Is Dont’a Hightower Done?

[Angelpats]

I hope Hightower is slow to recover from his injury rather than thinking he is less interested in the game. A couple of weeks will tell. I just don't see us filling that position now.

I forgot what did he hurt last year? Was it the shoulder? If so his speed is at issue.

 

[maineman209]

Yeah, he looks slow and disinterested.

Slow, yes.

"Disinterested"? How TF can anyone actually know that?

 

[Clonamery]

Slow, yes.

"Disinterested"? How TF can anyone actually know that?

Maybe he retired at Halftime?

 

[Brewskies]

I forgot what did he hurt last year? Was it the shoulder? If so his speed is at issue.

He had a pectoral injury (chest injury).

 

[Froob]

Is McCourty that bad now? He doesn't seem to be making any plays for us, but it's hard to tell with him with his role being so scheme specific. He can look bad covering up for others.

 

[stcjones]

Nothing alarms me more right now than seeing the erosion of his play. He was someone we were really counting on this year.

He has been a great Patriot....but his best days are clearly behind him. Unfortunately he is becoming a liability out there and doesn’t seem to be the leader he once was...

 

[Keyser Söze]

Hightower looks 80 out there he just can’t keep up. The lack of playmakers is going to let teams continue to have 10+ play drives.

 

[IllegalContact]

The tape is already out there. At this point just hope there are teams desperate for lb help.

like the pats?

 

[aluminum seats]

So the overwhelming consensus is that he’s toast. Unfortunately, kind of hard to argue with that considering how he looks now.

A POSSIBLE counter...dude didn’t play for like a year, and the first few games are sort of like the preseason used to be. Let’s give him another week or two before we call the coroner.

 

[Brady6]

Nothing alarms me more right now than seeing the erosion of his play. He was someone we were really counting on this year.

He reminds me of Jerod Mayo when he returned from his knee injury. He just was not the same player and he could never get back to his previous level.

 

[TheRainMaker]

Hightower looks awful. It looks like he’s jogging at times.

 

[mcmurtry86]

Hightower looks awful. It looks like he’s jogging at times.

Scary thing is a pec injury shouldn't affect his foot speed. Guy looks like he's running with a piano on his back. Getting taken off the field for Elandon Roberts says it all.

 

[Nehalem]

I think HT is done. He's been awful.

This offseason it is time to blow up the defense. Keep Gilmore and extend Flowers, the rest can take a hike. McCourty included. Get rid of two big contracts right there.

I think its funny that last year everyone said dump Gilmore to fix the defense.

And now this year we want to dump everyone except Gilmore to fix the defense

 

[PatsfanTN]

I think its funny that last year everyone said dump Gilmore to fix the defense.

And now this year we want to dump everyone except Gilmore to fix the defense

Gilmore is literally all we have on Defense.

 

[DarrylS]

If Hightower is done, then BB will let him go and make an adjustment..

 

[condon84]

The only team that desperate for LBs is is us. Based on his play so far I don't think even the Steelers would be interested in his contract. This is what happens when you have the worst LBs in the league, watch them torpedo your team in the Super Bowl, then don't meaningfully address the situation in the offseason

BB needs to start investing high draft picks on LBs and stop wasting them on DBs, which he always misses on. He has better luck with late picks on DBs anyways. We need athletes on LBs especially where the league is heading.

We know this flaw will be the reason why we will lose a playoff game. Smart OCs will always expose this flaw.

 

[Joey007]

If Hightower is done, then BB will let him go and make an adjustment..

Not a lot of great options... Bentley will have to grow up fast.

 

[ScottishPatriots]

He can't run anymore, i wish we drafted Darius Leonard with that Michel pick.

Then the defense would look totally different, the LBs are painfully slow and unathletic.

 

[Kontradiction]

Gilmore is literally all we have on Defense.

Flowers and Wise, too. After that, it's all downhill.

 

[varjao]

It was a legitimate concern when he was a FA if he was worth a big contract because there was signs that he could follow Mayo's path. The market seemed to have the same concern that's why he settled for a good contract but not great, nowhere near the contracts that teams are throwing to top players out there.

And it seems that reality came faster than we all thought. It was a risk and we will have to swallow. No point in trading him right now, just hope he improves and make a play here and there that helps the team win games. Right now I don't see them making the playoffs, a few years there was 5 or 6 decent QB's starting, you could get by the regular season with a defense playing poorly. Right now it seems the majority of teams have found their QB's or at least have stability in the starting position, guys who can make one or two reads and get rid of the ball. Our D-line can't even sniff the QB so they will all move the chains against us. It's death by a thousand paper cuts watch these guys out there. They are slow and out of shape. I felt that our training camp was way too light.