Spikes Becoming the Next "55"

Days before he was honored at halftime of the Patriots-Jets game, former linebacker Tedy Bruschi said during an interview that he does not want his number 54 retired. Instead he hopes other players wear his number and remember the significance of that 54.

“I think it would add a sense of history to the team and more responsibility to some of the players that would realize what number they’re wearing,” Bruschi said during a conference call last week.

A rookie is doing that already. While at the University of Florida, LB Brandon Spikes chose 51 as his number because he wanted to be like Hall of Fame LB Dick Butkus: tough, intimidating, physical, relentless, intense. A leader.

Upon arrival in Foxborough, with 51 already worn by LB Jerod Mayo, Spikes asked for and received 55. He remembers what Willie McGinest and Junior Seau did for the Patriots and Spikes wants to be a playmaker like they were.

Just weeks into the preseason, I linked TEs Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez to past Patriots greats Ben Coates and Marv Cook by the numbers assigned to the rookies. It’s unknown if a message is being sent to Gronk (87) and Hernandez (85), but Spikes made it a personal and public challenge to himself before taking a snap in a game.

Spikes came to New England as a second round pick after a stellar career as a Gator. If Spikes was rated on production alone, he could had been the first linebacker selected. A former team captain, Spikes was a two-time first team All-American, three-time All-SEC, and finalist for the Butkus (top linebacker) and Bednarik (nation’s best defender) Awards.

What held Spikes back was how long it would take him to collect those awards: slow 40-yard dash times. Despite a career of big plays and an ideal 6-3 250-pound frame, teams couldn’t look past 5.1-second time.

Being a slow runner hasn’t mattered to Spikes so far. He won a starting role next to Mayo out of training camp. Brandon shares in the success of a young and rapidly improving defense. He is fourth on the team in tackles.

And the big plays are coming. On a 4^th-and-one a yard away from the goal line, he was in on a tackle that stopped Minnesota RB Adrian Peterson for a loss of two yards, protecting a 21-10 lead. And on Monday night against the Jets, Spikes intercepted a QB Mark Sanchez pass at the two yard line, ending New York’s opening drive of the second half.

Spikes is making impact plays like the players he looks up in New England. It’s too early to say if Brandon will make a name for himself like McGinest and Seau, but Spikes is off to a good start.