New England's beefed-up secondary is a combination of youth and experience with veterans Leight Boddenand Shawn Springs, respectively.
Those who know them best, their former teammates, say the Patriots are getting the best of both worlds.
"He's a good man-defender. He's probably an even better zone defender at this point in his career, which fits well with the Patriots," said former QB Tim Hasselbeck, now an ESPN analyst, in a *Boston Herald *feature.
"I think they'll get a lot of use out of him, whether it's playing inside or playing outside, and I think he’s just the kind of smart football player that Bill Belichick likes."
In another *Herald *piece, linebacker Andra Davis, currently with the Broncos, said of his former Browns teammate, Bodden, that the Pats "really got a steal."
"He just has that swagger and that confidence to line up against anybody and he can shut them down. He proved that over and over again," Davis continued.
"And he did that in Cleveland when we didn't have a great pass rush. He was going up against Chad Johnson. He always wanted to get put on the best. And when he got put on the best he really shined."
