Patriots Sign Bodden, Bolster Secondary

It wasn't long ago that Leigh Bodden was the best cornerback most people had never heard of. And then one bad season in Cleveland got him traded to the Lions where, predictably, he flopped.

But Bodden's one of the lucky ones; the new regime released him and now his fortunes have progressed from woebegone to promising. On Tuesday, the Patriots signed Bodden to a one-year deal, which means there's a very good chance that he'll win 11-14 more games in 2009 than he did in 2008. That is the reality of Lions football.

Upgrading [the secondary] was apparently a priority for Bill Belichick and the football operations staff after a 2008 season that saw only the Arizona Cardinals (36) allow more touchdown passes than New England, which surrendered 27.

The Patriots were also tied (with Detroit and San Francisco) for second in the NFL in most opponents' completions of 40 yards or more, allowing 12; only the Jacksonville Jaguars (17) allowed more.

In addition to Bodden, the Pats have also signed Shawn Springs, recently of the Redskins. Springs, 34, struggled to stay healthy in Washington, but he when he's on the field he still plays at a high level. Age -- and in Bodden's case, the stigma of being associated with the Lions -- aside, New England's secondary is much improved from the end of the season.

Then again, when you're forced to trot out Deltha O'Neal every Sunday, the same could be said if the Pats had signed Hole in Zone to play opposite Ellis Hobbs.

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