FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) -Brandon Meriweather had plenty of chances for interceptions as a rookie last season. The Patriots safety kept dropping the ball.
He’s hanging on to it now and his timing is perfect. New England, trying to keep a grip on its playoff hopes, faces the pass-oriented offense of Kurt Warner and the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
“They’re probably one of the best teams that we’re going to play, as far as throwing the ball around,” Meriweather said. “They’ve got great receivers.”
Anquan Boldin leads the NFC with 89 catches, teammate Larry Fitzgerald has 88 and Steve Breaston has 71. Boldin has scored on a 79-yard pass play, Fitzgerald on a 75-yarder and Jerheme Urban on 56- and 50-yard pass plays.
There could be more long plays against the Patriots’ mediocre secondary.
Safety Rodney Harrison was sidelined for the season in the sixth game and safety James Sanders missed Sunday’s 49-26 win at Oakland with a chest injury. Veteran cornerback Deltha O’Neal has been benched in favor of rookie Jonathan Wilhite.
rst-round draft choice from Miami, a chance to start and he’s played very well.
“Every area of Brandon’s game continues to get better,” coach Bill Belichick said Tuesday. “He’s certainly come a long way as a player in these two seasons and it just continues to get better. He’s a really dependable guy, smart, and makes very few errors.”
One of his biggest improvements has been catching the ball. His four interceptions lead the Patriots.
With Arizona using pass plays on an NFL-high 66 percent of its snaps, Meriweather could have a decent shot at picking off more.
“I dropped what, six or seven last year?” he said. “I worked very hard on concentrating and looking the ball all the way in and trying to stay away from looking away too fast. That’s one part of my game that I think improved a lot.”
He’s also a hard hitter, a solid pass defender and is tied for third on the team in tackles.
With New England leading Seattle 24-21 on Dec. 7, Meriweather sacked Seneca Wallace on a blitz on the first play after the 2-minute warning. Wallace fumbled, Richard Seymour recovered and the Patriots ran out the clock.
But Warner is much more experienced. He quarterbacked the St. Louis Rams when they were upset by the Patriots in the 2002 Super Bowl and is now the league’s third-ranked passer at age 38. He’s a major reason the Cardinals (8-6) already have clinched a playoff berth.
pretty much the same” as in that Super Bowl, Belichick said. “He can make all the throws. He gets rid of the ball quickly. He reads defenses very well.”
Warner leads the NFL in pass attempts and completions. His 68.4 completion percentage also ranks first. He’s second in yards passing to Drew Brees of New Orleans and third in percent of his passes for touchdowns. But he’s also thrown 13 interceptions.
In a 35-14 loss to Minnesota last Sunday, Warner completed 29 of 45 passes for 270 yards (36 below his average) with only one touchdown. He was intercepted once and sacked four times.
But the Patriots (9-5) are hurting, with linebackers Adalius Thomas and Pierre Woods on injured reserve and Tedy Bruschi sidelined last Sunday with a knee injury.
That makes Meriweather more important in covering receivers. He also calls plays in the secondary in Harrison’s absence.
“That’s something I needed to mature on. I could have done it last year, but not to the extent that I am now,” he said. “Anything you do for a year, you should do better the next year. I’m a year older and a year wiser.”
And more prepared to face Boldin and Fitzgerald in a crucial game.
“The quality of the whole group is really outstanding. It’s hard to zero in on one guy,” Belichick said. “They have a very diversified passing game, one that attacks all areas of the field, and it’s very well executed.”
Pats safety Meriweather key to defending Cardinals
