Praise for Merriweather

[Wretch]

I noticed last night that BM was on the field quite a bit last night and he wasn't invisible. On a night when the Pats secondary was having problems covering the Jags receivers BM seemed to have a pretty good night.

The two plays that made me take notice were:

1. The hit he put on the Jags receiver (Rodney was called for the PF on the play)

2. On the play in the 4th when Rodney was called for another PF (The Ref called it on Asante but it was Rodney's hit) BM was the player pulling Rodney away from the Ref and trying to calm him down. That shows a lot of maturity.

I would have liked to see him catch the deflected pass, but I would have also liked Rodney to catch the ball in the end zone. All in all it looks like BM is starting to play up to his potential.

 

[LloydBraun]

Merriweather, we forget sometimes, is a rookie. It is a huge jump to the NFL, especially for a DB coming into a BB system. His playing time has steadily increased, which is Belichick's way of telling everyone that Brandon is progressing nicely.

We will need more quality speed and coverage ability in the secondary as we go forward vs. Indy and possibly one of the NFC teams.

 

[Bertil]

I suspect he'll be working a lot on the juggs gun this offseason. He's rounding into form as a "professional" football player just in time...

 

[FreeTedWilliams]

I thought he had another solid game, and he is getting more and more playing time. BUT you can see why he is a DB and not a WR, as he dropped yet another INT last night! That is at least 3 drops that I can remember this year.

 

[Truck]

I thought he had another solid game, and he is getting more and more playing time. BUT you can see why he is a DB and not a WR, as he dropped yet another INT last night! That is at least 3 drops that I can remember this year.

I agree; if he had samuel or harrison's hand, he'd have had probably 3 to 4 interceptions this year.

 

[DarrylS]

I thought he had another solid game, and he is getting more and more playing time. BUT you can see why he is a DB and not a WR, as he dropped yet another INT last night! That is at least 3 drops that I can remember this year.

thought he played real well, getting more and more time.. compare to a lot of time early in the season when he certainly would have gotten burned, he is a hitter.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

90% of the job is making other guys not get the ball, and helping guys with the ball fall down. Of course it would be nice for him to develop the Asante-like ball skills... but I think we're looking at another solid pick from the BB/SP draft era.

 

[BelichickFan]

1. The hit he put on the Jags receiver (Rodney was called for the PF on the play)

Loved that hit - his "Hit Stick" nickname is starting to show up, he'll cause some fumbles on hits like that. He's starting to look a little like the 2003 Eugene Wilson. A little, I said, I know he's just playing in Nickel and Dime right now.

 

[blackglass3]

He also blitzed Garrard a few times, which I was happy about. He seems to be catching on, and fast.

It will be funny to see him get voted to the Pro Bowl in a few years and think back to the Chicken Little's and their "Meriwather is a BUST!" threads.

 

[DB15]

he should be dam proud of what he has done this year, his progress is amazing to watch first hand

 

[Christopher_Price]

I agree; if he had samuel or harrison's hand, he'd have had probably 3 to 4 interceptions this year.

Rodney has relished giving him a hard time about his drops this year. Check out this quote from last night when someone asked him about his pick, which was said all in good fun: “We have a lot of joking amongst the DBs about who has the worst hands, and I just didn’t want to take the place of Brandon Meriweather. He really is the worst with his hands, so it just felt good to haul that in.”

 

[RayClay]

I love how he's tagging around Rodney like an eager puppy.

Also love the "I wish he had hands like Samuel" comments.

Samuel dropped more gimme interceptions his first two years than anyone I've ever seen.

Just means you're in the right place. Like asante, I'm sure Brandon will start catching those. I like the being in the right place part.

That's a good sign.

Did Wilson play?

 

[BelichickFan]

Did Wilson play?

He was on the Inactive List.

 

[ALP]

He was on the Inactive List.

i see wilson as not coming back anymore....unless hes very cheap

 

[TripleOption]

90% of the job is making other guys not get the ball, and helping guys with the ball fall down. Of course it would be nice for him to develop the Asante-like ball skills... but I think we're looking at another solid pick from the BB/SP draft era.

You're being WAY too generous. If the ball hits you in the hands, catch it. One thing about guys from the "U"...they all make big plays. Meriweather needs to make the play.

 

[fillylabinga]

I love how he's tagging around Rodney like an eager puppy.

Also love the "I wish he had hands like Samuel" comments.

Samuel dropped more gimme interceptions his first two years than anyone I've ever seen.

Just means you're in the right place. Like asante, I'm sure Brandon will start catching those. I like the being in the right place part.

That's a good sign.

Did Wilson play?

Totally agree. Asante had stone for hands his first few years. This seems to be something that guys can learn over time--maybe rookies are just so surprised when the ball gets to them that they can't focus on making the catch.

Anyway, I'm glad that he seems to be playing better. It seems like he passed Wilson on the depth chart at least. Still, I wish he had got a little more PT this season--we may need him to start next year. A couple more good playoff games will definitely help his confidence though.

 

[Isaac]

I thought he had another solid game, and he is getting more and more playing time. BUT you can see why he is a DB and not a WR, as he dropped yet another INT last night! That is at least 3 drops that I can remember this year.

Reminds me a bit of Asante Samuel's first couple years.