// Brandon Spikes

Is the Patriots’ Defense Championship Caliber?

By ⋅ January 3, 2013 ⋅ One comment

Yes. The New England Patriots defense is championship caliber. They were championship caliber last year. Their defense is better this year. No, Ty Law isn’t walking through that door. but in today’s NFL, he doesn’t have to be. No one wants to revisit February of last year, but if a certain undersized receiver had made [...]

Notes and Observations, Week 16: Patriots Escape Jacksonville with 23-16 Win

By ⋅ December 23, 2012 ⋅ Post a comment

Going into Jacksonville Sunday, the Patriots already had their playoff spot figured out. They will most likely be the third seed unless somehow the Broncos and Texans fall apart in the final two weeks. They had three major starters out with Rob Gronkowski, Brandon Spikes, and Alfonzo Dennard all not making the trip. The Patriots [...]

Positives and Negatives: Patriots-Dolphins Week 13

By ⋅ December 3, 2012 ⋅ Post a comment

The New England Patriots brought just enough offense and defense to beat an inferior team Sunday afternoon, and that kind of performance needs to be stuck way in the rear-view mirror if they want to make it out of the next few weeks in position to take the playoffs by storm. With Baltimore falling to [...]

Game of Inches: Patriots Squeaked Out Win Over Undisciplined Bills

By ⋅ November 12, 2012 ⋅ Post a comment

As the Patriots concluded their first three-game winning streak of the season, should fans feel better or worse about the state of the defense? Sure that “bend but don’t break” muscle was flexed extremely hard (similar to Brandon Spikes following his knockout of Fred Jackson late in the fourth quarter), but there were a few [...]

Patriots Acquire Aqib Talib from the Buccaneers

By ⋅ November 1, 2012 ⋅ Post a comment

The trade deadline was extended to Thursday (today) and the Patriots made a move in an attempt to plug the glaring hole that is their secondary. They traded their 2013 4th round pick in exchange for Buccaneers’ cornerback Aqib Talib and a 7th round pick.  Talib has had a few off the field problems in his [...]

Week 7: Notes and Observations vs. the New York Jets

By ⋅ October 22, 2012 ⋅ Post a comment

- I’ve been saying it all season that the problem with the Patriots, contrary to popular belief, is not the defense, but is this supposedly high powered offense. They showed glimpses of brilliance against the Bills, Broncos, and Titans, but to say they are inconsistent is a huge understatement. They lack an identity. – One [...]

Patriots Can’t Close Out Seahawks, or Anyone Else Lately

By ⋅ October 15, 2012 ⋅ One comment

The Seattle Seahawks upset the New England Patriots 24-23 in Seattle on Sunday. Winning by 13 in the fourth quarter, the Patriots were not able to capitalize on offensive opportunities that could have sealed the victory for them. Instead they allowed the Seahawks to get back into the game, and eventually score the go ahead [...]

Patriots-Bills Notes: Defense & Running Game Impressive, No Welker Conspiracy

By ⋅ October 1, 2012 ⋅ Post a comment

The Patriots rallied from a 21-7 deficit in Buffalo to defeat their AFC East rival by a final score of 52-28.  The game started off well as the Patriots’ defense was able to force a punt on Buffalo’s first drive. The punt pinned the Patriots at their own 10 yard line, but that didn’t phase [...]

Patriots Report Card: Week 3 vs. Ravens

By ⋅ September 25, 2012 ⋅ Post a comment

Before Sunday’s New England Patriots-Baltimore Ravens game, noted actor (also Ravens linebacker) Ray Lewis said, “Revenge is a dish best served cold. We on fire tonight.” Facing a mind like that, the Patriots should count themselves lucky they just lost, as opposed to waking up tied to a chair in a basement somewhere. But lose [...]

Heartbreaking End Allows Cardinals to Upset Patriots

By ⋅ September 16, 2012 ⋅ 2 comments

A hotly contested game saw the Patriots receive unexpected hope only to see that hope disappear with one errant kick to seal a 20-18 upset for the Arizona Cardinals. The game was a big defensive battle, with only field goals now and then until the middle of the 3rd quarter. Even when the Cardinals made [...]

2012 Patriots Linebackers Preview: Experienced Youth

By ⋅ July 30, 2012 ⋅ Post a comment

At first glance, the Patriots’ linebacker position should excite fans of the team. They are a relatively young group, the oldest being Niko Koutouvides (31), and they already have a tremendous amount of experience. The young linebackers helped lead a struggling defense to the Super Bowl last season, and with a full year playing together [...]

New England Patriots Report Card: Super Bowl XLVI

By ⋅ February 8, 2012 ⋅ One comment

Well… crap. Just like four years ago, the New England Patriots came up just a couple plays short of beating the New York Giants and claiming their fourth Lombardi Trophy Sunday in Super Bowl XLVI. Instead, Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning once again bested Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, with Manning executing yet another fourth-quarter [...]

New England Patriots Report Card: AFC Championship

By ⋅ January 25, 2012 ⋅ Post a comment

The Baltimore Ravens shut down the New England Patriots’ receivers in Sunday’s AFC Championship, rattled Tom Brady and held the Patriots to their fewest points since October. And they still didn’t win. The Patriots beat the Ravens, 23-20, advancing to their fifth Super Bowl of the new millennium when Ravens place-kicker Billy Cundiff badly missed [...]

New England Patriots Report Card: Divisional Round

By ⋅ January 17, 2012 ⋅ Post a comment

The Book of 2 Timothy states: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” The Book of Tom states: “Good for you. I just whomped your ass.” Any comparisons between Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos and Tom Brady and the New England Patriots died following Saturday’s [...]

New England Patriots Report Card: Week 9

By ⋅ November 9, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment

The New England Patriots’ 24-20 loss to the New York Giants Sunday featured several firsts. The Patriots lost at home for the first time in 21 games. The Patriots lost two games in a row for the first time since 2006. And the offense failed to score in the first half, also for the first [...]

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