PatsPropaganda

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Brandon Spikes

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Brandon Spikes stayed around after tonight’s practice and signed autographs for a while. Good stuff, made a lot of people’s nights and some lifelong fans.

Excited to see what he does this year. It’s pretty clear this guy can go berserker on offensive linemen. He brings a great energy to the defense and I really hope to see him on the field more this year. 

If he really is playing mike in the 4-3 we definitely will be.

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

https://www.patspropaganda.com/brandon-spikes-stayed-around-after-tonights/

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By every account of practice today Brandon Spikes was a stand out. Mike Reiss spoke with Spikes and it sounds like he’s got his head right and put the work in. Between him and Haynesworth the Patriots are going to have two intimidating presences on defense.

The defense dominated today, which as James Christensen of NEPatriotsDraft pointed out, is actually pretty common. It’s easy to destroy something that relies so much on timing and execution at the start.

Still, it’s nice to know the D is destroying anything after how their pass defense looked last year.

https://www.patspropaganda.com/by-every-account-of-practice-today-brandon-spikes/

Frenz: Patriots Brandon Spikes to see spike in playing time?

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Frenz: Patriots Brandon Spikes to see spike in playing time?

Really interesting stuff here from our podmate Frenz and he raises some interesting points. One of my favorite lines:

In [the 45-3 Jets] game, Spikes was credited with seven tackles in only 23 plays. Including the interception, he played a part in over one-third of the defensive plays in which he was on the field.

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Patriots Draft Flashback: Brandon Spikes

I remember thinking in 2009 how much I’d love to get Spikes on the Pats, but early on it looked like he was projected to go in the top 15. Well after a lackluster senior year the Pats were able to get him in the second round and he immediately became an impact player. I expect big things out of him in 2011.

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

https://www.patspropaganda.com/patriots-draft-flashback-brandon-spikes-i/

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Not that all announcer’s clichés for players are correct, but for Brandon Spikes it is dead on. He is simply a great “football player”. Any lack of athleticism is made up for (and then some) by his ability to understand what is happening on the field. The tape on him consistently shows him moving to the right spot steps ahead of other linebackers. Plus, once he gets there he has enough strength and skill to shed blockers and stop a play in its tracks.

In just 364 snaps, Spikes registered 24 stops, percentage-wise the best on the Patriots and near the best in the league. His overall grade for 2010 was +18.6 (11th among all inside linebackers) and his grade against the run was +15.9 (8th best ILB.) He was at his best against Baltimore and Minnesota – two of his highest snap-count games – collecting 15 tackles, three assists, and eight stops in the two contests combined.

Spikes definitely excels against the run, but that isn’t necessarily to say that he struggles against the pass. His overall coverage grade was +2.7, with two passes defensed and a red zone interception against the Jets so there were bright spots in the 119 coverage snaps he saw. The Patriots don’t aim to use Spikes in passing situations, but he has shown himself as a passable option if needed. With that said, don’t expect to see him covering anyone man-to-man anytime soon.

ProFootballFocus.com

https://www.patspropaganda.com/not-that-all-announcers-cliches-for-players-are/

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Brandon Spikes 2010 Patriots Highlights

Oh boy I’m glad thedraftthinker took the time to put together a Spikes highlight reel. He might never play on third down but he will lock down first and second as a dominant run stopper and someone who will make plays, even in coverage. It’s too bad he lost the last four games of the season and didn’t see much time in the playoff game.

Hopefully he can stay out of the headlines this year and really make an impact.

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

https://www.patspropaganda.com/brandon-spikes-2010-patriots-highlights-oh-boy/

Top 5 Patriots who will take big steps in 2011

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One factor that is often discounted when projecting needs for your team next year is the development of younger players. For those who just finished their rookie season they are just now, for the first time since the offseason before their last year of college, getting a chance to slow down and catch their breath.

Here’s my list of five players I expect to see take big steps forward in 2011.

Taylor Price

Price had a couple things going against him in his rookie year. First, he was coming from a run first, basic college offense, and second, he got a later start than most because he couldn’t report until his after his college’s late graduation. 

So he was already behind the learning curve, but couldn’t even get into rookie mini-camp with everyone else and get a jump. Price had essentially a red shirt year in 2011, but his two hallmarks, size and speed, are what the Patriots definitely need more of. We should hope to see something out of him in camp and preseason.

Taylor Price Patriots

Jermaine Cunningham

Few positions provide a great transitional challenge that college defensive end to NFL outside linebacker but Cunningham showed enough potential to be considered a possible three down linebacker for the Pats. His progress is tough to totally grade due to the nagging calf injury he had late in the year, but when healthy he was used in a variety of ways and made a couple big plays along the way, most notably just getting enough pressure to force Peyton Manning into a game-sealing interception.

Brandon Spikes

Spikes was really making great progress when he was suspended the final four games of the regular season for taking an ADHD medicine that was banned. Spikes provided the instant “Mike” inside linebacker presence that we thought he would. He comes down hill hard and is excellent at timing his run blitzes. I look forward to watching him continue to blast offensive lineman backwards. The biggest thing for Spikes is quickly identifying play fakes, something he was really picking up as evidenced by his interception of Mark Sanchez in the 45-3 game. The year of experience, both on and off the field, should really pay huge dividends for Spikes.

Brandon Tate

No one really cuts Brandon Tate much slack for some reason, but coming off a 24-catch season that was essentially his first full year in three seasons, it’s actually a pretty good start. Compared to how much we saw Chad Jackson on the field during his first year, it looks like the coaching staff does see potential in Tate. Consider what Tory Holt had to say about Tate after the seasons:

Brandon Tate, I think he is a speed guy. We all saw that he can stretch the field. More playing experience will help him in terms of slowing down and understanding the game and knowing where to be, being that much more reliable for Tom. I think that will come. 

So while people like Mike Lombardi are saying the Pats do need to add another vertical threat this off-season, let’s not fall asleep on Tate developing into a more all around receiving threat that defenses will have to respect.

Patrick Chung

I’m sure there are a lot of people out there who will continue to hate my boy Patchung! for the botched playoff fake punt. But the truth is that Chung will likely be the number one safety in 2011 for the Pats. He’s a versatile player, who was a victim of that versatility when he was forced to play as a slot cornerback for much of the second half of the season. If he’s allowed to move back into more of a Rodney Harrison-type role he should really excel, especially given how much experience he gained in 2011.