The Patriots haven't made any major headlines with their free agent signings so far. Just a few re-signings and veteran depth at running back and cornerback added. But the two corners caught my attention.
The first signing was Shawn Springs from Washington. Recently Leigh Bodden from Detroit was added to the roster. What stands out about the pair is they stand taller than the corners currently on the roster.
Springs is six feet tall. Bodden goes 6-1. Before they arrived, the tallest CB stood 5-11 (Mike Richardson and Jonathan Wilhite).
Since Bill Belichick became head coach, out of the 10 corners drafted with his blessing, only one, Christian Morton, was six feet. According to former VP of player personnel Scott Pioli, the reason why the team favored short corners was because they were quicker and changed directions better than taller guys.
Because the Patriots don't play a lot of man-to-man, having a corner that can play bump and run against taller, physical receivers isn't a priority. The basic philosophy likely won't change much from last year to this year, but new wrinkles here and there will add variety and the element of surprise.
The addition of these two tall corners is a reaction to the growing number of tall receivers. More and more teams are relying on pass catchers that are 6-1 and taller. In Buffalo they added 6-3 Terrell Owens to a receiver corps that already had 6-5 James Hardy. Miami has a few wide outs 6-3 and up. And the New York Jets have their own length corps with three at least 6-2.
To take the point further, the 2009 opponents are the AFC and NFC South. Plenty of length in those two divisions. There are eight receivers 6-2 or taller in the AFC South, 13 in the NFC South, one in Denver and four in Baltimore. Some of these guys are some of the best in the league too : 6-4 Brandon Marshall of the Broncos, 6-3 Andre Johnson of the Texans, and 6-4 Marques Colston of the Saints quickly come to mind.
The tactic isn't a slight to the collection of 5-11 and under DBs on New England's roster. But in a game of inches, a three-inch, and often greater, advantage is the difference between a turnover or six points.
