Spikes' Camp: LB's Move to IR "Was Not a Mutual Decision"

[BrickPat]

There is clearly more to the story regarding Spikes and while I don't question BB's decision I am curious about it. Spikes is great against the run and could've played a role in the playoffs, I have no issue with sending Spike a message but hope it's not to the detriment of the team. His absence didn't matter against the Colts but given the other injuries on D this news was a little unsettling.

I guess it's fair to say we've seen the last of Spikes in a Pats uniform if BB truly is unhappy with him.

On a side note being late for practice because of the weather is a well known no- no with BB. Spikes would've been better off calling in that the dog ate his playbook.

 

[MassPats38]

I find it awfully strange that a player who was supposedly so insanely hobbled wasn't being held out of practice on a regular basis, nor did he even miss practice or a game during the final days while he was here.

And again, it begs the question to be answered as to if he didn't need surgery and simply needed rest, (which was reported as early as 3 weeks ago), why wasn't he considered "important" enough for Belichick to keep him and allow him to rest for 5 weeks (longer than the time it took for Gronk's MCL tear to heal) so that he'd be able to be used in the SB, just the same as Belichick has done with Gronk himself in 2011, Dobson this year, etc?

We are dealing with 'reports', and I tend not to put much stock in those. First, there are likely multiple doctor opinions involved and we simply do not know the details on the medical process. Reggie Bush kept playing for the Saints with the same injury, with discussions of surgery/no surgery given a playoff run. PCL injuries may be addressed through rest and rehab, but how much rest and rehab? If he would be good to go in March, that approach doesn't really work.

And it is possible that he was viewed as sufficiently important, with the playoffs and a first round bye on the line, to keep playing with the hope he didn't aggravate it. If game footage indicated he did aggravate it, and his ability/level of play declined as a result, that reasonably may have prompted the Pats' decision to pull the trigger on his IR.

I would disagree that the attitude issue could factor in without making this an over-the-top disciplinary decision. Spikes can either play, or he cannot play. If Spikes was more capable of physically playing and contributing than even one player on the 53-man roster, and physically was able to play at that level through the playoffs, then BB is a crazy disciplinarian and hurt his team's chances by eliminating Spikes. The only possible way I could see a negative attitude playing into that decision is a willingness to participate in rehab, which really factors into the physical readiness decision as it suggests the degree to which Spikes would recover his ability to play at a high level.

 

[Ring 6]

I can't answer to what extreme Belichick believes that there are no circumstances whatsoever that excuses could be tolerated or taken into account, Deus. We know what the media portrays, but we also know that they can often portray the wrong impression of Belichick just the same.

One could actually assume both...

The "first" Belichick--who is intolerable of any excuse whatsoever; or the "second" Belichick--who may give the benefit of the doubt at times under the right conditions, just the same as any other reasonable human being would.

Now, whether or not some of these guys had other excuses that had been played out before, or other questions to their attitude at any point, is probably reasonable to ponder.

What you are ignoring in this analysis is that Belichick has a 4 year history with Brandon Spikes.
I know its the fashionable thing on a message board to take an event and build it into a statement of phiolosophy, but the reality is that BB does what he thinks is best for the football team.
Spikes may have been too injured to contribute the rest of the way.
Spikes may have been a guy who flew in the face of what BB wanted and he finally decided the negatives weren't worth the positives, which could also be based on him playing at a reduced effectiveness because of the injury.
We will never know, but what we do know is the decision factored in all of these things to arrive at what is best for the team. Not saying it happened, but telling the guy who puts himself ahead of the team to get lost to send a message to the team certainly is good for the team.

 

[voluntarysaftey]

I was never a fan of Spikes.
I didn't agree with the large contingent on here that believed he was a probowl quality lb.
I didn't get Bruschi's fascination with him last season (in espn chats he would mention how Spikes is taking the next step from solid to playmaker and how great it was to see it).

That said, I would rather they have left him inactive than on IR (assuming he didn't actually worsen his injury during the last week)
because
1. even if they were fed up with his antics, it's possible one inactive game would've sent him the message for the hopefully remaining 2.
2. I high doubt he's worse than our last LB on the depth chart -- I'm happy he's not starting, but is he really not better than whoever the last LB is?
3. We don't have to worry about his antics long term; all Bill has to do is put up with them for another few weeks.

 

[Ring 6]

I was never a fan of Spikes.
I didn't agree with the large contingent on here that believed he was a probowl quality lb.
I didn't get Bruschi's fascination with him last season (in espn chats he would mention how Spikes is taking the next step from solid to playmaker and how great it was to see it).

That said, I would rather they have left him inactive than on IR (assuming he didn't actually worsen his injury during the last week)
because
1. even if they were fed up with his antics, it's possible one inactive game would've sent him the message for the hopefully remaining 2.
2. I high doubt he's worse than our last LB on the depth chart -- I'm happy he's not starting, but is he really not better than whoever the last LB is?
3. We don't have to worry about his antics long term; all Bill has to do is put up with them for another few weeks.

Within a team mentality, striving to reach the ultimate goal, which is in reach, to have one of the team appear to not be fully committed and banishing them, can have a positive impact on the focus of the team on the task at hand.
I'm not saying this happened here, because we don't know, but if those are the facts I have no problem with it.
Great preparation is more important than what one player brings to the field.

 

[Armen Da Pats Fan]

Brandon Who?

 

[RIpats88]

All I know is that Spikes wouldnt have made that interception so far off the line of scrimmage in coverage that Collins did.

 

[Brady6]

And yet that didn't stop him from being glued to social media/twitter, by posting 2 updates at 7:04 and 7:14am that he couldn't get out of his driveway...complete with high def pictures as "proof."

Kind of a no-brainer to think that he could have reasonably shoveled out the back of his driveway without much problem during that 10 min span. He is a professional athlete with a strong build, who likely could have quickly finished the task of shoveling. One would assume that is what everyone else chose to do.

One would think that a person in the final month of a 4 year/$3,200,000 contract could afford to have a plow come clear out his driveway. Heck if I had a shot to be a starter in the SB I would walk route 95.

 

[Brady6]

Brandon Who?

Best post in this thread :rocker:

 

[Fencer]

The agent's denial wasn't very ringing. Indeed, it sounded rather carefully phrased.

Between that and Mike Reiss accepting the story as legit, I'm coming to believe there's fire under the disciplinary/fed-up smoke.

By the way, the issue isn't exactly working out on his own in the off-season. Rather, it's working out on his own and -- based on his health this year -- it evidently not working out. Come to think of it, it didn't work out EITHER in terms of his health and condition or in terms of his on-field propensity for good recognition and decision-making.

 

[RhodyPatriot]

And yet that didn't stop him from being glued to social media/twitter, by posting 2 updates at 7:04 and 7:14am that he couldn't get out of his driveway...complete with high def pictures as "proof."

Kind of a no-brainer to think that he could have reasonably shoveled out the back of his driveway without much problem during that 10 min span. He is a professional athlete with a strong build, who likely could have quickly finished the task of shoveling. One would assume that is what everyone else chose to do.

Exactly. And I'm also thinking Spikes doesn't drive a Corolla.......

 

[RIpats88]

One would think that a person in the final month of a 4 year/$3,200,000 contract could afford to have a plow come clear out his driveway. Heck if I had a shot to be a starter in the SB I would walk route 95.

The guy isnt doing any help for himself in a "contract year" acting like that. I dont see him back with the pats, BUT his attitude, performance this year, injury situation, being mainly a 2 down player may end up killing the kind of contract he wants

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

no he won't be back..bridge seems like it's burned


just don't go to the jets

 

[Deus Irae]

Hire a service to dig you out 2 hours before you have to leave......or get up early and shovel.

Services don't always get there and you don't want the guy with the injured ligament to be out there shoveling a foot of snow.

You internet hardasses are amusing, but not realistic.

 

[Zeus]

Did anyone else miss practice or was anyone else late?

Had it been a game, would he have made that?

 

[chasa]

Services don't always get there and you don't want the guy with the injured ligament to be out there shoveling a foot of snow.

You internet hardasses are amusing, but not realistic.

I've my driveway is always plowed, no reason a millionaire cant get his always plowed.

Also you dont call the plow after you are stuck, you hire them before hand

 

[Deus Irae]

I've my driveway is always plowed, no reason a millionaire cant get his always plowed.

Also you dont call the plow after you are stuck, you hire them before hand

1.) Him being a millionaire is irrelevant to external problems that can come up and affect anyone, and it's certainly irrelevant to the issue of him having a knee injury.

2.) I know when you call the plow. I was born and raised in New England.

3.) We don't know what happened, so it's stupid to play internet tough guy and act as if we know that Spikes was guilty of some inexcuseable behavior.

 

[Zeus]

Problem is that Spikes tweeted this picture of his not-so-snowbound all wheel drive SUV. If it's true that Spikes was late for or didn't make practice, might BB and the Patriots legitimately have taken a dim view of this?

https://twitter.com/BrandonSpikes55/status/419079225266933760/photo/1

 

[Fencer]

Services don't always get there and you don't want the guy with the injured ligament to be out there shoveling a foot of snow.

You internet hardasses are amusing, but not realistic.

If he can play football, he also can shovel out the SUV in that photo. Heck, he might be able to just drive it out.

And if he hasn't learned after a few years in NE how to drive safely in a blizzard, nor has made other arrangements for getting to work -- then something is wrong.

 

[Fencer]

Headline: Bill Belichick refuses to answer question

The Blitz with Jeff Howe & Karen Guregian | Boston Herald

Bill Belichick keeps mum on odd Brandon Spikes situation

This could easily become the longest thread in PatsFans history ...