The Return of Leigh Bodden

[Froob]

If the lockout hadn't put a permanent freeze on my NFL purchases, I'd be sporting an official McCourty jersey already. That kid is the real deal, and if he stays healthy, will continue to improve throughout his career.

I'm probably buying one next year when the new nike jerseys are out. Why doesn't Bodden get more props? I though he was a shutdown corner in 09 and would probably get around 9-10 million dollars in FA and then he came back on about 5-6 a year. Going to be sweet watching these two shut down receivers.

 

[JMarr]

More good stuff:



The Rundown (sort of): Practice #9 - Extra Points - Boston.com

Bodden's 2009 season was criminally underrated. He's a top five CB in the league if he plays at that level.

His missing the entire 2010 season may turn out to be a good thing. I was a little worried that he might get Asante/Adalius disease and ease up on the gas after signing the new contract. Hopefully that lost season had him chomping at the bit to get back on the field again.

 

[asfpnepRefugee]

I doubt he'll ever have the man coverage skills that Cromartie has (when he's focused, anyway). He's not as quick as Cromartie but is much, much more physical.

Granted it's early but I was a little concerned by Andy Hart's comments on Tuesday regarding him looking super slow in practice.

 

[patriot lifer]

Bodden's 2009 season was criminally underrated. He's a top five CB in the league if he plays at that level.

His missing the entire 2010 season may turn out to be a good thing. I was a little worried that he might get Asante/Adalius disease and ease up on the gas after signing the new contract. Hopefully that lost season had him chomping at the bit to get back on the field again.

Granted, I'm sure Asante and AD wanted to play for good teams too, but Bodden did take our deal over the Texans (who were probably offering more) to stay with a winning program last offseason. And he signed his one-year contract with us in 2009 in part because he wanted a winning environment after the Lions' aweful season. That's a world of hurt that he doesn't want to know again. So, hopefully he's in it to win it and is motivated (as you said). I think that this might contrast to another cb within the division who won a big contract (Cromartie). We'll see.

Idk about top 5 cb, but perhaps top 10.

 

[Patspsycho]

Bodden is back and he is in top form.

 

[VJCPatriot]

When Peyton Hillis is coming at you and you weigh 184 lbs, your 4.40 40 isn't going to help you. If you plant your shoulder into him you're going to be roadkill. If you form tackle him, he will get lower than you and blow you up. Or in case you do get a hold of him, he will carry you into the end zone. The only thing little guys can do to take the big guysis to dive at their ankles.

That being said BW's fundamentals leave a lot to be desired.

I disagree. If you form tackle him, even if he is a brute, you should slow him down enough for the rest of your teammates to catch up to the play and bring him down. The form tackle is taught at a fundamental level because it has the highest chance of success. Merely launching yourself for the 'big hit' may look flashier but it has much lower chances of success, particularly if you make a mistake in your trajectory and don't hit the hypothetical 240 lb RB with enough force to knock him down.

I'm excited to see Bodden return for those very reasons. He's a solid tackler who doesn't whiff very often compared to less physical corners. He was a bright spot for the 2009 defense and pairing him with up and coming stud in McCourty should help make for a much stingier pass defense. All Bodden has to do is be solid, and he has proven he can do that in the Pats system.

Now at nickel/slot db we have a lot more options - dowling, arrington, butler, and wilhite. I think at least one of those 4 can step up. At least I'm not worried about our top 2 CBs which helps a lot.

 

[NEGoldenAge]

Bodden's 2009 season was criminally underrated. He's a top five CB in the league if he plays at that level.

His missing the entire 2010 season may turn out to be a good thing. I was a little worried that he might get Asante/Adalius disease and ease up on the gas after signing the new contract. Hopefully that lost season had him chomping at the bit to get back on the field again.

I'm a Bodden fan, but I think calling him a top 5 CB in 09 is overly optimistic. He seemed solid in all aspects of the game, and didn't show any real weakness, but he was not a shut down corner. Even though he hasn't played much since then, he has a lot more time in the system, so there is a good chance of significant improvement. Word is, he and Chung have been awesome in TC so far.

 

[VJCPatriot]

I'm a Bodden fan, but I think calling him a top 5 CB in 09 is overly optimistic. He seemed solid in all aspects of the game, and didn't show any real weakness, but he was not a shut down corner. Even though he hasn't played much since then, he has a lot more time in the system, so there is a good chance of significant improvement. Word is, he and Chung have been awesome in TC so far.

Nobody's calling Bodden a 'shutdown' corner. there are very few CBs in the league that that can even live up to that title. But solid is more than good enough in a BB defense. as coach loves to say - DO YOUR JOB! With McCourty playing the stud role at CB, all Bodden has to do is be solid, and this defense will win more of those critical 3rd down battles!

 

[PatsBoy12]

Good, I hope Chung becomes a terror for WR's

Not to hijack my own thread, but I am so excited for this kid. I knew he was good, but what solidified it for me was when he missed a few games and returned against Pittsburgh. You could tell the defense was different. It was that obvious. I believe even Colinsworth made a comment about Chung's impact on the defense. It was GREAT!

The only thing I worry about with him is obviously durability. When you play as wrecklessly as he does (in a good way), you risk injury (like the Bob Sanders, Troy P, and Ed Reeds). Even in the aforementioned Steelers game he went down twice, once costing the team a timeout. If he can stay healthy, the kid is going to be a monster and considered on of BB's second round hits.