SAN JOSE, Calif. –– Sometimes it takes a little longer to get what you want.

Take Deltha O’Neal. The Patriots cornerback has wanted to play with New England safety Rodney Harrison for several years. He’s also wanted to be a member of the Pats for quite a while.

And thanks to an unexpected turn of events, he’s been able to do both.

A nine-year veteran, O’Neal was surprised when he was released by the Cincinnati Bengals at the end of August. But the Milpitas, Calif., native, who played high school ball about 15 minutes away from where the Pats are practicing this week, was even more surprised to find out that New England was interested in signing the two-time Pro Bowl selection.

Coming to the Patriots meant O’Neal also got the chance to finally play alongside Harrison. The two were teammates in the 2001 Pro Bowl, and O’Neal developed an admiration for Harrison’s style of play. Once upon a time, it looked as if Harrison would end up in Denver, where O’Neal began his career, but Harrison decided to take the Patriots up on the their offer.

So, in retrospect, O’Neal has realized that being released by the Bengals was a blessing for him professionally.

“I know it’s business, but I got a chance to move to something greater and better, I feel like,” O’Neal said yesterday, smiling when he was reminded that Cincinnati is winless in its first five games while the Patriots are off to a 3-1 start.

When the team announced that it had signed O’Neal, head coach Bill Belichick indicated that the Patriots’ intelligence told them that O’Neal might be released. When he was, they swooped in to get the 5-foot-10 corner.

Though he was not in training camp with New England and therefore has had to learn on the fly, it does not seem that Belichick regrets the decision.

“Deltha’s a smart guy; he’s got a lot of experience,” Belichick said. “He’s picked up our system. He’s certainly worked hard to accelerate the learning and the communication, the adjustments, and all those kinds of things that we have to do defensively in the secondary. He understands concepts and he’s an instinctive player. He’s put it together pretty quickly; it’s been impressive, really.”

After coming off the bench in week one, O’Neal has started each game since for New England. He helped keep the Chiefs out of the end zone during the Pats’ goal-line stand in the opener, and last week against San Francisco he made an interception on a Harrison-tipped ball.

“We’re by far one of the harder teams as far as defenses go picking up the playbook, picking up anything in this organization,” Ellis Hobbs said. “The way he’s come in, he’s done it quietly, and I think he’s done it the way the coaches and the organization expect him to do it, keeping your mouth shut, learning things as you go, learning on the fly and getting better with each rep.”

Hobbs said that not only is O’Neal a player he knows can be counted on during games, he’s also a good guy to be around and share a laugh with. That’s become clear in recent weeks as reporters have spotted O’Neal and Hobbs dancing to some bass-heavy songs, and O’Neal playing some indoor soccer at the expense of a few of the ceiling tiles in the New England locker room.

This week, O’Neal got to go back to his roots, visiting his former head coach at Milpitas and touring his old neighborhood, which was a bit unrecognizable to the former Cal standout.

About the only thing that isn’t a positive for O’Neal right now is that’s he’s away from his daughters. School had already begun in the Cincinnati area, so O’Neal’s wife, six-year-old Talia and two-year-old Mya stayed behind. He’s flown home on Monday nights to spend the Tuesday off-day with them on several occasions.

Talia asks her dad to wave to her during games so she can see him on television.

She hasn’t seen a game yet, but O’Neal has been on the field plenty for New England. If she waits, she’ll get what she wants, just like her dad.

smanza@projo.com