hes on pace to finish with a career high 149 tackles

wtih this caveat:

"While the highlight-reel hits and animosity with opponents (either real or perceived) makes for great theater, if Spikes wants to be considered a truly elite linebacker, some believe he needs to start stringing together more consistent performances, particularly when it comes to pass defense."

 

he may not be patrick willis, but i'll take him any day.

i like him for his run d. He still has problems w/ coverage and sometimes is out of position or picks the wrong hole - BUT, he is an impact player. How many fumbles has he created this season. How many opponents DON'T want to get hit by him.  And his favorite player is Butkus....

Spikes is best player on this d because of his energy and hitting...  He is the key.  I hope he doesn't get fined this week. 

 he did have a pas defensed in the end zone.

As an ILB coverage shouldn't be his strong suit. He's there to make game changing plays (ie fumbles and pressure). We have Mayo for the solid all around back pruposes. Yes, both are very important and play off each other. It's just Spikes makes the impact plays so he's more recognizable but the consistency Mayo brings makes the duo special. Now once Hightower becomes more consistent that's going to be a special LB core. However, I don't think they need to find a good 3rd down LB for coverage situations.

Right at this moment though I think we have one of the best LB cores in the game. Now if only the Pats would take advantage of it and rush more then 3-4.

Spikes is a beast!  He might not be the fastest LB in football but he is tough as nails!! Love watchung him play!

He reminds me so much of Bryan Cox. Cox wasn't the fastest guy but he could play! Much like Spikes

In response to Homecheese's comment:

+1  

I hope he sticks around for many years. I also would like BB to play him down hill more. He is very disruptive and must be accounted for playing down hill. Back peddling? Zone? Not so much. 

Spikes is a quality ILB, and part of that is that he is excellent at getting to the runner. 

I hate when people bag on his coverage ability, Bruschi wasn't much of a cover LB either.

He looks like a +8.3 linebacker to me.  But the difference between an +8.3 and a +10.1 is only about a Stanley Nickel, maybe as much as two and a half Schrute bucks.

In response to shenanigan's comment:

He may not be a great coverage LB, but he always seems to make the tackle on the receiver he's covering. That's a strength we could use in a few others.

In response to Homecheese's comment:

Great comparison. I always remember that Cox was portrayed as a 'dirty player ( read aggressive)" . And when he gave the bird to Buffalo fans he was portrayed as a jerk. But when he came to us in the 2001 season, I said "YES, great ! now he is our jerk.. hopefully same will hold true for Talib"

I loved his statement when he was being fined on multiple occasions for  questionable hits ( ala James Harrison)  " they can fine me all they want...  hey, I've been poor before' , referencing his upbringing in East St Louis.

also he was asked at the end of the 2001 season if he should be reactivated and he said something to the effect that the team was playing so good that he didnt want to disrupt what was happenning.

I respect Bryan Cox and think he was a cog in the Pats resurgance.

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He´s a player... plus intimidant force... maybe the only one we have on D.

In response to Neal Page's comment:

^^ What he said.

In response to Navin Johnson's comment:

That is never a guarantee.

Would love to see everyone on the defense play the way Spikes does

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In response to 49Patriots' comment:

Bruschi had a knack for being around the ball in zone coverage and coming up with huge picks.

I remember a great pick by spikes in playoff ravens game.  That was an athletic leaping hands over head catch and run back.  This guy is the real deal.

That said , could do without the arm flex when a guy is injured.  When I saw that it really surprised me, like dude... Not cool.  Hit was cool.  Arm flex not so much.

In response to 49Patriots' comment:

Both of them can be effective in zone. You need a pass rush to get LBers some interceptions. 

In response to bredbru's comment:

Im glad you mentioned him. I will say compared to where he was when he first arrived, He has made great strides in the coverage dept and at this point I wouldnt put him that far behind any other of our linebackers. I mean his 1st year he wouldnt even chase anyone beyond 5 yards before he would just stop and this kept him off the field in passing situations. Now he is usually on the field and can atleast run with the tight end now. My not make too many INTs but he has a couple on his resume and im just glad to see he is improving in that area but lets face it. He is here to wreack havoc on RBs and can also punish QBs. He has been a much needed force in this struggling defense.

I want to see spikes and Hightower unleashed this week on alternating blitzes to get them in lucks face and/ or blow up plays in the backfield.

This front seven is just begging to be a dominant pressure defense, a la buddy Ryan 46...

Would be nice to see it mixed in , especially in the first quarter to make luck as uncomfortable as possible.

In response to 49Patriots' comment:

maybe. But he's was an impact playmaker....

In response to TripleOG's comment:

+1