Hours Before Kickoff: Week 12

<Ice cream truck music playing>

“Hey there little Bill Belichick! How you doing? What can I get for you?”

“You said you want a safety? Well what kind of safety do you want? Do you want a pass coverage safety? Or do you want a big run-stuffing safety? Or how about four-down safety?”

“You want them all? Did you ask your owner if you could have them all?”

Finding the right safety isn’t as easy as picking one out the back of a truck. It takes hours of research, endless evaluation, testing, hundreds of conversations with the players to decide if they fit into the system, and constant coaching to teach them to do the job right.

Most teams settle on a starting pair and stick with them. New England has three they can shuffle between to find the right combination for any situation.

A case can be made that Pat Chung has been the Pats’ best defensive player this year. He’s second on the team in tackles, despite missing two games. He also has two interceptions, one returned 51 yards for a score. Chung has added value for his prowess on special teams. In a tour de force performance against Miami, Chung blocked a punt and a field goal, the latter returned 35 yards for a touchdown.

Chung has been so good that he’s drawing comparisons to Rodney Harrison and Lawyer Milloy. That’s high praise considering he usually plays alongside a former Pro Bowler.

Brandon Merriweather lost his starting spot for two weeks for freelancing, but regained top billing by playing within the team. Long before being fined $50,000 for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Baltimore TE Todd Heap, Merriweather was building a reputation as a fierce hitter and enforcer in the secondary.

But that’s not all Merriweather is. He’s not afraid to stick his nose in to stop the run and Brandon is effective in pass coverage, with two interceptions as proof.

Chung and Merriweather are the starters, but in New England’s defense, it’s just a title. James Sanders started two games because he played by the book when Merriweather was busy ad-libbing the playbook earlier this year. Sanders brings veteran experience as the doyen of the secondary. His savvy has been on display for the past two weeks.

Sanders earned Defensive Player of the Week honors for his four tackle and interception return for a touchdown against Pittsburgh. He could claim the award again for finishing with seven tackles and a game-clinching interception against Indianapolis.

They are not strong safeties or free safeties. They are all interchangeable, able to do anything the defense needs. NFL teams are really looking for the next game-changing safeties to be the next Ed Reed or Troy Polomalu. New England has three, a luxury no other team in the NFL has.

For years Belichick coached the secondary. It’s no wonder he recognized the value of having do-it-all safeties. With more wide outs on the field and athletic tight ends as potential mismatches, Belichick found his answer to an increasingly pass-first league. When it comes to safeties, Belichick has all the flavors.

A few things I’m looking for:

Ndamu-King-Kong: Rookie my ass. Ndamukong Suh has surpassed any expectations with seven sacks from the DT position. He must be stopped.

No Thanks to Giving: Led by the Shawn Hill-to-Calvin Johnson connection, the Lions can move the ball. The secondary better not allow yards in bushels.

Bathroom Break: Kid Rock is performing at halftime. There’s probably 1,000 better things to do than hear him sing. I advise eating after he performs.

I don’t wanna believe a team can have a second trap game in a season. The Patriots take the Lions seriously and win a high scoring affair.