Dead and Gone: The Dawning of a New Era

by Ian Tasso
Editorial. Photos by AP News

It was the worst loss in Patriots’ history – at least, from what I can remember.

As far as the NFL goes, all I’ve known my entire life is winning. All the Patriots have done since I’ve been involved is win. And not only did they win – they did it with a swagger. They were going to win how they wanted to win, when they wanted to win, punch you in the mouth when they did it, and have each other’s backs if it went wrong.

But not that Sunday. Not against the Ravens. One play, one touchdown, and it was over.

Not only were they down in the box score, but on the field, they hung their heads – for the first time in a long time.

These were not my Patriots. Or at least, not the ones I had grown up to know, love, and appreciate.

Long gone were the Tedy Bruschi and Mike Vrable head buts, the emotional pre-game, in-game, in-huddle speeches – the “I live for this shit man, I’d die for you” Rodney Harrison, Ty Law and Willie McGinnest halftime pump-ups.

Gone.

On the field? Yeah, they may be better without those guys. Great football decisions to let go of them. But in the huddle? In the locker room? The Patriots still haven’t recovered.

Who’s the locker room presence now? Randy Moss? I sure hope not. I love the guy, he’s a great talent, but I don’t want him leading the huddle. Brady has enough to worry about. Welker? He’s only one guy. Meriweather? Not yet.

Hell, the highest paid guy on defense isn’t even the most vocal. He’s the biggest – but not the most vocal.

So here they came, walking into the 2010 draft with more holes than I can remember. Cornerback, defensive linemen, linebackers, special teams – you name it, they didn’t have it. Aside from quarterback, the New England Patriots were, simply put, “Now Hiring.”

First round they took a cornerback. Okay, it wasn’t the biggest need, but it was a need. Plus, according to the ever-informative Bill Belichick “the guy can help us on all four downs.” Okay, I get it. That’s cool. Whatever – not the best pick, not the worst.

Then they grab a tight end – a big guy. A guy in Rob Gronkowski – great friggin’ name by the way - that was a sure-fire first rounder until he injured his back last season and fell to round two, where New England swiped up the 6’6 250 pounder.

First off – he’s a big boy. He’s a very big boy. Without a doubt, this is a guy that can contribute in his first year, and be a proven receiver down the seam for Brady – all in an offense that is going to be in a transition year, going from high-flying to methodical, possession scoring.

Secondly, he plays big. He plays tough. He’s hard to knock down, and even harder to keep down. He’s an emotional player – he plays with his heart. When he was selected by New England, he started chest-bumping his family. Which, beyond the obvious awkwardness, was completely badass. I’ve never seen someone chest-bump their grandmother before.

And thirdly, Belichick traded up for this kid. Up. Again, let me repeat that: he traded up. He never trades up. They wanted this guy. He was a first rounder a year ago. They needed a tight end. The doctors said he was good to go, so the Pats pulled the trigger. Done and done.

Next, New England grabbed the pass rusher they had been waiting for: Jermaine Cunningham out of Florida. He’s a quick guy, a normal sized backer, who rushes the passer pretty well for his position. Is he the next coming of Willie McGinnest? Probably not. But he’s a nice addition to a pass rush that features Tully Banta-Cain and not much else.

Then came the best pick of all - the on that sticks out the most.

With the 62nd overall pick, their third selection in the second round, the Patriots elected to go with a middle linebacker out of the University of Florida – Brandon Spikes. Here’s a guy who, aside from being the captain of UF from his junior year on, before the 2009-10 season, was projected as an early first round selection.

He has mean instincts, was rated A+ in the category by ScoutsInc as far as “first step reactios” go, has a prolific tackling ability, a shoulder that hits like a battering ram, and a knack for the big play at the crucial moment – something the Patriots lacked all season long in 2009.

Then he slid. After posting a sub-par 5.06 40-yd dash at Florida’s Pro Day, Spikes plummeted in the rankings. He went from an early first rounder, to a middle first rounder, to a second rounder, to a projected third rounder. All because of his “lack of speed.” To put it in perspective, Vince Wilfork – 325 lb Vince Wilfork – ran a 5.09 40 at his own combine back in 2004, .03 slower than Spikes.

Needless to say, it appeared there was indeed a bit of a “lack of speed” when it came to Florida’s captain.

I’m not fooled.

Let me tell you something about “lack of speed.” First off, the combine is complete bullshit. I’ve been against it ever since I started watching it. Sure, 40-yd dash time is great – but this isn’t track. Seriously though - when is Spikes, a run-stopping middle-linebacker going to have to run 40-yds at a time? I can see it for a receiver, a cornerback, a safety. But not for an inside backer.

The combine is just a compilation of Oakland Raider-based athleticism stats, and not much else.

Again, straight-line speed is terrific, just ask Darius Hey-ward Bey. It got him selected seventh overall last year. And then it got him nine catches and one touchdown in the 2009 season.

And yeah, the high-jump test is great, especially if you can slap a lot of those sticks or whatever. But this is football, not hurdles. The shuttle run? You can run between the cones really fast? Awesome. So you can catch a friggin’ squirrel. But it’s third and two and we need a stop – what are you going to do now?

I get it – speed is great to have. It is. The shuttle run shows agility, and all that jazz – all tremendous tools for any player to have.

But it means shit unless you can use it.

I repeat – it means absolute shit if you can’t use it. Just ask Sidney Rice, a guy who ran the sixth slowest 40-yd time at the 2007 combine. And then caught 83 balls for 1,312 yards and 8 touchdowns two years later.

But he has decent size and great hands, that’s why he was successful, Ian.

Okay, fine. How about this – we’ve talked about how Spikes is an inside backer, and might not need all that 40 speed anyway. But what about a position like outside linebacker? A guy who strictly rushes the passer, needs size and speed to be successful.

So how about we take Roosevelt Colvin, an undersized outside linebacker and ex-Patriot, who ran a 4.99 40-yd in the 1999 combine - just a little bit faster than Spikes himself. The result? He fell all the way to the fourth round, where he was selected 107th overall by the Chicago Bears in the 1999 NFL Draft.

Definitely not in line for a great career, right? Wrong.

After being drafted, Colvin then became the first Bear to post double digit sacks in consecutive years (2001-2002) since Richard Dent. He then was named to the Chicago Bears All-Decade team in 2009. All as a pass rusher – a guy who’s job it is to run down a quarterback. A guy who has under three-four seconds to get to, hit, and wrap up a professional quarterback. And he ran a 4.99.

So now – somebody, please – explain to me why Spikes can’t be effective as a “stay-at-home” lane-clogger? Ted Johnson did it. Tedy Bruschi did it later in his career. Why can’t Spikes? If Colvin can do all that as a pass rusher, in the right system, a Bears system that fit him perfectly, explain why Spikes can’t be extremely productive in a great 3-4 Patriots’ system that has produced some of the greatest defenders in recent NFL history?

Not to mention the character – the man is an all-out leader, no questions asked. He captained the 2008 Gators to a National Championship. And then captained the 2009 squad to a 12-1 second place finish in the SEC. He’s a ferocious defender in the lanes, and can bring down a body better than most at his position. In his career with Florida, he registered 285 tackles, six interceptions and four touchdowns. Oh, and two National Championships.

Not bad for a guy who can’t run a decent 40.

Not convinced? Here’s a look at what you’re getting with Spikes:

Needless to say, I’d rather have this guy commanding the middle than Adalius Thomas. He might be a bit slower – but god damnit, he’s going to make a difference, and he’s going to give a shit. And that’s half the battle.

After Spikes, the Patriots selected an underutilized receiver from Ohio and a multi-talented tight end from Florida – yet another great character guy. He’s a fast tight end with great hands, similar to a Ben Watson, but with the ability to catch. His one knock is his lack of blocking skills, which shouldn’t be a problem with Alge Crumpler rotating in on rushing downs.

Then came yet one of the most character-stapled individuals of them all. The punter – wait, punter? Yes, punter – Zoltan Mesko out of Michigan.

A character guy as a punter? You’ve got to be joking me.

Yeah, tell that to the 2009 Michigan Wolverines, who elected this guy team captain before his senior season.

That’s right, the 6-5, 231 lb punter became the first special teams player in Michigan history to be elected captain back in ‘09. Not only does he pack a punch – 16 reps of 225 lbs at the combine – but the guy’s a tremendous voice in the locker room. You don’t become a punting captain for nothing. Really though – that has to count for something.

A few offensive linemen and some compensatory picks later, and there you have it – the 2010 New England Patriots’ draft.

Sure, nobody that’s going to light up the scoreboard. In fact, most of their picks will be preventing scoring rather than anything else. And I have to say, I’m happy with it.

Extremely happy in fact.

Because football is a game that centers on character. It’s a sport unlike basketball, or baseball, where you have five to nine guys on the field of play at a time – an individually based sport.

Football is about 11 guys on offense, 11 on defense, and 32 more on the sidelines – each one more important to each other then the next. It’s the ultimate cohesive sport: you’re only as good as your weakest player. Each chain must hold the one to its right, the one to its left, or the whole thing falls apart.

And that’s what happened last year. Were they better than the Ravens? On paper, it’s debatable. They may have been better, they may have been worse.

But were they 20 points worse? A 33-14 score worse? No. Hell no. Not my Patriots.

You ask me what their biggest need was this draft; was it linebacker? Was it cornerback? Was it defensive linemen?

Wrong. Wrong on all of them. It was heart. It was character. Above all, this team needed exactly that – a team. They needed to go back to the blueprint that won them three out of four – heart, desire, jaw-breaking physicality, a “we’ll win, and we’ll kill you along the way” mentality.

Enough of the 2007 records. We saw it all, it was fun, it was exciting, but it didn’t work. It almost did, but it didn’t. Time for a change.

Let’s be honest for a second - Bill knows a thing or two about the draft. For all the complaints about the first round selection of his, the guy had a plan. He knew he wanted McCourty at 22, and that was his man. Still, he swindled his way to 27, picking up two more picks in the process, and nailed his man anyway.

He’s been around long enough to have seen what happens with guys like Maroney, Jackson and Klemm – he knows that you can miss often on early round talent. In fact, if you’re the Raiders, you miss more often than not. But it happens to everyone. Raw ability – combine ability - only means so much in this league. You have to be the full package.

Enter Brandon Spikes, Aaron Hernandez, Jermaine Cunningham, and a guy named Zontan.

No Heisman Trophy’s. No combine busters. No one that’s going to lead the NFL in touchdowns next year. In fact, the most effective offensively related player might be the punter next year. Go figure.

Is that a problem? Not at all. Because after last year’s failure of a season, Belichick made one thing clear: if he’s going down, he’s going down with guys who give a shit.

And you know what? I like that. I like that a lot.

I’d rather get blown out in the first round of the playoffs with Brandon Spikes at middle linebacker than Adalius Thomas on the bench.

Because one thing’s for sure – Thomas may have ran a 4.56 40-yard dash in his combine, and Spikes may have ran a 5.06 – yeah, it means the guy might take a little longer to get to the ball carrier. So what?

I can tell you for certain that Spikes sure as hell at least gives a damn about what happens when he gets there.

And that’s half the battle.

Football is more than a sport. It’s a battle. It’s 52 guys against 52 guys – the strongest men move on, the weakest go home. And after the 2010 draft, I can at least say one thing about these Patriots – about my Patriots.

If I’m going into battle, these are the guys I want at my side: Vrable, Law, Milloy and Harrison.

And while none of those names will be walking through the Patriots’ door anytime soon, Brandon Spikes is a damn good start.

I’ve been accustomed to winning, but I can deal with the losing. It would be ignorant to think or feel otherwise. I can deal with the losses. But I can’t deal with a lack of effort. I can’t, you can’t, and Belichick can’t.

He made that much clear with the 2010 draft.

Simply put, this team needed some character. And they needed it bad.

Well, they got it. A little bit of it, anyway. And sometimes that’s all it takes.

OVERALL DRAFT GRADE: B+