Why is everyone so surprised that Hightower is playing so well for us at ILB? I mean, that was the position he played at Alabama in Saban’s defense. I love watching him come off the edge or play up close to the LOS but ILB seems his true fit. I’m glad he’s there now, and I think he’s better at ILB than Mayo sorry to say. (I was typing that with trembling fingers)

I think some of it stems from comparing him as a run stopper to Brandon Spikes last year. There might not be another linebacker in the NFL who is as devastating against the run as Spikes, so that was an unfair comparison.

I also think it has to do with Hightower being so good in a variety of roles, we just didn’t want to see him relegated to solely MLB duty.

So what’s been great is that the Pats are moving him and Collins all over the place and it’s causing a lot of problems for offenses because they’re both so versatile. And you really need to know what they’re doing presnap because if they’re blitzing, they’re a load for a running back to block.

Hightower has also been a lot better in coverage this year than I imagined he could be.

And don’t be sorry about liking him more than Mayo, I tweeted the same thing earlier this week. Mayo is smart and fast, but I’d call him more of a tackling machine than a playmaker, if that makes sense.

Simply put I just like the defense with Hightower at the guy calling the plays than Mayo. It will be really interesting to see how things with Mayo play out this offseason.