Patriots sign O’Neal
Veteran corner adds depth to secondary
The latest cornerback to hop on the New England carousel is Deltha O’Neal, who was signed by the Patriots yesterday.
The veteran has been in the league for eight seasons — four with Denver (2000-2003) and four with Cincinnati (2004-2007) — and had 31 interceptions for three touchdowns in 116 career games, 75 of them starts. The move comes two days after the Bengals cut O’Neal, and two days after New England released veteran cornerback Fernando Bryant.
A two-time Pro Bowler entering his ninth season in the NFL, Patriots coach Bill Belichick praised O’Neal as a versatile threat who has gotten the better of New England before.
“He is a very athletic corner,” Belichick said of O’Neal, who practiced with the Patriots for the first time yesterday. “[He is] a physical player, good tackler, good interceptor, returner — we have seen the back of his jersey on that a couple of times.”
O’Neal, 31, is expected to provide the New England secondary with much-needed depth: prior to O’Neal’s signing, the Patriots have just four corners, including rookies Terrence Wheatley and Jonathan Wilhite. And only one — Ellis Hobbs III — has more than one year of experience in the Patriots system. (When asked about the relative age of the New England corners, Hobbs jokingly referred to himself as “Grandpa.”)
Few current Patriots have a frame of reference on O’Neal, but quarterback Tom Brady knows him well. On October 28, 2001, Brady threw four interceptions in a loss to the Broncos. O’Neal picked him off twice.
“I remember — very well,” Brady said yesterday, thinking back to the afternoon where he threw the first interceptions of his professional career. “There were four picks in the second half, actually in the fourth quarter. He made a diving catch that was pretty awesome. You don’t want to mess around with him that much. He has great ball skills.
“In college [Cal-Berkeley], he could do everything. He was a receiver, defensive back and he returned kicks. Hopefully, he can add some of that playmaking ability to our team.”
Many New England defenders only knew O’Neal from a random meeting at the Pro Bowl, but the consensus was that he was a reliable veteran who could provide some depth in the secondary.
“I knew him through the league. We were at the Pro Bowl and everything together. Great guy.”
How great a guy?
“I mean, we’ve never shot marbles or anything like that, but as far as I hear, he’s a good guy,” Thomas added with a smile. “They bring in guys with good character here, and I look forward to getting to know him.”
“I played with him over at the Pro Bowl before and I've been knowing him for a long time,” safety Rodney Harrison told reporters. He’s a “tremendous player, very athletic guy, can do a lot of things and we’re definitely excited about adding a guy like that.”
In addition to the signing of O’Neal, the Patriots added tight end Jason Pociask and tackle Mark LeVoir off waivers, signed offensive lineman Jacob Bender and tight end Tyson DeVree to the practice squad, and released tight end Stephen Spach.
