Bill Belichick has long favored size, strength and toughness in his safeties, and that preference could prove particularly advantageous in 2009. Despite the retirement of Rodney Harrison, considered one of the hardest-hitting blue-collar safeties in league history, the club is high on the collection of brawn in its safety corps, with rookie Patrick Chung, ex-Bear Brandon McGowan and S-LB hybrid Tank Williams competing for spots in large part because of the presence they bring in the box. What makes their physical dispositions especially intriguing is the ambiguous status of the team’s linebackers. The most fluid unit on the team, the linebackers are expected to be shuffled throughout training camp as Belichick tries to find the best combination. Knowing he has an abundance of gritty safeties could provide him more flexibility when making decisions about players and lineups on the second line of defense.