Jamie Collins is a Pro-Bowler

I thought he was a beast last night again. The guy has elite coverage skills for a LB, last night he was great against the run. Since Mayo went down he's pretty much been in the double-digits in tackles. He is playing as good as any LB in the AFC and should be in the Pro-Bowl

I doubt he'll get the vote, but I agree he's playing on that level. His tackling and run defense were very solid yesterday, and his coverage ability is elite. If the Pats let him rush more, he would rack up the numbers. Collins and Hightower are as solid a pair of LBs as there is in the NFL right now.

Not only was he good against the run, he seems to be improving dramatically at coming off blocks. If he and Hightower keep playing at this level for the rest of the season, they would deserve to be All Pros.

Am I crazy? As good as Mayo is when he's on I think Jamie Collins right now is better the sky's the limit for that kid. You have to wonder about the Mayo situation going forward.

PatsFan2 said:

Am I crazy as good as Myao is when he's on right now I think Jamie Collins right now is better the sky's the limit for tat kid. You have to wonder about the Mayo situation going forward.

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There is no doubt that Mayo makes the base much, much better by being in the middle. But given the predominance of sub, Mayo's cap hit, and the development of Collins and Hightower, it's a big question mark how to deal with things.

PatsFan2 said:

Am I crazy as good as Myao is when he's on right now I think Jamie Collins right now is better the sky's the limit for tat kid. You have to wonder about the Mayo situation going forward.

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Mayo is the heart and soul of that locker room, and a total BB type player. If he comes back near 100%, I can't imagine he and BB parting ways for a long time.

mayoclinic said:

I doubt he'll get the vote, but I agree he's playing on that level. His tackling and run defense were very solid yesterday, and his coverage ability is elite. If the Pats let him rush more, he would rack up the numbers. Collins and Hightower are as solid a pair of LBs as there is in the NFL right now.

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So glad I was wrong on Hightower who is the player we all hope Adalius Thomas would be Big imposing LB who can do it all. What surprise me about Hightower is his new found ability in coverage he's no longer a liability there.

Collins has been good, but I think if any LB was deserving of a pro bowl spot, it's Hightower. He's been consistently good, if not great since week 1. And he's done that playing multiple positions.

PatsFan2 said:

So glad I was wrong on Hightower who is the player we all hope Adalius Thomas would be Big imposing LB who can do it all. What surprise me about Hightower is his new found ability in coverage he's no longer a liability there.

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I was also wrong on Hightower - didn't know how he fit, and hated him in coverage. The Pats are using him much more effectively, but most of the credit is to Hightower for how he's elevated his game. Very happy to be wrong.

If it's a choice of Revis or Mccourty vs Mayo I'm sorry, Mayo has to lose out.
I love Mayo but having a Secondary is a incredible thing.

mayoclinic said:

I was also wrong on Hightower - didn't know how he fit, and hated him in coverage. The Pats are using him much more effectively, but most of the credit is to Hightower for how he's elevated his game. Very happy to be wrong.

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I think Hightower has dropped a few pounds. Looks quicker. Collins has the physical ability to do it all. Really putting it together. Both are really good tacklers.

In open space he is amazing at tracking down a guy and tackling him. Him and Hightower have really stepped up without Mayo

mayoclinic said:

I was also wrong on Hightower - didn't know how he fit, and hated him in coverage. The Pats are using him much more effectively, but most of the credit is to Hightower for how he's elevated his game. Very happy to be wrong.

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He plays so much smoother now. I used to think he had terrible agility, but now it would appear that it may have been a mix of discomfort and indecision. In other words, it looks like the game slowed down for him.

mayoclinic said:

There is no doubt that Mayo makes the base much, much better by being in the middle. But given the predominance of sub, Mayo's cap hit, and the development of Collins and Hightower, it's a big question mark how to deal with things.

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Of course having Mayo, Hightower, and Collins would be best if money was not a factor. But it is, and Mayo counts more than $10 million against the cap for the 2015 season. Mayo has also had season ending injuries in consecutive years now. I am not a salary cap expert, but looking at Miguel's page it seems that the Pats would save about $3.75 million by cutting or trading Mayo. That money, however it was used, would be better spent on a guy available to help the team vs on a guy that's missed significant time two years in a row.

That being said, Mayo could pull a Gronk and have an excellent season next year. You never know. But I think the team would be remiss if it did not explore all the options, and I am certain they are/will be doing so.

ChrisR2223 said:

If it's a choice of Revis or Mccourty vs Mayo I'm sorry, Mayo has to lose out.
I love Mayo but having a Secondary is a incredible thing.

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Can't we have both?

patsfaninpa said:

I think Hightower has dropped a few pounds. Looks quicker.

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Hard to tell. You'll have to check that one out with Gymrat.

Cutting Mayo to save less than 4 million is a bad idea because you will not get a player of Mayo's caliber for 4 million.

But if 4 mill is the difference between Mccourty or Sergio Brown type of player you get the idea.

mayoclinic said:

I doubt he'll get the vote, but I agree he's playing on that level. His tackling and run defense were very solid yesterday, and his coverage ability is elite. If the Pats let him rush more, he would rack up the numbers. Collins and Hightower are as solid a pair of LBs as there is in the NFL right now.

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I'm sure the Pats would like to rush him more, Hightower as well (they started the season doing it), but they're limited because of the injuries, Mayo's in particular. But you're right about Collins. He has done nothing but improve as the weeks have gone on. Second rounder? May end up being a draft steal. He is beginning to put the mental aspect of the game together with his unique skills and athleticism. He's a Swiss army knife-type player and he, much like Revis, adds an element of flexibility for BB to deploy the D in many different ways.

I don't think D coordinators are planning for him yet and telling their QB's to always be aware of him, but I don't think that's far behind. I don't think he's a Pro Bowler or All-Pro yet, but it's hard to imagine he won't be sooner rather than later. If Mayo can stay healthy, NE will have a LB unit that will rival the best in the NFL, as they have skills that complement one another's very well.

Galeb said:

Not only was he good against the run, he seems to be improving dramatically at coming off blocks. If he and Hightower keep playing at this level for the rest of the season, they would deserve to be All Pros.

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His inability to shed blockers definitely showed up big in the first quarter of the season. But he has definitely gotten better in that area, as you've stated. I think yesterday was probably his best game in that regard. He was making plays all over the the field, and he tackled extremely well when he met the ball-carrier.

Hightower is playing extremely well and has done a very good job mitigating the loss of Mayo. I think he will get Pro Bowl consideration before Collins, assuming either of them gets any consideration.

AzorianPats said:

Collins has been good, but I think if any LB was deserving of a pro bowl spot, it's Hightower. He's been consistently good, if not great since week 1. And he's done that playing multiple positions.

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Hightower has been incredible. In fact, I think that it is very much an underrated story line of the season, just like Chung's performance. He really has shown that he's learned the game. That was his true limitation to this point. BB finally stopped using him to cover so much too. I think that has helped him much like it has Chung. They'll never completely shed coverage responsibilities obviously, but BB is limiting how much he has asked them to do it.

There's plenty of room for all three on the roster. In base you're happy to play all three in the usual way. In sub you're happy to include Hightower in part of the edge-rushing rotation. And as soon as one gets injured, you're definitely grateful to have the other two available.

And by the way, Rob Ninkovich will be 31 years old when he takes the field for this year's Super Bowl.