jmt57

Interesting article by Christopher Price, based on a discussion with NFL Films and NFL Matchup producer Greg Cosell at last week's combine.

It Is What It Is » NFL Films producer Greg Cosell discusses impact of Rob Ninkovich, Brandon Spikes on Patriots defense

“I thought two guys who played really well down the stretch and helped their defense play better — it clearly played better — were Ninkovich and Brandon Spikes,”

“I thought he played real well, particularly down the stretch,” Cosell said of Ninkovich, one of only two NFL defenders to finish the regular season with at least six sacks and two interceptions. “I think Ninkovich, he became a really versatile player. He’s not a dynamic, explosive playmaker, play after play. I don’t think he’s a guy who offenses say, ‘We better account for Rob Ninkovich.’ But I thought he played really well down the stretch.”

“I’m a huge Spikes fan, for what he is. I’m not going to ask him to run with Jimmy Graham, but for what he is, I think he’s really good,” Cosell said. “There aren’t many guys in the league like him who play downhill. He takes on blocks with violence. That’s a dying breed in the NFL. A passing league, a spread league, now, you have linebackers that run around blocks. He took on blocks this year, and he usually won.”

DarrylS

Nice.......

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JackBauer

So are we content with Ninkovich as a starting OLB, or what?

PATRIOTSFANINPA

Spikes is going to be a good ILB for a long time,everyone was concerned about his speed coming out of college but you could fool me,he looks pretty darn fast on game day.

As far as Nink goes....the more he plays and comes off the edge with tenacity,the more he reminds me of the former player to wear #50 here,Mike Vrabel....he may need a few more seasons to fully become as good as Mike,but he appears to be heading that way each year he in on this defense.

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PATRIOTSFANINPA

I wouldn't say content but what we have there with Nink is pretty good depth IMO ....I think Cunningham is the guy that needs to go,Jermaine was a healthy bench warmer most of last year when it was supposed to be a year for him to mature into a force from the edge,doesn't appear to be a future for him at OLB.

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JackBauer

I agree that Cunningham's prospects are dim. But I also think, should we choose to roll with the 3-4 base this season, he deserves the opportunity to at least come to camp and give it another shot.

nabwong

People forget the impact of Ninkovich is more than just the OLB position. He is great value because he is decent player in a position that commands a lot of money. This frees up valuable cap space for other positions.

The haters will say, we always don't spend the max cap. For good reason. This gives us the flexibility at season end. We will never spend the max cap. It's like having a renovation budget on your home. Always account 20% for contingency.

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R_T26

I think he's better than Mayo personally. Mayo does not make enough impact plays and seems like too much of a nice guy.

AndyJohnson

Although the comments are positive and nice to hear, Cosell, IMO, is a horrible evaluator.

Deus Irae

Mayo's an elite ILB, and is probably the second best in the game. Ninkovich is a rotation-level player/low-end starter, although he seems to be improving over time.


Ninkovich doesn't even dream of being better than Mayo.

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