at 7 to 8 million? I'll take Samuel eight days a week.

 

[Shockt327]

Bodden at 6.5

 

[slash83]

Bodden at 6.5

Ill take it.

 

[PatRiot]

besides wilfork bodden is the last player I wanna see go.

and mankins.

 

[102 Pat]

I'd love to see Bodden back, but I would say he'll want to get the big bucks elsewhere. Then again, maybe he'll want to stay here, doubtful, but you never know.

 

[Nonentity]

This post couldn't be farther from the truth. Bodden was a rock in our secondary this year.

Asante had good INT numbers [as always], but if you had watched him with any regularity this year you'd know that he is GARBAGE [again this year]. He is a decent in one on one coverage, but his INT numbers are high because he jumps routes all the time and gets burned more often than it's worth. He not only regularly whiffs on tackles, but most of the time actually shies away from contact like Dion Sanders used to. Dion had the talent to almost make that acceptable, but as one poster's sig. says, BB has no use for a player who can't or won't tackle.

Like Asante, Bodden is a good ballhawk who can cover one on one, but he plays smarter. Unlike Asante, he is a tough physical corner who is more than willing to come up and lay the wood in the running game. His closing speed is above average. Bodden, not Samuel, may actually be worth $60 million. LOL.

And INT numbers are about the least important thing I can think of in comparing different cornerbacks in this league.

I couldn't agree more. Bodden has been good for us all season. Not elite, but good, and by that I mean good enough to pay. $6.5m/season seems about right to me, perhaps $7m at a stretch.

If you want to look at any one statistic to rate the coverage ability of a corner, look at Passes Defensed. Pro Football Focus ranks CBs by this as well. Bodden is tied 7th with 4 other players.

And the amazing stat from this season? Asante Samuel, 6 passes defensed, 9 interceptions, defensive passer rating of 80.0. Summary: GAMBLER.

Compare that to a certain Leigh Bodden: 12 passes defensed, 5 interceptions, defensive passer rating of 59.3. Summary: Consistently Solid.


Bill Belichick always says three simple words: Do. Your. Job. Only one of them understands that.

 

[mcsully]

Some food for thought here:

Jets CBs don't feel the burn - AFC East Blog - ESPN


Bodden is ranked #19 in the entire league.. Pretty interesting stuff.. Jets have 3 guys in the top 10..

We know Revis is an elite CB.. But Lowery and Sheppard??? This is a direct correlation to the lack of pass rush we have. I don't want us to spend 6.5 or 9 million on Bodden unless we seriously upgrade our pass rush..

Bringing Bodden back at the right price isn't the question.. The right question is, Does brining back Bodden sacrafice our ability to address the pass rush

 

[Jimke]

The Patriots will re-sign Deltha O'Neal and Fernando Bryant to

replace Bodden at half the price. It will be called good value

by BB.

 

[Dagg]

I'd take Revis and Asante over Bodden as well. But that doesn't exactly make Bodden a #2. He's a perfectly solid #1. Elite? No. But probably better than half the #1s in the NFL.

Bodden is a middle of the pack #1, agreed. We need to keep him and at reasonable money if you need any proof go look at the oneal and hobbs year.

 

[VJCPatriot]

Bodden's a good player. Offer him a fair contract for like 3 years. And then the can test the free agent market again when he wants at a relatively young age. You need your defensive backs in a pass heavy league that the NFL has transformed into. Another year in the system and he could be an even better player for us. Who would you rather have starting -- Bodden and Butler or Wilhite and Butler? Yeah...

 

[RobertWeathers]

Bodden's a good player. Offer him a fair contract for like 3 years. And then the can test the free agent market again when he wants at a relatively young age. You need your defensive backs in a pass heavy league that the NFL has transformed into. Another year in the system and he could be an even better player for us. Who would you rather have starting -- Bodden and Butler or Wilhite and Butler? Yeah...

I agree. Bodden is a fine player but not an elite corner.

Pass rush is a priority. That teads to mask any coverage issues in the defensive backfield.