That Cleveland connection was the beginning of a path that led Bodden to a starting job with the Patriots and a three-interception game against the Jets. Against the Saints on Monday night at the Louisiana Superdome, quarterback Drew Brees will be watching him.

No longer is Bodden in the position he was before Crennel arrived.

``He came from a smaller program and a lot of times, those guys get overlooked,'' recalled Crennel, the Browns coach from 2005 to 2008. ``But when a new staff came in, he used it as an opportunity to prove that he could play.''

Those were the appetizers. The main course came when Bodden held Bengals receiver Chad Johnson (now Ochocinco) to two catches for 22 yards in a Dec. 11, 2005 game, leading Johnson to publicly sing his praises.

``Then you knew, `Hey, this guy can play,' '' said Crennel, who hopes to coach again in 2010. ``He had Chad man-to-man most of the game. That was the (best) impression. If (he) kept trying to prove he could play, he could have a good career.''

Bodden credits his time with Crennel, the former Patriots defensive coordinator, with transforming him from a reserve to a star. Armed with a one-year, $2.25 million contract, he has 37 tackles with five interceptions. Thanks to last week's three, he's tied for third in the NFL.

``That's a pretty good day's work to get three of them,'' Crennel quipped. ``To keep him from getting a big head, I also see where he's giving up some plays, too.''

In Cleveland, Bodden rose under Crennel's varied scheme brought from his time with the Patriots . It called for Bodden to do it all, though he stood out blanketing the elite receivers man-to-man.

Traded to Detroit for an 0-16 2008 season that ended with his release as a salary-cap casualty, Bodden is now back under the same system. It was welcome.

``When we play man, they've asked for us to be more aggressive at the line and that's something I'm used to,'' Bodden said. ``Pretty much all I did was press man because we played a lot of man in Cleveland. That's what I like to do. You just go mix it up.''

Crennel has noticed. He praised Bodden's aggressiveness, a trait the seven-year veteran carries with him from being underappreciated. But the system helped.

``He had the desire when we came in there to show he can play,'' Crennel said. ``Corners his size, they just fit better into a mixture of coverages and it looks like they are mixing up things, playing some zone, playing some man. It fits well into his abilities. That's maybe why he's been successful.''

Teammates kidded with Bodden that the three picks of Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez were fair catches. Linebacker Adalius Thomas joked, ``I didn't know (Sunday) was Dec. 25.''

The truth is, Bodden was in superior position, and he didn't miss an opportunity. On safety Brandon Meriweather's interception to seal last Sunday's win, it was Bodden who applied the pressure on a blitz.

``He's proving what we saw,'' Crennel said, ``that he can play and be productive.''

Bodden isn't finished. He arrived at Sunday's news conference wearing a Michael Jordan jersey, whose No. 23 Bodden shares.

A reporter asked him to weigh in on the national debate about whether ``they should retire No. 23.''

``Not here, not yet,'' Bodden said. ``I have to get a few more three-pick games and then maybe.''

- irapoport@bostonherald.com