FOXBORO, Mass. — Hard-hitting safety Brandon Meriweather ranked second on the Patriots in 2009 with 51 solo tackles, and he was third with 83 total stops.
When asked about his offseason focus, though, Meriweather was quick to point toward tackling as an area that needs improvement. He earned his first Pro Bowl bid last year, and Meriweather's on-field strides have been clearly noticeable through each of his first three seasons in the league, but there is always something to work on.
Meriweather still has to be more aggressive to drag down the ball carrier, and he knows an attempt to level a big hit can be more dangerous than rewarding if he doesn’t connect. As the safety, Meriweather is often the last line of defense, and if he whiffs on a tackle, there is a great chance the opponent will gain a ton of extra yardage.
Offseason drills usually focus on film study and learning how to take better, smarter angles to the ball. On the practice field, it's about properly squaring up and driving through the bag. If he can't plant the ball carrier on impact, Meriweather knows he's got to do enough to halt his progress to slow him down for the rest of the defense.
"With tackles, it just all comes to hustle," Meriweather said. "If everybody is running to the ball, you can miss 10 tackles, and they still won’t get too many yards. The best defenses in the league this year, the first guy barely ever made the tackle. It’s just always the pursuit. When you have a lot of guys running to the ball, you’re going to have a good defense no matter what."
