My take on Spikes is that there are other contractual issues that would jump ahead of it, and I’d personally let at least half the year play out before exploring it. The reason is that I’d want more information (i.e. Is he healthy? Are his skills improving?) before committing significant future dollars to him. I also consider this: When the Patriots traded up in the first round to select Hightower in 2012, they didn’t do it because they viewed him as a two-down player. He should be on the field on third down based on where he was selected. I think he will be and it’s just finding the role that maximizes his talent. On the coverage linebacker on the whole, I think it’s one of those things that would be nice to have but it’s not mandatory. Similar to you, I like the idea of them playing more dime with either Wilson (Adrian, Tavon) in a linebacker-type role this season. The hope is that you’re strong enough against the run in doing so and don’t get run over like the Bills did when they played almost exclusively a dime package in the first meeting versus the Patriots last year.