Tom E. Curran • E-mail

FOXBORO - Player recruitment at the NFL level usually comes down to two things. Money and opportunity. Give a coveted free agent enough of each, you’ll usually land him.

But the New England Patriots have trump cards. Lombardi Trophies. And a quarterback, head coach and wide receiver headed for the Hall of Fame.

Things like that would make a player like Leigh Bodden walk a thousand miles on broken glass for a chance to play for the Patriots.

“ This is a team that’s been on the big stage for a while,” said Bodden. “This was the best situation for me this year, to go out and prove myself.”

A talented player, Bodden now has much to prove. In 2007, he was a player on the rise with the Cleveland Browns, coming up with six picks and impressing as a smart and athletic player. Then, disaster. He was dealt in the 2008 offseason to the Detroit Lions.

Sixteen losses and a damaged psyche later, Bodden was released. At 27, he was entering the prime earning years of his NFL career, yet the stain from the Detroit Experience was going to make that hard.

The Patriots came calling. They needed corners. Bodden needed an employer and a chance to rehab his image. So instead of trying to milk the market, Bodden jumped on the one-year, $2.25 million offer New England made.

No signing bonus, mind you. The risk is his. The reward? Well, if Bodden plays as he’s capable, the Patriots are rewarded. And, after the season, Bodden will get his too.

Because the facts are these. When the Patriots last had Tom Brady, Randy Moss and Bill Belichick together for an entire season, they went 16-0 during the regular season, played in their fifth conference championship this decade and fourth Super Bowl. Being part of a successful team helps everyone down the line. A rising tide lifts all boats, you know.

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Since rising to prominence in 2001, New England has made a habit of finding players who needed the Patriots as much as the Patriots needed them.

Starting with Roman Phifer and Bryan Cox, following through to Rodney Harrison, Chad Brown, Corey Dillon, Randy Moss and Adalius Thomas and culminating this season with players like Bodden, and decorated veterans like Fred Taylor and Joey Galloway, the Patriots keep stockpiling talent that is seeking more than the most lucrative deal they can find.

“To come here to New England – an organization and collection of players you respect most definitely – I am privileged – privileged – to have the opportunity,” says Taylor.

At 33, Taylor’s in a whole different situation from Bodden. The draw of playing for a championship is what helped bring him here.

Rolling up his sleeve to reveal a tattoo of his home state, Florida, Taylor said, “That's my home. I’m a Floridian, a Florida guy. Born and raised, University of Florida and one-third of my life with the Jaguars. And when that ended there, it was difficult. But if I could be anywhere else, I would want to be here.”

Belichick’s been coaching in the NFL since 1975. He knows how to sell a player on his program. And he also knows that success can sell a player as well as money.

“I think we’re pretty competitive for players in the open market with our facilities, and the team, and maybe the perception of the team,” Belichick allowed. “I don’t think that’s a bad thing, and I don’t think that’s across the board. But I think when it happens, it’s good. It’s good to be at least competitive in those situations. At least you feel like you have a chance.  I’ve been on the other side of it too, where there’s really not much you can say to get them interested, and that’s … there’s not much you can say. You pretty much lose them.”

New England doesn’t lose out on many player duels these days. They’re not closing at 100 percent – Derrick Mason, Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas have opted to take other offers. Still, when New England comes calling players will either take a little less to sign here (Adalius Thomas) or agree to be good soldiers (Dillon, Moss) so they can be dealt to New England.

There are, as Taylor points out, no promises.

“(All the talent) is on paper,” he said. “That has nothing to do with Sundays and I’ve been trying to convince my friends and people who approach me, that’s all hot air. Remember, we were supposed to win a couple of our own at Jacksonville. And that was all hot air at the end of the day.”

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And it could be this year, as well. The Patriots had to recalibrate expectations less than one quarter into their opener in 2008 when Tom Brady went down. Nothing is guaranteed.

But, at the close of this decade, the New England Patriots are as close to a sure thing as a player can find in the NFL.

Said newly acquired backup quarterback Andrew Walter, “This team has a very rich legacy, especially recently, and so there’s expectations. Expectations to win regardless of anything. And I’m well aware of what’s expected of me here.”

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