Spikes emergence could be huge for Mayo

[Gostkowski for 3]

When it comes to ILBs/MLBs I truly believe Mayo, Willis, and Beason are the cream of the crop in the NFL. The big knock against Mayo when compared to those other guys is that he lacks the big play ability. All three of these guys have one great thing in common though: incredible instinctual play.

The difference has been that Mayo hasn't had another solid LB next to him that he can trust to make the play if he isn't there for some reason. This forces Mayo to play a bit conservative. With Spikes appearing to getting better and better each week I really think that will free Mayo to play on his instincts instead of playing to cover the other LB's ass. Mayo playing based off his instincts more could spell sacks and INTs coming his way.

I still think Ray Lewis is the best, and Willis right there with him, and then all the others.

 

[Calciumee]

Having Big Al healthy is a massive help for the D, and the Mayo injury has let Spikes show what he can do! He has shown that he has a nose for the tackler, like Mayo, but I wonder if he could have shown that before, but Mayo was getting there quicker!

 

[Sicilian]

I'm one of Mayo's biggest fans (I made a pretty good argument for him over Ray Lewis last year) and have defended him here and elsewhere many times. That said, Mayo had a problem with over-pursuing early on in the season. Hopefully he's watched the tape in his spare time and has worked on getting that corrected.

You would think Mayo would be a smart enough player for this not to matter, but I wouldn't be surprised if the defensive scheme change (or re-focus, if change is too drastic a word) threw him off a bit. Hopefully after he gets back he can get more comfortable with it.

 

[PatsBoy12]

Spikes' emergence is good for the Patriots.