"I've got to know how Adalius Thomas will play a play, or how James Sanders will play a play," Springs said. "On defense, you can only run so much stuff. It's about communication and guys playing together."
That bridge is slowly being built with his fellow members of the secondary. Springs and Bodden are by far the veterans in the Patriots' current group, accumulating 20 years of NFL service. By comparison, the Patriots' other top four corners - Terrence Wheatley, Jonathan Wilhite, Mike Richardson and rookie Darius Butler - have played in 32 NFL games combined. That said, all but Butler have spent a season with the Pats, so the exchange of information isn't a one-way street.
"(Springs and Bodden) don't really know all the calls and signals yet, and even though we're young, we still know it form last year," Wheatley said. "But it goes both ways. They're helping us with techniques. When Shawn does something I've never seen before, I'll go, 'well, what did you see there?' "