Brandon Meriweather

[Lughead]

This is a good read

 

 

Interview with Meriweather

 

Posted by Mike Garafolo April 17, 2007 11:13AM

Categories: Draft

 

 

Miami (Fla.) safety Brandon Meriweather arrived in town yesterday for a two-day pre-draft visit with the Giants. He had dinner last night with secondary/safeties coach David Merritt and was scheduled to meet with GM Jerry Reese, coach Tom Coughlin, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and others this afternoon before leaving for a visit with the Titans.

 

Meriweather is in the middle of a busy interview/visit schedule that will include at least 10 teams before draft day. That's a lot, considering the average draft-eligible player makes about five visits or so. The reason for the extra stops is Meriweather has raised a few red flags for teams for two incidents: His firing a gun at an assailant who shot his roommate and his role in the Miami-Florida International brawl when he was caught stomping and kicking opponents. Both incidents have led a sure-fire first-round pick to slide in many mock drafts - all the way to the middle of the second round in a few. Teams obviously want to know who he is and what they'll be getting if they draft him.

 

I sat down with Meriweather last night for a 25-minute interview in which he spoke about the public's perception of him and what teams might be thinking. He said some fascinating things about being stereotyped as just another "Miami thug" - something he claims he isn't. In fact, he said he no longer owns a gun because it "only leads to trouble."

 

I can tell you Meriweather didn't seem like a "thug" to me. He was actually soft-spoken, thoughtful and willing to talk about his mistakes, which he said were lessons from which he's learned.

 

We'll soon be running a story in the Ledger on Meriweather's character concerns and what they might mean to his draft status in light of the recent suspensions of the Titans' Pacman Jones and Cincinnati's Chris Henry. For now, here are a few snippets of Meriweather's thoughts on the Giants and his playing style:

 

Meriweather MG: "Do you look at the Giants and think, 'Wow, that's a great place for me to play?'"

 

BM: "Everyone pretty much plays the same coverages. One team might be Cover 2 or Cover 3, but in reality you can only play so many coverages. Everything they do I've already seen. It's just a matter of getting adjusted to the terminology."

 

MG: "Are you familiar with what the Giants do?"

 

BM: "Coach Merritt described it a little bit. He didn't go into too much detail because I'm not here yet. You can't tell me everything about your defense because if somebody else drafts me, I would already know your defense."

 

MG: "Do you look at the draft process like 'I would fit well with this team but no so much with that team?'"

 

BM: "There are a lot of teams I think I'd fit well with, but I don't want to speak up to that because it's not like college where teams are recruiting me. It's more like me trying to recruit teams now. The roles have kind of reversed. I can't go into a situation like 'I fit great there.' It has to be more about if I like the coaches or if I can get along with this person or that person."

 

MG: "What were your impressions of Coach Merritt?"

 

BM: "He's a great guy. He's somebody I would love to play for. From the little time we spent together, it was great. I had fun and I'm sure he had fun. We talked about everything from childhood to football to adulthood. He told me some things I can take with me in life. He understands where I'm coming from because he played down in Miami (briefly with the Dolphins)."

 

MG: "What was it about him that leads you to call him a great guy?"

 

BM: "He's a man of God. I think people that are men of God are strong by their word and are people you can trust. That's my biggest issue right now - finding people you can trust. From my first impression, I feel Coach Merritt is someone you can trust."

 

MG: "Why is it so important for you to find people you can trust?"

 

BM: "Because I don't trust very easily. Because I feel like people let you down so therefore I don't trust people easily."

 

MG: "Where does that come from?"

 

BM: "I was raised by my grandmother who was very old school. You had to earn her trust. Nobody was just given it; you had to earn it. That's something I learned from her."

 

MG: "What do you expect to do (today)?"

 

BM: "I'll probably meet everybody, including the GM and coach, and I'm looking forward to that. I sat down with them at the combine for about 15 minutes. It wasn't a lot of time to get to know them. They tried to get to know my personality a little bit and I joked around with them a bit."

 

MG: "How did you joke with them?"

 

BM: "Just being me. I'm a laid-back person. I like to joke around until it's time to get serious."

 

MG: "The Giants have a lot of Miami connections: Jeremy Shockey, William Joseph, Sinorice Moss and even Plaxico Burress who didn't even go to Miami but trains there. What have those guys told you about the team?"

 

BM: "Not much. William Joseph probably talks about the team more than anybody and even he doesn't say too much. When you're down there it's more about personal time. You try to get away from football a little bit while you work out."

 

MG: "Have they told you anything about playing in the New York market?"

 

BM: "The only thing they've really said is it's a great place to play because it's where all the major decisions are made. You have Wall Street and everything here. It's a great place to be."

 

MG: "Talent evaluators and draft gurus have sometimes drawn a comparison between you and (former Miami safety and current Redskin) Sean Taylor. What are your thoughts when you hear that?"

 

BM: "Wow. Sean Taylor is a phenom. He's one of the best players I've ever seen play the position. For me to be compared to him and to (former Hurricane and current Raven) Ed Reed, it's shocking. I think everybody has their own game. Ed Reed, he's great with the ball and Sean Taylor loves to come down, hit you and blow people up. Brandon is Brandon because he can do everything. I might have some similarities to those guys, but I like to consider myself somebody who has his own game and isn't trying to imitate anybody."

 

MG: "Do you see yourself as more of a hard-hitting strong safety or a ball-hawking free safety?"

 

BM: "I'm more of a DB. I like to consider myself an all-around DB - not just a safety but also a corner at times, a nickel guy, a dime guy. Just a DB. I think I could play all over the place. A lot of teams like my versatility. And when you have that versatility you last in the NFL a long time."

 

MG: "So are you more of a hitter or coverage guy?"

 

BM: "Both. I think I have great ball skills and good blitzing skills. And I like to do both."

 

 

We'll soon know if he'll be doing both for the Giants next year.

 

Btw -- and this may or may not be an indication the Giants are serious about Meriweather -- I'm told he came in to visit by himself while most other players will come in on the same day as others. USC wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett is due in tonight along with a few others the rest of this week. Perhaps the Giants wanted as many as possible around to interview Meriweather.

 

Also, I'm told Penn State linebacker Paul Posluszny will not visit the team -- though that might be an indication the Giants will draft him. You know the way teams get this time of year when they pretend not to be interested in a guy they're hot for.

 

MG

[Sephiroth]

I don't know... reading between the lines, he kind of sounds like a jerk to me.

 

Meriweather MG: "Do you look at the Giants and think, 'Wow, that's a great place for me to play?'"

 

BM: "Everyone pretty much plays the same coverages. One team might be Cover 2 or Cover 3, but in reality you can only play so many coverages. Everything they do I've already seen. It's just a matter of getting adjusted to the terminology."

"I already know everything."

 

MG: "Are you familiar with what the Giants do?"

 

BM: "Coach Merritt described it a little bit. He didn't go into too much detail because I'm not here yet. You can't tell me everything about your defense because if somebody else drafts me, I would already know your defense."

 

"I can intimately know a whole defense from a 45-minute interview. I'm THAT good."

 

MG: "What was it about him that leads you to call him a great guy?"

 

BM: "He's a man of God. I think people that are men of God are strong by their word and are people you can trust. That's my biggest issue right now - finding people you can trust. From my first impression, I feel Coach Merritt is someone you can trust."

 

MG: "Why is it so important for you to find people you can trust?"

 

BM: "Because I don't trust very easily. Because I feel like people let you down so therefore I don't trust people easily."

"I'll trust anyone who's got the same religion as me; otherwise you're out."

 

M: "Wow. Sean Taylor is a phenom. He's one of the best players I've ever seen play the position. For me to be compared to him and to (former Hurricane and current Raven) Ed Reed, it's shocking. I think everybody has their own game. Ed Reed, he's great with the ball and Sean Taylor loves to come down, hit you and blow people up. Brandon is Brandon because he can do everything. I might have some similarities to those guys, but I like to consider myself somebody who has his own game and isn't trying to imitate anybody."

 

"I'm so good, I can refer to myself in the third person. I can do everything those guys do and more."

 

 

 

This interview, the gun thing, AND the Miami brawl.... Red Flags for me all around.

[TaylorBanksCarsonVanPelt]

I don't know... reading between the lines, he kind of sounds like a jerk to me.

 

"I already know everything."

"I can intimately know a whole defense from a 45-minute interview. I'm THAT good."

 

"I'll trust anyone who's got the same religion as me; otherwise you're out."

"I'm so good, I can refer to myself in the third person. I can do everything those guys do and more."

This interview, the gun thing, AND the Miami brawl.... Red Flags for me all around.

He sounds soooooo humble and willing to learn. He even has a smug look on his puss. I say pass....next thing you know he is being burned by a 35 year old possession receiver.

[gateb]

good interview by him. so if we draft him i wont be as pissed off.

[RaginCaucasian]

next thing you know he is being burned by a 35 year old possession receiver.

I thought that Ricky Proehl had retired?

[TaylorBanksCarsonVanPelt]

I thought that Ricky Proehl had retired?

Okay... Okay....a thirty year old possession receiver with two bad knees.

[Iceman_NYG]

I don't know... reading between the lines, he kind of sounds like a jerk to me.

 

"I already know everything."

"I can intimately know a whole defense from a 45-minute interview. I'm THAT good."

 

"I'll trust anyone who's got the same religion as me; otherwise you're out."

"I'm so good, I can refer to myself in the third person. I can do everything those guys do and more."

This interview, the gun thing, AND the Miami brawl.... Red Flags for me all around.

 

Wow. You are a hard man to please.

 

Either way, Id cream my pants if the Giants can land Posluzny. What are our realistic chances of getting him? If not PP, then Id be more than happy to have this guy.

[Sephiroth]

Wow. You are a hard man to please.

 

Either way, Id cream my pants if the Giants can land Posluzny. What are our realistic chances of getting him? If not PP, then Id be more than happy to have this guy.

 

I'm with you on the Pusluzny thing. I just don't want another "me-first" problem child on the team, and I don't think our front office does either.

[Iceman_NYG]

I'm with you on the Pusluzny thing. I just don't want another "me-first" problem child on the team, and I don't think our front office does either.

 

Our front office doesnt know jackshit about diddlysquat!! Coughlin is here - Question answered!