Some nice highlights of our Florida boys

[Marqui]

YouTube - JC09
YouTube - BS08
YouTube - BS09
YouTube - AH09

 

[BradyFTW!]

Great stuff- thanks for the links!

And wow, Brandon Spikes is really good. I'm pumped to see him playing for the Pats.

 

[jays52]

Spikes is going to win DROY. No hyperbole, no fanboy. That video showed me all I need to see. His ability to knife through the blocking scheme and his feel for it is the best I have seen at the college level. When he's the eater, he consistently stoned momentum and shed effortlessly. He very well may become the best ILB on this team. I've got a ton more from these videos, but am just jotting some notes down right now. Thanks for the links.

 

[Marqui]

Spikes is going to win DROY. No hyperbole, no fanboy. That video showed me all I need to see. His ability to knife through the blocking scheme and his feel for it is the best I have seen at the college level. When he's the eater, he consistently stoned momentum and shed effortlessly. He very well may become the best ILB on this team. I've got a ton more from these videos, but am just jotting some notes down right now. Thanks for the links.

Yeah, I can see a DROY race starting between Spikes and Mcclain. Sort of like the race that happened between Willis and Beason back in 07.

 

[Keyser Söze]

I have a feeling my next jersey purchase will be #55 Spikes

 

[IcyPatriot]

How do you block a big strong kid like him who plays so low to the ground. You read all the pre draft stuff on guys ... too stiff, too upright and all the rest. He just knifes through there hovering just several feet from the turf ... nice.

AD could barley bend at his waist for cripes sake.

40-yard dash time ... what good is it ... that's for guys running upright.

 

[Boston Boxer]

what i like the most is Spikes is a football player that finishes plays. He and Mayo are going to be a great duo for years to come. Just think, these Florida guy are doing great thing against some of the best teams in the NCAA. Add Gronk and i think we have some young guy to be excited about. It will be a joy to watch these guys get better and better each year.

 

[Feep50]

Scintillating highlights for sure, but remember this. They will be playing against the best players in the world soon. Don't get me wrong I am excited about these players for certain and they will have great team-mates around them also. Just saying that sometimes college highlights can be somewhat misleading. Spikes looks like a special player and I'm really hoping lack of speed doesn't hinder him too much while he assimilates and accelerates his reads.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Yeah, I can see a DROY race starting between Spikes and Mcclain. Sort of like the race that happened between Willis and Beason back in 07.

Thats EXACTLY who I think DPOY could be between those two with Eric Berry mixed in there.

 

[Run DMC]

Aaron Hernandez: NFL superstar, you hear it here first.

 

[patsfan1251]

the thing im liking about spikes and the reason i think his lack of timed speed will not be an issue in the league is because he appears to be EXCELLENT in terms of pursuit angles and accelerating once he has the ball carrier lined up. He knows his speed and his angles he takes to get to the ball carrier are awesome.

 

[SEA_Pat]

Great highlights, good find.

Hadn't seen Hernandez play before, he looks like he's made for playing pass-catching NFL tight end. Very fast for that position, great cuts and open field moves. Looks to me like we may well have found option #3 for TB.

 

[patsfan-1982]

Jermaine Cunningham, showed a good first step and lots of power and he looks bigger then the 6.3 266lbs


Aaron Hernandez, showed some flashs of antonio gates, he could turn into a pretty good player


Brandon Spikes, all i can say is wow takeing on blocks makeing plays in the back field reading the QB eyes he looks redy for the NFL right now

 

[Brady2Welker]

Spikes does suffer a bit when he has to play outside the tackles, due to his speed, but between the tackles hes a good player - that's for sure.

 

[livinginthe past]

Great post, thanks.

Spikes appears to make good quick reads and really lowers the boom when he makes the tackle.

That hit he put on the lead blocker on this clip at just after the 6.30 mark was superb.

YouTube - BS08

Can't wait to watch the rest of the clips.

 

[Patspsycho]

I didn't know much about Spikes as I don't watch much college football, but holy ****.. can he sense the play before it happens! Don't know about DROY, but definitely going to start next to Mayo- this guy is a natural born two gapper, flawless shedding technique. He senses where the hole is about to open just as well as the RB does. Half the snaps you see him start before everyone else does, and his knifing is top-notch. Rarely surprised, rarely out of position. Bruschi-type anticipation. That is going to be sick if he can duplicate it at this level.

I have a feeling this guy is going to make our secondaries all of a sudden be much better, with the pressure he brings. That is one heat-seeking missile! He will also make Mayo better.

 

[Kasmir]

Spikes does suffer a bit when he has to play outside the tackles, due to his speed, but between the tackles hes a good player - that's for sure.

Actually I was surprised by how often Florida used Spikes as an edge rusher, and how effective he was blitzing from there. He also seems to have good instincts in coverage, and his inside play is, as advertised, very impressive. There are a few mistakes in there, but all in all quite a highlight reel. He's often dominant and doesn't appear to be in any way athletically limited.

Marqui, thanks for posting this stuff. Learned a lot about both our guys.

Cunningham's edge rush skills are also well displayed. Numerous times he achieved a great outside position on the tackle and showed real burst to take advantage and close quickly on the QB. He's going to have to add some inside moves to set that up against the better NFL tackles, but that's coachable and the athleticism he displays is not.

Just against college competition, of course, but these two both LB's do indeed look very promising. I'm salivating looking forward to seeing Spikes and Mayo play together. The synergy could be extraordinary.

I think Cunningham will see a lot of 3rd down action, as he looks more athletic in a rush role than any of our existing OLB's...

 

[ricogatenby99]

Hernandez after the catch is absolutley brilliant

 

[BritPat]

Spikes is going to win DROY. No hyperbole, no fanboy. That video showed me all I need to see. His ability to knife through the blocking scheme and his feel for it is the best I have seen at the college level. When he's the eater, he consistently stoned momentum and shed effortlessly. He very well may become the best ILB on this team. I've got a ton more from these videos, but am just jotting some notes down right now. Thanks for the links.

I'm not sure about the DROTY thing, but those video's showcased a hugely impressive ability to move through traffic, sort through trash and locate the ball-carrier. His instincts are utterly superb.

Check the hit at 6.33 in the first video by the way.

 

[BritPat]

Really impressive highlights from the LSU game last year on those videos. Outstanding stacking and shedding all day, loved watching him come off the edge as a situational rusher, Bruschi-like.

Again though it's his instincts that stand out a mile. He just knows where the play is going. Dare I say it, he looks like a young Ray Lewis.