Spikes stepping up
Prior to Sunday's loss in Cincinnati, one of the more notable changes in the Patriot's defense from recent years (aside from the fact they were actually playing well) was the decreased role of thumping linebacker Brandon Spikes. While some speculated this could be due to what was perceived as a bad attitude in the off-season, it was mostly due to an overarching change in the Patriot's defensive scheme.
That success of that scheme however, largely hinged on the presence of Vince Wilfork in the center of the line. I wrote last week about how the linebackers would have to step up in place of Vince and serve as the primary run stoppers in order for the defense to keep rolling.
And for the most part, they did a good job. While Green-Ellis and Bernard were able to rip off some long runs, and Vince was dearly missed on the late-game goal-line standoff, the defense as a whole limited a talented Bengal's offense to 13 points.
Two of the game's best performers were Jerrod Mayo and Brandon Spikes, who re-emerged as a key player for the team after being largely invisible through the first four games. Mike Reiss broke down the defensive snap counts from the game and the implications of those numbers yesterday. His biggest takeway: the return of Spikes (Quote from ESPNBoston.com):
Along with his blitzing and run-stopping, Spikes also had a huge interception on a ill-advised red zone pass by Andy Dalton. Spikes is going to have to continue to play this well if the team is going to succeed without Vince Wilfork, especially given the fact that Joe Vellano was dominated by the Bengal's offensive line. Steve Palazzolo of Pro Football of Pro Football Focus went into great detail Monday on just how well Spikes played:
Vince's injury has put a huge amount of pressure and responsibility on both Joe Vellano and Chris Jones. A reliance on rookies and inexperienced players permeates this year's team, which consequently increases the importance of the veterans like Spikes to play exceptionally well while serving as strong on-field leaders.
@LiamPCunningham
@PatriotsLife
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| (Getty Images via ESPN.com) |
That success of that scheme however, largely hinged on the presence of Vince Wilfork in the center of the line. I wrote last week about how the linebackers would have to step up in place of Vince and serve as the primary run stoppers in order for the defense to keep rolling.
And for the most part, they did a good job. While Green-Ellis and Bernard were able to rip off some long runs, and Vince was dearly missed on the late-game goal-line standoff, the defense as a whole limited a talented Bengal's offense to 13 points.
Two of the game's best performers were Jerrod Mayo and Brandon Spikes, who re-emerged as a key player for the team after being largely invisible through the first four games. Mike Reiss broke down the defensive snap counts from the game and the implications of those numbers yesterday. His biggest takeway: the return of Spikes (Quote from ESPNBoston.com):
The most significant change from last week was the inclusion of linebacker Brandon Spikes in sub packages, as his overall snap total (57) spiked considerably. Spikes had averaged 22.5 snaps per game through the first four weeks and was on for just six plays last week versus the Falcons. As ESPN analyst Tedy Bruschi had forecasted, Spikes was utilized on several run blitzes into the middle of the line as part of the strategy of accounting for defensive tackle Vince Wilfork’s absence. Spikes' increase in playing time had a trickle-down effect on Dont’a Hightower, whose snaps were down from the norm. Hightower has a hamstring injury, which could also have been a factor in that switch.
Along with his blitzing and run-stopping, Spikes also had a huge interception on a ill-advised red zone pass by Andy Dalton. Spikes is going to have to continue to play this well if the team is going to succeed without Vince Wilfork, especially given the fact that Joe Vellano was dominated by the Bengal's offensive line. Steve Palazzolo of Pro Football of Pro Football Focus went into great detail Monday on just how well Spikes played:
One way to replace Wilfork is at the linebacker level, and the Patriots got stellar play from their starting three, particularly Brandon Spikes who entered Page of Fame status with a +7.4 effort. He was a force against the run as he graded at +6.0 with eight stops. It was classic Spikes as he shot gaps, as he did at the 7:21 mark of the second quarter, but he also made offensive linemen pay as he did to Andrew Whitworth with 10:24 to go in the second, and to Andre Smith at the 0:32 mark of the third. At times he even lined up in the A-gap and effectively worked as an extra defensive tackle, as he did against Cook with a quick shed for the tackle at the 12:44 mark of the fourth quarter. In addition to his work in the run game, Spikes also picked off Dalton in the red zone at the end of the first as he stepped in front of the ill-advised throw intended for tight end Tyler Eifert. While the defensive tackles struggled in the running game, Spikes more than picked up the slack in Wilfork’s absence.
Vince's injury has put a huge amount of pressure and responsibility on both Joe Vellano and Chris Jones. A reliance on rookies and inexperienced players permeates this year's team, which consequently increases the importance of the veterans like Spikes to play exceptionally well while serving as strong on-field leaders.
@LiamPCunningham
@PatriotsLife
