In placing Leigh Bodden on injured reserve on Tuesday, the Patriots just left themselves with one of the youngest secondaries in the NFL.

Otis Smith, where have you gone?

The Patriots have gone the veteran route at this position before, signing former Pats and Jets and picking up street scraps with the hope that Bill Belichick and Co. can coach them up. I expect a similar type of move when roster start getting pared down, although corners who can play rarely hit the streets, especially in this uncapped world.

It's going to be tough to find talent, although the savvy Ravens just procured Josh Wilson, an up-and-coming cover man, in a trade from the Seahawks. This one has the smell and look of an Ozzie Newsome con job. The man just finds a way to get talent.

Can Belichick work a deal to find a steady corner? Because if not, it's going to be Darius Butler and rookie Devin McCourty (the same McCourty who was worked over by Donnie Avery last game before he got hurt) starting at corner and Jonathan Wilhite likely taking the nickel. That's thin and young.

Maybe Belichick can get a Troy Brown-like performance out of Kevin Faulk? Ok, that might be stretching it.

But look at the gauntlet of QBs the Pats face this season: Carson Palmer, Mark Sanchez (twice), Chad Henne (twice), Joe Flacco, Philip Rivers, Brett Favre, Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning, Matthew Stafford, Jay Cutler and Aaron Rodgers.

Yikes.