Brandon Spikes signed / released (merge)

[Superman]

Sounds to me like Spikes is the steal of the decade. No ? 

 

No, not even close. The Pats let him walk last season, and won the Super Bowl without him. That doesn't mean he's a bad player, and he's not; but it's not like he's this great difference maker that is going to significantly update their defense.

 

The reason he lingered on the market and then got a small contract offer is because he has a series of indiscretions, on and off the field, and because he has a big mouth. And I'm not trying to make it seem like he's a bad guy or a huge distraction or anything. But he has a record of saying and doing dumb things, going back to college.

 

As it pertains to the Colts, it's no surprise that they weren't interested. He's a pretty good two-down run stopper who struggles in pass coverage, and he had a substandard year in Buffalo, and he's had some concerning character issues. Grigson and Pagano made a big deal of only adding guys that they thought fit the ideal, on and off the field. It's easy to see how Spikes misses the mark.

[amfootball]

No, not even close. The Pats let him walk last season, and won the Super Bowl without him. That doesn't mean he's a bad player, and he's not; but it's not like he's this great difference maker that is going to significantly update their defense.

 

The reason he lingered on the market and then got a small contract offer is because he has a series of indiscretions, on and off the field, and because he has a big mouth. And I'm not trying to make it seem like he's a bad guy or a huge distraction or anything. But he has a record of saying and doing dumb things, going back to college.

 

As it pertains to the Colts, it's no surprise that they weren't interested. He's a pretty good two-down run stopper who struggles in pass coverage, and he had a substandard year in Buffalo, and he's had some concerning character issues. Grigson and Pagano made a big deal of only adding guys that they thought fit the ideal, on and off the field. It's easy to see how Spikes misses the mark.

You missed his sarcasm.

[Superman]

Anything that Bill does makes everyone else dumb for not doing it. 

 

[Superman]

You missed his sarcasm.

 

Thanks, but I got the sarcasm.

[amfootball]

Thanks, but I got the sarcasm.

Oh your lengthy response made it seem that you took his comment seriously.

[southwest1]

Anything that Bill does makes everyone else dumb for not doing it. 

When Bill drafted Malcolm Brown this year, I said "There's Vince Wilfork's replacement. Man, he's good. He knows where his team's vulnerabilities are & then fills them immediately." INDY could have got him & we went WR. Sigh...Philip Dorsett still doesn't sit well with me either. I can't lie to myself. 

 

Brandon's a good run stuffer. Another good move by Bill. 

[amfootball]

When Bill drafted Malcolm Brown this year, I said "There's Vince Wilfork's replacement. Man, he's good. He knows where his team's vulnerabilities are & then fills them immediately." INDY could have got him & we went WR. Sigh...Philip Dorsett still doesn't sit well with me either. I can't lie to myself. 

 

Brandon's a good run stuffer. Another good move by Bill. 

I was being tongue and cheek with that comment. Seems as though Bill gets credit at times for inventing football.

 

I did like the Brown pick - a lot. Seems like a great player and person. And Spikes will be good vs the run which was not good last year especially in the post-season.

 

I think Dorsett is going to be a great player for you guys even if WR was not a top need.

[dw49]

Anything that Bill does makes everyone else dumb for not doing it. 

 

 

I like that idea

[southwest1]

I was being tongue and cheek with that comment. Seems as though Bill gets credit at times for inventing football.

 

I did like the Brown pick - a lot. Seems like a great player and person. And Spikes will be good vs the run which was not good last year especially in the post-season.

 

I think Dorsett is going to be a great player for you guys even if WR was not a top need.

I appreciate the kind words AMF. Thank you. I have nothing against Philip personally. I just wanted to go on the defensive side of the ball with our 1st pick overall. Brown will be a stud for your club. Easy. 

[Superman]

Spikes released by Pats.

 

http://espn.go.com/boston/nfl/story/_/id/13035812/brandon-spikes-released-new-england-patriots

[pgt_rob]

Yes and no. He is great verse the run.

 

Seems to be good against the hit and run in foxborough, too.

[amfootball]

Seems to be good against the hit and run in foxborough, too.

Yep, they just released him, http://espn.go.com/boston/nfl/story/_/id/13035812/brandon-spikes-released-new-england-patriots

 

Pats don't mess around with stupid. A shame as he could have been a big plus vs the run this year ...

[21isSuperman]

Patriots released LB Brandon Spikes, per source. Wasted no time....

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter)

June 8, 2015

 

He's currently being investigated for a hit-and-run that sent 3 people to a hospital and involved a car that was registered in his name.  There is no word on his involvement in the hit-and-run

[amfootball]

Yeah, I posted this on another thread. Glad the Pats let him go. They don't do stupid. A real shame as he could have helped this year vs the run. Oh well ..

[21isSuperman]

Yeah, I posted this on another thread. Glad the Pats let him go. They don't do stupid. A real shame as he could have helped this year vs the run. Oh well ..

I read he wasn't going to be counted on for a big role with the team, anyway.  He was apparently just signed as insurance for Mayo and Hightower

[amfootball]

I read he wasn't going to be counted on for a big role with the team, anyway.  He was apparently just signed as insurance for Mayo and Hightower

Yeah, probably a two down player if that. He would have been in there I think in obvious run situations but he was sitting on the FA market for months before Bill picked him up. Not a huge loss by any means but still tough to see a player ruin a great op by being dumb.

[21isSuperman]

Yeah, probably a two down player if that. He would have been in there I think in obvious run situations but he was sitting on the FA market for months before Bill picked him up. Not a huge loss by any means but still tough to see a player ruin a great op by being dumb.

For what it's worth, he may not have done anything dumb.  He might not even have been anywhere near the incident.

[amfootball]

For what it's worth, he may not have done anything dumb.  He might not even have been anywhere near the incident.

Sure but in today's NFL especially with a team like the Pats who were burned badly by Hernandez there is zero tolerance. Having yourself associated with something like this is enough especially when you were a marginal player to being with. I do hope things works out for him and that he is cleared but there is a lot of smoke to this situation.

[pacolts56]

For what it's worth, he may not have done anything dumb.  He might not even have been anywhere near the incident.

[dw49]

Freeman and Jackson (at this point in his career) are both average ILB talents. I think, if he heals up, Irving will be better than either of them.

 

Spikes has always been an excellent run defender and held his own in coverage. I really don't understand the lack of market for him. Pats got a steal.

 

 

 

Yep..

[12isthenew18]

that's crazy. He better not complain about why he's not signed again

[dw49]

Spikes released by Pats.

 

http://espn.go.com/boston/nfl/story/_/id/13035812/brandon-spikes-released-new-england-patriots

 

 

Looks like somebody else gets to pull off the "signing of the century ?"

[csmopar]

Sure but in today's NFL especially with a team like the Pats who were burned badly by Hernandez there is zero tolerance. Having yourself associated with something like this is enough especially when you were a marginal player to being with. I do hope things works out for him and that he is cleared but there is a lot of smoke to this situation.

They knew full well what they were getting into with Hernandez.......

[amfootball]

They knew full well what they were getting into with Hernandez.......

Huh? No they didn't. Guy had no history of being a serial murderer ... otherwise he would have never made it into the draft ...

[Bad Morty]

They knew full well what they were getting into with Hernandez.......

Just curious...do you think Hernandez would have gone undrafted had the Pats not taken him? And if he did, do you think he would have signed somewhere as a free agent?

[dw49]

Just curious...do you think Hernandez would have gone undrafted had the Pats not taken him? And if he did, do you think he would have signed somewhere as a free agent?

 

 

I think maybe the point some are making is that some teams take players off their draft boards because of character issues. I'm sure no one is stupid enough to thinks Hernandez would have gone unsigned if NE did not make him a 2nd rounder . I think 2nd rounder .. I don't want to bother to look it up. Comprende ?

[amfootball]

I think maybe the point some are making is that some teams take players off their draft boards because of character issues. I'm sure no one is stupid enough to thinks Hernandez would have gone unsigned if NE did not make him a 2nd rounder . I think 2nd rounder .. I don't want to bother to look it up. Comprende ?

Hernandez character issues consisted of smoking pot and bar fights. Pretty much par for the course with many NFL draftees. Heck, look who Elway took in the first round this year and he was lauded for it.

[Gramz]

So many double stardards.

[amfootball]

Double post ...

[amfootball]

I think maybe the point some are making is that some teams take players off their draft boards because of character issues. I'm sure no one is stupid enough to thinks Hernandez would have gone unsigned if NE did not make him a 2nd rounder . I think 2nd rounder .. I don't want to bother to look it up. Comprende ?

BTW, he was a 4th round pick.

[Bad Morty]

I think maybe the point some are making is that some teams take players off their draft boards because of character issues. I'm sure no one is stupid enough to thinks Hernandez would have gone unsigned if NE did not make him a 2nd rounder . I think 2nd rounder .. I don't want to bother to look it up. Comprende ?

 

The Pats used a 4th round pick on him. He put up first round pick numbers for the duration of his rookie deal without getting into any off-field issues. So...was that a lousy draft pick? When they extended him, that didn't work out. But it's hard to conclude that the pick wasn't anything other than a great one.

[dw49]

The Pats used a 4th round pick on him. He put up first round pick numbers for the duration of his rookie deal without getting into any off-field issues. So...was that a lousy draft pick? When they extended him, that didn't work out. But it's hard to conclude that the pick wasn't anything other than a great one.

 

 

Where do I say it was a lousy draft pick ? I just stated that some teams have been known to not put as much emphasis on character when drafting or signing players. I think a case can be made that NE and Cinn are two such teams. Comprende ?

[21isSuperman]

They knew full well what they were getting into with Hernandez.......

 

 

Huh? No they didn't. Guy had no history of being a serial murderer ... otherwise he would have never made it into the draft ...

It's actually interesting to see what teams knew back then about Hernandez.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000326445/article/aaron-hernandezs-nfl-entry-what-did-scouts-know-back-then

 

"They couldn't pin a lot of stuff on him (at Florida)," said one AFC college scouting director, whose team had Hernandez off the board. "But people at the school would tell you, 'Every time there's an issue, he's around it.' If there was trouble, Hernandez's name would come up. ... He was a con guy. Very believable. Spoke well. A lot of things inside of you hoped you'd turn him around, but people that I talked to said they didn't trust him, that he'd burn you."

 

Those who were at Florida, working under Urban Meyer, confirm that much: Hernandez had a way of beating the system. Said one ex-Gator staffer, "He was really intelligent, and that's why he was such a pain in the butt. He knew how to beat the system on everything."

 

They knew Hernandez was trouble, but the article does state that there was no indication that he was a murderer.  He was  immature/surrounded by the wrong people/impressionable/a pain in the backside, but not a murderer.

[dw49]

Hernandez character issues consisted of smoking pot and bar fights. Pretty much par for the course with many NFL draftees. Heck, look who Elway took in the first round this year and he was lauded for it.

 

 Seems like post 18 has a very different take from an AFC scout ? As for your assessment , it would depend on how bad and how often the bar fights were. No ? Man do you sometimes put some weird spins on things. I mean that Denver comparison is really out there.

[csmopar]

Just curious...do you think Hernandez would have gone undrafted had the Pats not taken him? And if he did, do you think he would have signed somewhere as a free agent?

No...but I figured I'd play the delusional part today.

[ColtsBlueFL]

Looks like somebody else gets to pull off the "signing of the century ?"

 

Now playing on a football message board near you-

 

 

see how many Supertamp fans there are...   LOL

[Bad Morty]

Where do I say it was a lousy draft pick ? I just stated that some teams have been known to not put as much emphasis on character when drafting or signing players. I think a case can be made that NE and Cinn are two such teams. Comprende ?

 

Things change rapidly...back in the day when Hernandez was drafted, the league was pretty dramatically different when it came to how teams viewed "character" issues. The concern teams had about "character"  began and ended with how their issues might impact the player's on-field performance, not about any morality stance. Players like Hernandez were always a "risk/reward" scenario when it came to the draft...a math exercise. Everyone knew the guy was a first round talent. The concern was that he'd screw up and land in jail or be a disruption to the team or whatever. So nobody wanted to risk a bust first round pick...or 2nd round pick...or even 3rd round pick. But by the time the 4th round came along, the risk was minimized. Who cares if a 4th round pick doesn't pan out? It happens every year. I'm convinced that he would not have made it through the 5th round had the Pats not grabbed him. I'll bet there were several teams that would have taken him at that point (though obviously nobody will admit that).

[Superman]

It's actually interesting to see what teams knew back then about Hernandez.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000326445/article/aaron-hernandezs-nfl-entry-what-did-scouts-know-back-then

 

"They couldn't pin a lot of stuff on him (at Florida)," said one AFC college scouting director, whose team had Hernandez off the board. "But people at the school would tell you, 'Every time there's an issue, he's around it.' If there was trouble, Hernandez's name would come up. ... He was a con guy. Very believable. Spoke well. A lot of things inside of you hoped you'd turn him around, but people that I talked to said they didn't trust him, that he'd burn you."

 

Those who were at Florida, working under Urban Meyer, confirm that much: Hernandez had a way of beating the system. Said one ex-Gator staffer, "He was really intelligent, and that's why he was such a pain in the butt. He knew how to beat the system on everything."

 

They knew Hernandez was trouble, but the article does state that there was no indication that he was a murderer.  He was  immature/surrounded by the wrong people/impressionable/a pain in the backside, but not a murderer.

 

Ehh, it's easy to talk about how you didn't have a guy on your board after he's arrested for murder.

[amfootball]

It's actually interesting to see what teams knew back then about Hernandez.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000326445/article/aaron-hernandezs-nfl-entry-what-did-scouts-know-back-then

 

"They couldn't pin a lot of stuff on him (at Florida)," said one AFC college scouting director, whose team had Hernandez off the board. "But people at the school would tell you, 'Every time there's an issue, he's around it.' If there was trouble, Hernandez's name would come up. ... He was a con guy. Very believable. Spoke well. A lot of things inside of you hoped you'd turn him around, but people that I talked to said they didn't trust him, that he'd burn you."

 

Those who were at Florida, working under Urban Meyer, confirm that much: Hernandez had a way of beating the system. Said one ex-Gator staffer, "He was really intelligent, and that's why he was such a pain in the butt. He knew how to beat the system on everything."

 

They knew Hernandez was trouble, but the article does state that there was no indication that he was a murderer.  He was  immature/surrounded by the wrong people/impressionable/a pain in the backside, but not a murderer.

Yeah, he had a bad rap sheet for sure but not unlike many draft picks before him. Of course he also had first round talent. I have never understood the thinking of brow beating the Pats for drafting him. So many of the guys that come into the NFL have poor backgrounds and rap sheets and teams sign them all the time. Now IF the Pats had kept him (had he not been convicted of murder) the way the Ravens and Cowboys have with their problem players then I could do see the outrage. But all a team can is the necessary research and hope the environment they provide helps players reach their potential. I mean your description also would indicate how NFL teams would also be fooled by him.

[amfootball]

Looks like somebody else gets to pull off the "signing of the century ?"

If I had to guess I say Cowboys.