FOXBORO - Asante Samuel's gotten rich in Philadelphia. The former Patriot corner fled there as a free agent in 2008 for a massive deal and while he's often been scrutinized and criticized during his time with the Eagles, he's still a big play waiting to happen. "He makes a lot of plays," Tom Brady said Wednesday. "He always has made a lot of plays. He's a great player and I always loved playing against him because I really thought he brought the best out of our receivers and our passing game. He's always a threat to intercept the ball. As a quarterback, you're always paying attention to those guys."Samuel is just a brilliant player when the ball is in the air. He may not be the stiffest tackler. He may get caught out of position or being over-aggressive. But when he gets his hands on a ball, it usually sticks (final drive ofSuper Bowl 42 notwithstanding . . . gulp). "Asante does it as well as anybody I've ever played against," Brady said when asked about Samuel's ability to ballhawk. Samuel, now 30, has 42 career interceptions and two this season. Heis one of the few Patriots to go somewhere else and be even better than he was here. He's been named All-Pro each of the last two years. With Samuel on one side and the former Raider Nnamdi Asomugha on the other, the Patriots will be facing two of the most talented corners in the league. They haven't played to their resumes this year - Philly's allowed 18 touchdown passes - but their ability is unmistakeable. And the Philly defense plays fast. "They really have threats everywhere," said Brady. "They rush as well as anybody that we face. They got two of the best corners in the league in intercepting passes. They force you to throw it quick and then they're on you quick . . . They're a really dangerous group and we really have to go out and execute well, as well as we've executed all year."
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