Leigh Bodden

Don’t back down and attack Pittsburgh’s defense head-on.

Picking on Me: Third corner Leigh Bodden was cut on Friday. Whoever replaces him will see a lot of passes come his way as Pittsburgh tries to create mismatches.

Continue reading "Hours Before Kickoff: Week 8"

Ras-i Dowling, envisioned as a cover corner for big receivers, is waiting behind Devin McCourty, Leigh Bodden, Kyle Arrington, and Darius Butler. Marcus Cannon slid further back with All-Pro guard Logan Mankins re-signed.

Continue reading "Rookies in Waiting"

Injuries affected depth (DL Ty Warren and CB Leigh Bodden were on IR for the season; RB Kevin Faulk missed most of the year). New England would had been a better team.

But the Pats won’t be the exact same team next year. Faulk and DL Gerard Warren are two of 17 free agents and their return isn’t guaranteed. That’s not necessarily a negative. There’s room for improvement that experience might not take care of. Free agency can shore up a weakness quickly. And if New England continues their success in NFL Draft, some rookies will play from day one.

Continue reading "Aftermath, Forward Thinking"

t defense in the league, especially since they’ve played without veterans DL Ty Warren and CB Leigh Bodden all season long.

Bodden was expected to be the best corner on the team. In his absence, rookie Devin McCourty stepped up and leads the team with six interceptions. McCourty is in the conversation for Rookie of the Year.

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irst corner back on the team with an interception. 

New England lost their best corner when Leigh Bodden was placed on injured reserve. Without a proven corner, play at the position suffered. In time someone would emerge as the leader in Bodden’s absence. Most thought it would be Darius Butler, but freelancing and doing his own thang led to Butler being benched while Ivy Leaguer Kyle Arrington worked his way from rookie free agent to starter. 

Continue reading "Get Me the Butler"

But the season-ending injury to Leigh Bodden thrust Butler into a position he hasn’t been ready for thus far. 

The good news is getting burnt is refocusing Butler as he said he will put more time into his studies. Extra work and a reserve role could do wonders for his confidence if it was bruised. But the coaches can insulate Darius only so much. 

Continue reading "The Butler Can Do It"

But his chance of sticking around went up with CB Leigh Bodden going down. 

As one of the handful of moves needed to get the roster down to the 75 player limit, Bodden was placed on injured reserve for the 2010 season with a shoulder injury. That takes away the secondary’s doyen from a unit that averages just 2.5 years experience without Bodden. 

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ver the field, he could hang on to a roster spot. 

Come Out of the Corner Fighting: We know Leigh Bodden will probably start on the left side of the field. Who plays opposite of him is up in the air. The favorite has to be Darius Butler after an encouraging rookie season that included three interceptions and a pick six. But first round picks like Devin McCourty aren’t interested in taking a back seat to anyone. The loser becomes the third corner, which still means a lot of significant playing time. Jonathan Wilhite proved he’s not starting material and Terrence Wheatley lags behind because he’s been fragile as a pro. 

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Leadership will have to come from eight-year veteran CB Leigh Bodden and safetys James Sanders (six years) and Brandon Merriweather (four years). No one is even 30 years old. 

It’s a trend also reflected at linebacker, as the average age will be 25 on opening day after the release of 10-year veteran, 32-year old Adalius Thomas (this average also includes Jermaine Cunningham, Marques Murrell, Rob Ninkovich, and Derrick Burgess, though they are listed as defensive ends). 

Continue reading "Shawn's Gone"

ated for the Patriots’ need, with 1 not a need and 5 being urgent:Secondary

Shawn Springs, Leigh Bodden, Darius Butler, Jonathan Wilhite, Terrence Wheatley, Brandon Merriweather, Brandon McGowan, Pat Chung, Kyle Arrington, James Sanders

Continue reading "Draft Evaluation: Secondary"

free agents. 

Of the 15 free agents, six I absolutely wanted back: LB Tully Banta-Cain, CB Leigh Bodden, RB Kevin Faulk, K Stephen Gostkowski, OG Logan Mankins, and NT Vince Wilfork. Of those six, three re-signed. And OG Stephen Neal re-signed as well, which is a bonus. 

Continue reading "Can't Keep Them All"

Here's the list from best to worst:Tully Banta Cain: 21.8Vince Wilfork: 9.6Leigh Bodden: 6.8Brandon Meriweather: 5.0Ty Warren: 3.9Rob Ninkovich: 3.4Patrick Chung: 1.8Shawn Springs: 1.7Junior Seau: .8James Sanders: -1.4Myron Pryor: -1.7Terrence Wheatley: -1.9Derrick Burgess: -2.2Gary Guyton: -2.2Mike Wright: -3.8Jerod Mayo: -3.5Ron Brace: -4.2Brandon McGowan: -4.4Darius Butler: -5.1Adalius Thomas: -8.5Jonathan Wilhite: -9.6Jarvis Green: -14.1

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I'd rather someone with more left in his career.

And CB Leigh Bodden apparently is drawing a lot of attention from Houston. After losing Dunta Robinson, they need to replace their top corner.

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By retaining Banta-Cain and Wilfork, that leaves five I hope go nowhere: CB Leigh Bodden, RB Kevin Faulk, K Stephen Gostkowski, G Logan Mankins, and G Stephen Neal. As for everyone else (DE/LB Derrick Burgess, DE Jarvis Green, P Chris Hanson, LB Pierre Woods, RB Chris Taylor, and TE Ben Waston; LB Junior Seau retired) , the Pats can do better, although I would make an exception for Green. 

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s before free agency begins, let me get a few thoughts out of my mind: 

Be sure to sign the Leigh Bodden thank-you card. He’s not coming back. He’s the second-best corner back available in free agency after Houston’s Dunta Robinson. It shouldn’t take him long to find an offer that he can’t pass up. His gamble to sign a one year deal with a promise from the Patriots that they wouldn’t franchise him will pay off. He erased his years with Detroit, including the 0-16 season, from everyone’s mind. Wish you luck at your next career stop, Leigh, as long as it’s not with an AFC East team. 

Continue reading "Hours Away"

e heard rumblings of Shawn Springs being a bad locker room guy so I'm expecting him to be released. Leigh Bodden was the best corner this year, expect him to be re-signed to a multi year deal with the money saved by cutting Springs. Darius Butler looks ready to take over at starting LCB. Whipping boy Jonathan Wilhite will be give another chance at nickel but expect him to see competition from rookie/free agent additions.

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Banta-Cain will take the money and run for a second time. 

CB Leigh Bodden – Bodden gambled by signing a one-year deal to erase his days in Detroit and prove to the league his ability. It worked. Leigh says he wants to stay, but some team will come along and reward Bodden. 

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Enjoy him while he’s still here. CB Leigh Bodden signed a one year deal in hopes of cashing in as a free agent next year. With three interceptions to bring his season total to five, his gamble will pay off. 

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He was a part of 25 consecutive wins if I am not mistaken. 

Extra Point: While CB Leigh Bodden was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for celebrating his interception, why n

Continue reading "Pick Six: Week 10"

If it wasn’t for a pair of defensive penalties, CB Leigh Bodden would have had an interception. 

4. RB Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis came into the game on passing plays. That’s a surprise considering how Maroney was tried as a receiver out of the backfield earlier in the year. Green-Ellis dropped a pass in the endzone. 

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source of the remedy. 

New England signed free agent veteran cornerbacks Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden. Miami went the younger route and drafted Vonta Davis and Sean Smith. 

Being division neighbors means they play almost the exact out of division opponents, save for Denver and Baltimore for the Patriots and San Diego and Pittsburgh for the Dolphins. Otherwise they both play the AFC South and NFC South. 

Continue reading "Hours Before Kickoff: Week 9"

er does. 

It took four games, but the Patriots finally have an interception, courtesy of CB Leigh Bodden. Nice tightrope job to stay inbounds! I have a feeling now that New England broke the ice, the picks will start adding up. 

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his is why the Patriots got them for, right? 

Shortly after the Patriots signed veteran CBs Leigh Bodden (6’1”) and Shawn Springs (6’0”), I couldn’t help but notice their size and how they didn’t fit the profile of the typical Pats corner. So I did some research. 

Continue reading "Hours Before Kickoff: Week 3"

s again addressed the problem area by drafting Darius Butler and signing veterans Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden. 

The results so far: Zero interceptions. 

That doesn’t mean they are doing a poor job. They did fine against Buffalo. And with the exception of Wilhite being targeted in the second half, the secondary has been mostly solid. 

Continue reading "Very INTeresting"

Good to see S Brandon Merriweather and CB Leigh Bodden willing to hit. 

Tap Shoes to Cleats: Laurence Maroney didn’t have many carries, but he didn’t play around. Almost every step was forward with no stuttering. Looks like Fred Taylor is rubbing off on Maroney in a good way. 

Continue reading "Pick 6: Week 1"

To upgrade the secondary, veteran CBs Leigh Bodden and Shawn Springs were added. Safety Brandon McGowan was a late addition after two rookies, CB Darius Butler and S Pat Chung, were drafted with plans to develop them for down the road. 

Continue reading "Out of Reach"

party of five corners will fight for two starting positions: veteran free agentss Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden, 2008 draft picks Terrance Wheatley and Jonathan Wilhite, and 2009 draft pick Darius Butler. The early favorites probably are the veterans, but the pups will be on heels of Springs and Bodden, angling to snag a role in the secondary. 

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offense, but I feel the coaching staff will start veteran free agent acquisitions Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden. There’s nothing wrong with a one-year apprenticeship, Darius.

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Continue reading "The Butler Did It"

While the additions of free agent cornerbacks Leigh Bodden and Shawn Springs more than makes up for the lack of experience, The question is how much does Springs have left? He was released by Washington in the off-season. Are the Redskins right in believing Springs is done, or is Shawn still effective? 

Continue reading "Brady Back, but Patriots Still Not Complete"

signed CBs Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden. They will also hope a year of experience for Wheatley and Jonathan Wilhite makes a positive difference. And of course New England just drafted Darius Butler. 

Continue reading "Ellis Hobbs: Addition by Subtraction"

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).

Continue reading "Stretching the Secondary"