Hightower versus other Patriots great inside linebackers (Bruschi, Mayo)

[BradyFTW!]

Hightower is the most physically imposing of the three, which makes sense since he has 15-20 pounds over the other guys. I don't think he has the range and covering skills that either of them had in their primes, but that's pretty much the inherent tradeoff and Hightower covers pretty well in his own right.

This is a tough one, I really dunno. Bruschi was one of the most instinctive players I've ever seen, so he kinda has to get an edge there, although it's hard to knock either Mayo or Hightower in that regard.

I think this is hard because all three are/were extremely versatile with no major flaws in their game. So you have to grade them on degrees of good rather than comparing the weaknesses that they basically didn't have. I think prime Bruschi is still #1 on the list for me, and I dunno who I'd take between Mayo and Hightower. There's a bit of variance in where they excelled, and Hightower's more likely to make a big play for you, but I'm also not sure that Hightower would get a chance to make many big plays if he was playing out his prime on the 2010-2012 defenses.

 

[Nunchucks]

Bruschi made more plays than Hightower, but he also had a lot more experience than Hightower has now. Hightower could eclipse Bruschi, but that won't be for another years of football.

Mayo was awesome, but never lived up to his draft position hype. He was a solid starting player for the Patriots.

 

[Tuck]

We'll see if Roberts can join the discussion with Bruschi and Mayo one day as his game is way more similar to those two.

Regardless:

Hightower
Bruschi
Mayo

Roberts reminds me a lot of Bruschi when he was just coming into the league.

 

[InRodWeRust]

My handle on another board is IceColdBruschi. It would be here too, but it was already taken. Bruschi, Faulk, , Ty, Troy.... off the top of My head. In my era.

Oh wow are you the ICB from footballs future? If so I remember you. I haven't seen you around in a long time. You were a fierce debater and very entertaining

But to stay on topic:
Bruschi > HT > Mayo

 

[Silver Blue&Red]

Oh wow are you the ICB from footballs future? If so I remember you. I haven't seen you around in a long time. You were a fierce debater and very entertaining

But to stay on topic:
Bruschi > HT > Mayo

No. That's not me. I'm not much of a debater. I just cus a lot. Apparently there's a lot of ICB's around.

 

[condon84]

Bruschi had Ted Johnson/Phifer next to him, and was flanked by Vrabel and McGinest. Not to mention in front of him were Seymour, Warren, Washington, Wilfork, etc.

Hightower had Collins. Otherwise Bruschi had the advantage of playing with a great front 7.

Hightower would have dominated if he played with that group.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Roberts reminds me a lot of Bruschi when he was just coming into the league.

People forget Tedy wasn't "Tedy" until the middle part of that year when Johnson and Cox got dinged up.

The amazing thing is he stepped into that ILB role and made the calls like he'd been there for 10 years .

 

[RobertWeathers]

Hightower would have dominated if he played with that group.

High would have taken Vrabels role.

 

[Addictive]

Difficult to compare the three players because the game has changed from when Bru was dominating to how it is played now with rules relaxed and favouring QBs. Bru's dominance over Peyton was one reason for the rule changes I believe.

I think Hightower hasn't reached his peak yet and that is why getting a long term extension done with him is essential. He is a true team leader and seems to be respected by everyone on the field. Like another poster stated without his tackle Lynch would have run for a touchdown in the final minute of the Super Bowl. I think we will see many more memorable plays from High if we can reach an agreement with him. In my opinion he is deserving of big new contract.

 

[strngplyr]

I wonder how Hightower would look in the 2003 3-4

People say that Spikes was made for years like those, and earlier, Hightower plays like Spikes, except add that he's actually very good at everything he does. I'd say HT would be even better 10-15 years ago.

 

[PatriotsReign]

Mayo was NOT a great Patriots inside linebacker. Most of his tackles were made 4 yards past the line of scrimmage

In my opinion Mayo was a decent or adequate linebacker

 

[RobertWeathers]

People say that Spikes was made for years like those, and earlier, Hightower plays like Spikes, except add that he's actually very good at everything he does. I'd say HT would be even better 10-15 years ago.

Spikes was Ted Johnson and Bryan Cox.

High is a Vrabel 2001 Roman P hybrid

 

[Jackson 2]

I'm reluctant to compare Hightower to anyone until he proves to be more durable. Interesting stat I read this morning on Dont'a: he's missed 10 of the last 32 games (31.2%), including 2 so far this season. That's significant.

 

[BritPat]

Tedy's ability to understand what he was seeing and where the play was going was scary, almost psychic. His physical ability, whilst obviously not matching our current #54, was much under-rated. Athletic isn't just about how fast you can run 40 yards, it's about first step, reaction, hand placement, punch, bend.....don't forget Tedy was a two time All-American in College as a DE. And he left college having matched the unofficial record of 52 career sacks.

Hightower is physically superb, he's also terrific mentally with few false steps and the ability to diagnose the play so well. His consistency is outstanding (and why he was always going to get a new contract before Collins, even if it wasn't one versus the other).

But Tedy was THE guy on THE defense. He led the Franchise at it's finest hour. He'll always be #1 IMO.

 

[JarOfMayo51]

I find people's lack of appreciation for Mayo disturbing

 

[Jackson 2]

I find people's lack of appreciation for Mayo disturbing

In the trenches players who don't pile up sacks don't impress fantasy freaks. That's part of it, I believe.

 

[EddardSnow67]

From a pure talent standpoint, Hightower is the clear winner. Mayo is second and Bruschi is third. Bruschi was a nose tackle in college and he just didn't have the same level of athleticism as Mayo and especially Hightower.

With that said, Bruschi was an extremely smart player who played with exceptional leverage for a linebacker, allowing him to take on much bigger blockers with good success. This likely had a lot to do with the fact noted above that he was mostly a NT in college. He also had a knack for forcing turnovers and just had the "clutch" gene. I understate the value of that trait yet even I have to admit he had it. He wasn't asked to do a whole lot in coverage and wasn't particularly good when he was put in that position, but he wasn't completely lost, either.

Mayo was just a ball hawk. Not huge but extremely fast both straight line and laterally for a pure MLB. He also wasn't particularly good in coverage, but his athletic advantage made him better than Bruschi. He's the only pure MLB of the bunch and that shows in his tackle totals. He was just always around the ball.

Hightower is a different animal than the other two. He's definitely not a pure MLB but a true new age hybrid LB. Almost a prototype, to be honest. Big, imposing, long, fast and aggressive. He can make plays in the running game and rush the passer from any spot along the LOS. He can play with his hand down if called upon. He's very similar to Mike Vrabel, just physically superior and just overall a more aggressive player. I've done a decent amount of film evaluation juet for fun and to keep sharp for no particular reason and Hightower makes very few mistakes. I'm almost reluctant to group Hightower in with the other two.

As far as which one I'd take first, it would really depend on the makeup of the rest of the defense. If you're going by sheer productivity, I'd go with Mayo. Versatility, I'd go with Hightower. Leadership, Bruschi. Then, on top of that, there are thousands of other variables. That's why this talent evaluation stuff is really, really difficult.

 

[strngplyr]

I find people's lack of appreciation for Mayo disturbing

Mayo was hurt by some bad DL's, even before injuries that slowed him down. He gets knocked on for being a tackling machine with the asterisk "5 yards past the LOS" but people don't want to hold the DL responsible for making their blocks so the LB's can actually make tackles before a player is already at the 1st down marker.

 

[Canuck]

Bruschi is the best of the 3. He is better against the pass, almost as good as Mayo against the run and much better then Hightower. Over an 8 year stretch, Mayo averaged 100 combined tackles a year and Bruschi was not far behind at 92. Hightower so far is averaging 77. Solo tackles follow the same pattern. Mayo, Bruschi, Hightower. Bruschi is far ahead in Pass Defensed, Ints, Defensive TDs then either Mayo or HT. Mayo and HT are pretty close in Pass Defensed with Mayo being slightly better at Int.

Bruschi was good against the run and the pass. The best all around LB of the 3. Mayo was a tacking machine but was not as good as Bruschi in coverage. HT is not as good as Bruschi or Mayo in either category although he is fairly close in coverage abilities to Mayo.

1: Bruschi 2: Mayo 3: HT