Dont'a Hightower

[randomk1]

Who would you rather have right now? Demario Davis or Hightower?

 

[randomk1]

When Spikes leaves next year in Free Agency I think Hightower takes over at MLB.

I think part of his appeal in the draft was his versatility. He can play OLB and set the edge. In college he played very well at ILB. He even was damn good lining up at DE occasionally in college. BB loves versatile guys. Many coaches do.

But he's north of 265 lbs. Cover LB he ain't, and it's crazy to expect him to excel in that role.

Yet we ask him to stay in coverage extensively. Even when Mayo was in there.

 

[JMC00]

Who would you rather have right now? Demario Davis or Hightower?

Right now? I'd rather have Demario Davis than Tavon Wilson.

 

[50-yard-line]

His Draft bio screams Two Down Thumper...why was he taken in the First again.

Dont'a Hightower Draft Profile ? NFL.com

Pats traded up to get him at 25 because the rumor was that the Ravens were going to take him to replace Ray Lewis.

Really, now this board is going to start slagging on Hightower? Lol.

 

[Snake Eyes]

Pats traded up to get him at 25 because the rumor was that the Ravens were going to take him to replace Ray Lewis.

It's stupid to get a player simply because another team might want him.

 

[patsinthesnow]

Who would you rather have right now? Demario Davis or Hightower?

Or Lavonte David. Or Bobby Wagner. Or Zach Brown.

Considering we got a guy on the cusp of being an All-Pro DE at pick 21 and the best CB in the draft in the 7th round, the 2012 draft is still great. Whiffing on Tavon and drafting this out of date LB in round 1 stinks though.

 

[JackBauer]

Man this fan base is fickle.

 

[Marinlik]

He was actually pretty decent in pass coverage the first games of the season. I think his improvement is a big reason why our defense is better now. Because we didn't only have Mayo in the middle for pass coverage. Yesterday he looked pretty damn lost though. Still not a fan of the pick though. I would much rather have seen us take a better pass coverage linebacker.

 

[Peachhead]

It's stupid to get a player simply because another team might want him.

Au contraire. If a player is really good, at a position you could use and fits your system perfectly it's an excellent idea.

It happens dozens of times every draft. If it was "stupid" most teams would have stopped doing it a long time ago. But they still do it because it often works out very well. Ask Redskins fans if they're happy Shanny moved up for RGIII, or Falcons fans about moving up for Julio Jones.

We've done it plenty of times and benefit every single year from other teams wanting to do it. We also had it done to us many times. Sometimes we got lucky and the player sucked. But other times it really hurt us.

I wish we did it more often.

 

[Snake Eyes]

Au contraire. If a player is really good, at a position you could use and fits your system perfectly it's an excellent idea.

It happens dozens of times every draft. If it was "stupid" most teams would have stopped doing it a long time ago. But they still do it because it often works out very well. Ask Redskins fans if they're happy Shanny moved up for RGIII, or Falcons fans about moving up for Julio Jones.

We've done it plenty of times and benefit every single year from other teams wanting to do it. We also had it done to us many times. Sometimes we got lucky and the player sucked. But other times it really hurt us.

I wish we did it more often.

First off, saying that something makes 'because people do it' is pretty weak reasoning, just because other teams think something makes sense doesn't mean it actually does, plenty of people regularly do things that don't make sense.

I'd be drafting the players that will help give me the strongest possible team, I don't care what other teams are doing.

 

[Marqui]

When he was drafted I thought he was a guy who could rush the passer some. Chandler Jones is going to need some help from the other side, he cannot do it by himself.

Jones does have help on the other side, Ninkovich.

 

[upstater1]

This is a fanbase that killed Willie McGinest for many years, and yes they killed Mayo too. Now Mayo is god. Don't take the things people say too seriously.

 

[Urgent]

I loved McGinest over the years.
I respect Mayo for what he does.

I would sit Hightower.

It was great that he picked up that fumble from Jones in the first quarter of his first game. It would be great if he made another play. He's done nothing since.

He can't cover.
He can't rush the passer much.
He can't make quick decisions.

He is really big, and moves OK for a guy that big, but seems to take a couple seconds too long to make a decision. He is a huge liability on the field.

At this point, there aren't many options for flexible linebackers to play multiple downs. We've noted before that the Patriots seem to have a bunch of classic two-down middle linebackers. Mayo was by far the most flexible. In his absence, you have Spikes and Hightower who are pretty good tacklers, can slice through a gap, but are rough in space or rushing.

Our hopes have to rest on Jamie Collins developing fast. He has speed and can jump really high. We have to hope he can play well. Haven't really seen anything yet.

 

[Nunchucks]

Hightower had coverage on that play, Cole was responsible for the flat and thus the running QB. If Hightower comitted to stopping Smith too early and Smith had thrown a TD, people would be killing his coverage.

Hightower has played well this year, you guys are nuts.

 

[manxman2601]

Hightower had coverage on that play, Cole was responsible for the flat and thus the running QB. If Hightower comitted to stopping Smith too early and Smith had thrown a TD, people would be killing his coverage.

Hightower has played well this year, you guys are nuts.

Agree with this 100%. OK, maybe not the "nuts" bit .

 

[Brady6]

His Draft bio screams Two Down Thumper...why was he taken in the First again.

Dont'a Hightower Draft Profile ? NFL.com

Hightower has not been much of a playmaker this season:

0 sacks
0 interceptions
0 tackle for a loss
0 pass defends

Overall though he has played solid, yesterday was probably his worst game as a pro which is not surprising because he was asked to assume the Jerod Mayo role which he is not a good fit for. In my opinion Hightower needs to be a 4-3 SAM or a 3-4 OLB, I have never understood why people believe he fits as an ILB. If the Patriots wanted optimize his skill set they would use him as a pass rusher and run stopper, his game reminds a lot of Ahmad Brooks out in SF who is a player who is can create pressure, stop the run and drop into coverage occasionally.

What I did not understand about yesterday is they were using Jamie Collins the player we drafted to be a “cover LB” as a pass rusher and dropping Hightower into coverage, I would be inclined to think the opposite would be a better idea.

 

[mgteich]

Perhaps you are wrong about why "we" drafted Collins. In any case, if he were any good as a "coverage linebacker" at this point, he'd have that role. Belichick has no problem with benching players if hey aren't producing (see Arrington and Cole).

Hightower has not been much of a playmaker this season:

0 sacks
0 interceptions
0 tackle for a loss
0 pass defends

Overall though he has played solid, yesterday was probably his worst game as a pro which is not surprising because he was asked to assume the Jerod Mayo role which he is not a good fit for. In my opinion Hightower needs to be a 4-3 SAM or a 3-4 OLB, I have never understood why people believe he fits as an ILB. If the Patriots wanted optimize his skill set they would use him as a pass rusher and run stopper, his game reminds a lot of Ahmad Brooks out in SF who is a player who is can create pressure, stop the run and drop into coverage occasionally.

What I did not understand about yesterday is they were using Jamie Collins the player we drafted to be a “cover LB” as a pass rusher and dropping Hightower into coverage, I would be inclined to think the opposite would be a better idea.

 

[Sciz]

So far in the season, Hightower has been responsible for about 7% of the Patriots' passing yards allowed. Dennard has allowed 3 times as many yards and Arrington has allowed 2.5 times as many. Yes, they've played more coverage snaps than Hightower, but that that many times more. He's allowed fewer yards than Mayo did, and he's got a better completion percentage allowed than Collins. 13/21 for 113 yards is not the kind of stats worth freaking out over.

Also, a comparison of LB pass rush production:

Hightower: 6 hurries, 2 QB hits (8 pressures)
Mayo: 1 1/2 sacks, 1 hurry, 1 QB hit (4 pressures)
Spikes: 2 hurries, 1 QB hit (3 pressures)
Collins: 3 hurries (3 pressures)

Stats for both are from Doug Kyed, who keeps really good track of these things.
Chandler Jones, Chris Jones Show Greatest Success Among Patriots at Getting After Jets? Geno Smith in Week 7 | New England Patriots | NESN.com
Alfonzo Dennard, Devin McCourty Shine in Pass Coverage in Patriots-Jets Week 7 Matchup | New England Patriots | NESN.com

He's also one of the best run-defending LBs in the NFL. This is the kind of play that takes a rare strength and speed combination. Hightower has both. He's going to be a very good fit inside when Spikes is gone next season, Mayo is healthy, and Collins is more ready to contribute. Yes, he was thinking a lot yesterday, and it showed. Would people expect any different from a guy playing that position for the first time? He settled into his role at OLB very nicely, and I wouldn't expect any different from him in his new role.

 

[mgteich]

It seems that we are no much better at having a coverage linebacker than we were last year. Some of us thought that Fletcher could do that job. Some thought that Collins would be the right players. Some thought Hightower would step up to the task.

In any case, we have linebackers who can cover quick tight ends, man on man. As has been said, Hightower is reasonable in zone coverages.

 

[patsfaninpa]

A run-stuffing lb is important if you're running a 4-2-5. Which is essentially our base defense. If those 2 ilb's aren't good versus the run, teams will run it down your throat and not be able to play nickel. By allowing us to play nickel, we've been much better vs the pass this year when healthy. Talib and Dennard on the corners. Arrington in the slot where he is 10x better than out on the edge. I think we were going to have a pretty good defense until we lost Wilfork and Mayo for the season. I think once Talib and Kelly come back we're still going to be pretty good on defense. Spikes can play one of the ilb roles. We'll have 4 young bodies to rotate into Vince's spot; Vellano, C. Jones(AKA The Pusher) M. Fortson and maybe Armon Armstead.