Dont'a Hightower

[Super Nomario]

Bumping this based on some discussions in the injury thread. Some reactions when he was drafted that I thought worth highlighting based on his career to date:
 

I think he can be a decent player, I think you have to really believe in him as a rush end to really ,make him worth the slot he is, because I just see him as a 2 down guy in the NFL.

 

National Football Post - Wes Bunting:
"Doesn't have a great first step or great range sideline-to-sideline. But keys well, is fast enough and showcases a slight burst when closing into contact. Looks like a 4.8 guy when asked to range off his frame."

 

No. I'm curious, what about picking a slower ILB who doesn't excel in man coverage screams out to you that they would play a base 3-3-5? If they were to play the 3-3-5, they already have their MLB (Spikes) to play the run stuffer in the middle. After that, Nink/Mayo would play outside. Playing the 3-3-5 would actually leave Hightower out.

Thanks. Love how in both threads people are panicking over speed and quickness of our first two picks. Patriots are drafting football players not track stars. Spikes ran slower than most DT, yet he was the biggest playmaker on the defense at the end of the year.

  

I think he's pretty limited in coverage skills. He ran a 4.68 40 at the combine, but I think he plays slower than that. I don't think he can cover TEs well let alone RBs and slot guys. If he had to play outside in a 3-4(which I don't think will happen all that often but it will happen) I think he needs to be kept to the weak side and bracket a safety to that side of the field. He's going to be a real good run stuffer, but he's more Brandon Spikes than Jerod Mayo in terms of speed.

 
There were a lot of people happy with the pick ... but there was definite question about Hightower's speed and coverage ability.

 

[lambeau]

I wonder if we will continue to see more of Fletcher and/or Collins in the nickel.

 

[dynomite]

I wonder if we will continue to see more of Fletcher and/or Collins in the nickel.

Actually, I think the better question might be when you'll see Hightower in the nickel again.

Dude lost his job at halftime last Sunday and his replacement forced a vital turnover and played exceptionally well for the next three quarters.

 

[rodderick]

Actually, I think the better question might be when you'll see Hightower in the nickel again.

Dude lost his job at halftime last Sunday and his replacement forced a vital turnover and played exceptionally well for the next three quarters.

Awesome to see him step up. Hightower can't cover, hasn't been put in position to rush the passer, and isn't anything special against the run. Unless something clicks for him and he has a dramatic turnaround, he won't be a Patriot for long.

 

[Shelterdog]

A couple of quick thoughts:
 
1.) Spikes missed 12 games in 2010 and 2011.  I think when they drafted Hightower they assumed Spikes was gong to miss serious time to injury/lunacy/holdouts/getting cut because he's the only a-hole who didn't do the offseason practices/whatever in 2012/2013 (and that there was no way they'd re-sign Spikes).  
 
2.) Nink and Spikes were always going to be free agents after this year so I think they chose Hightower with the idea that they re-sign Ninkovich or Spikes and use Hightower to spell the other player, thinking he had the flexibility to adequately replace either player.
 
3.) Jones and Nink have been better and more reliable than you could have hoped so there hasn't been the need to use Hightower as a (hopefully passable) backup edge rusher.
 
4.) I get the impression that when the Pats are in nickel one back often stays in a short zone and one drops into coverage.  Either spikes or hightower are good enough in the short zone when paired with Mayo as the cover guy but together they're clearly pretty brutal.

 

[Super Nomario]

A couple of quick thoughts:
 
1.) Spikes missed 12 games in 2010 and 2011.  I think when they drafted Hightower they assumed Spikes was gong to miss serious time to injury/lunacy/holdouts/getting cut because he's the only a-hole who didn't do the offseason practices/whatever in 2012/2013 (and that there was no way they'd re-sign Spikes).

He had a four-game suspension his rookie year, which doesn't invalidate your main point here.
 

2.) Nink and Spikes were always going to be free agents after this year so I think they chose Hightower with the idea that they re-sign Ninkovich or Spikes and use Hightower to spell the other player, thinking he had the flexibility to adequately replace either player.
 
3.) Jones and Nink have been better and more reliable than you could have hoped so there hasn't been the need to use Hightower as a (hopefully passable) backup edge rusher.

I don't think they see him as an edge rushing option, to be honest. They brought Andre Carter out of retirement because they didn't like what they have. If they thought Hightower was a difference-maker as a rusher, I think he would have gotten a crack. It's important to note that blitzing and edge rushing are different skills. Spikes is pretty good at jumping a gap at the snap and trucking a RB, but he would be a horrible lineman because his only pass-rushing move is a spin that you can time with a sundial. A blitzer has the advantage of surprise, and often a favorable matchup against a RB or TE; a down lineman has to beat an offensive lineman one-on-one, which requires a lot more technique.
 

4.) I get the impression that when the Pats are in nickel one back often stays in a short zone and one drops into coverage.  Either spikes or hightower are good enough in the short zone when paired with Mayo as the cover guy but together they're clearly pretty brutal.

The Pats do some of a lot of things, but having even one back-seven guy who can't man cover limits options. You have to bring a safety down to cover (so only one deep safety), or drop a lineman into coverage, or run a partial zone, or whatever. You can disguise or cover up limitations, but there's always a cost to doing so.

 

[Shelterdog]

He had a four-game suspension his rookie year, which doesn't invalidate your main point here.
 
I don't think they see him as an edge rushing option, to be honest. They brought Andre Carter out of retirement because they didn't like what they have. If they thought Hightower was a difference-maker as a rusher, I think he would have gotten a crack. It's important to note that blitzing and edge rushing are different skills. Spikes is pretty good at jumping a gap at the snap and trucking a RB, but he would be a horrible lineman because his only pass-rushing move is a spin that you can time with a sundial. A blitzer has the advantage of surprise, and often a favorable matchup against a RB or TE; a down lineman has to beat an offensive lineman one-on-one, which requires a lot more technique.
 
The Pats do some of a lot of things, but having even one back-seven guy who can't man cover limits options. You have to bring a safety down to cover (so only one deep safety), or drop a lineman into coverage, or run a partial zone, or whatever. You can disguise or cover up limitations, but there's always a cost to doing so.

 
I essentially agree with you. The four game suspension his rookie year increases the risk that he gets suspended again, so that's why that's a problem.

I don't think they saw him as a great edge rusher (and yes, I know that's different from blitzing) but I think when they were putting the team together they saw him as someone who might be your third/fourth/fifth option as 3-4 OLB or as an occasional DE in nickel and dime sets.  They haven't used him there yet but I wonder if they would have with worse health overall.
 
And sure having a limited guy in the back seven hurts your options.  This is blindingly obvious and you don't need to say it. But it's also pretty freaking obvious that (a) almost no team has lots of great cover options at LB and (b) BB is alright playing some limited coverage guys in nickel and dime sets in some games--presumably because they can contribute enough in other ways (against the runs, as competent zone guys, blitzing).  

 

[Super Nomario]

I don't think they saw him as a great edge rusher (and yes, I know that's different from blitzing) but I think when they were putting the team together they saw him as someone who might be your third/fourth/fifth option as 3-4 OLB or as an occasional DE in nickel and dime sets.  They haven't used him there yet but I wonder if they would have with worse health overall.

Chandler Jones missed some time last year and Cunningham got suspended, but they turned to JAG Trevor Scott and UDFA Justin Francis instead.
 

And sure having a limited guy in the back seven hurts your options.  This is blindingly obvious and you don't need to say it. But it's also pretty freaking obvious that (a) almost no team has lots of great cover options at LB and (b) BB is alright playing some limited coverage guys in nickel and dime sets in some games--presumably because they can contribute enough in other ways (against the runs, as competent zone guys, blitzing).

You can't be great everywhere, but Hightower wasn't a pieced-in afterthought - he was a first-round pick. It's one thing to accept some weak points because you haven't invested there (such as C and RG on the current roster); it's another thing to use two firsts and two seconds on LBs and still not be able to cover TEs.

 

[Shelterdog]

Chandler Jones missed some time last year and Cunningham got suspended, but they turned to JAG Trevor Scott and UDFA Justin Francis instead.
 
You can't be great everywhere, but Hightower wasn't a pieced-in afterthought - he was a first-round pick. It's one thing to accept some weak points because you haven't invested there (such as C and RG on the current roster); it's another thing to use two firsts and two seconds on LBs and still not be able to cover TEs.


Well I guess you're right and BB just forgot that Hightower wouldn't fit in on the team.

 

[lambeau]

Dont'a to Mike Reiss (today):
 
"Right now I'm at 268....Bill set my weight at 270. I'm at my weight.So as long as he's good with it, I'm good with it.If he has any changes in mind, I will drop down."

 

[lambeau]

Great article by Doug Kyed on Hightower.at NESN.com. Reads like inside scoop from coaching staff.
 
It is consistent with BB telling Salk yesterday that there are a lot of people playing worse than Hightower. (Sounds like Vellano.)
 
Hightower hanging back, for which he is slammed by Troy Brown et. al., seems attributed by coaching staff to confusion, not lack of effort

 

[Super Nomario]

Great article by Doug Kyed on Hightower.at NESN.com. Reads like inside scoop from coaching staff.
 
It is consistent with BB telling Salk yesterday that there are a lot of people playing worse than Hightower. (Sounds like Vellano.)
 
Hightower hanging back, for which he is slammed by Troy Brown et. al., seems attributed by coaching staff to confusion, not lack of effort

Here's the article: http://nesn.com/2013/12/donta-hightowers-struggles-fixable-linked-to-change-of-position-lack-of-vince-wilfork/

 

[dougkyed]

Great article by Doug Kyed on Hightower.at NESN.com. Reads like inside scoop from coaching staff.
 
It is consistent with BB telling Salk yesterday that there are a lot of people playing worse than Hightower. (Sounds like Vellano.)
 
Hightower hanging back, for which he is slammed by Troy Brown et. al., seems attributed by coaching staff to confusion, not lack of effort

Just my own thoughts based on film study.
 
I think Vellano and Chris Jones have potential (Vellano as an active run-stopping three-tech, Jones as an interior sub rusher) but asking either to play the nose is asking for trouble. There's been too much of that this year.
 
Thanks for checking out the piece.

 

[j44thor]

Great article by Doug Kyed on Hightower.at NESN.com. Reads like inside scoop from coaching staff.
 
It is consistent with BB telling Salk yesterday that there are a lot of people playing worse than Hightower. (Sounds like Vellano.)
 
Hightower hanging back, for which he is slammed by Troy Brown et. al., seems attributed by coaching staff to confusion, not lack of effort

 
While there may be players playing worse than DT on defense none of them were close to being 1st round picks which is the whole reason this thread exists.  No one expects much from Vellano who is the very definition of jag but you need your 1st round picks to be productive to the point that we aren't putting them in the same conversation as jags.

 

[Otis Foster]

 
While there may be players playing worse than DT on defense none of them were close to being 1st round picks which is the whole reason this thread exists.  No one expects much from Vellano who is the very definition of jag but you need your 1st round picks to be productive to the point that we aren't putting them in the same conversation as jags.

 
I agree that his play has been bad, but aren't you stepping around his thesis: That DH is badly out of position and not handling the change well? Unless you take the view that every no. 1 has to be a Renaissance Man in handling all LB positions, DK's point is that many of his issues may be resolved once he's back where he belongs.
 
Anyway, DK has checked in and can speak more meaningfully to these issues.

 

[dougkyed]

 
While there may be players playing worse than DT on defense none of them were close to being 1st round picks which is the whole reason this thread exists.  No one expects much from Vellano who is the very definition of jag but you need your 1st round picks to be productive to the point that we aren't putting them in the same conversation as jags.

I get that Hightower has to be the scapegoat because he's the first-rounder and no one's going to plant the blame on the unwanted rookies. But every criticism for Hightower should include the caveat: "But he's playing behind two rookie defensive tackles that don't eat up space or blockers, making his job significantly more difficult on nearly every snap."
 
Hightower was a lot more active last season when he had quality players helping him out. In theory, a good first-round pick should be able to play well in a bubble, but sometimes that's not quite how it works out.
 
Unless Sopoaga starts playing a lot more and proves he can eat up space (he doesn't need to be Wilfork, just a league-average nose tackle), we may not know how good or bad Hightower is until he's put in a manageable situation.
 
The deck is stacked against Hightower right now. He's playing out of position, he's got crappy run defenders in front of him and he's probably being asked to do too much. I think some believe I'm making excuses for him, but I'm just trying to rationalize how a player looked really good in his rookie season and lost the next year.

 

[Kenny F'ing Powers]

I' had posted this in another thread, but I'm moving it here just because you've been posting in this thread:
 
 

Doug has been pumping up Hightower all season.
 
I appreciate him coming in here and doing his chat with us, but I haven't seen him really say a bad word about anyone. He's been super protective of Hightower all year, and I'm not sure what he's seeing. He fails the eye ball test, the basic stats test, and the advanced stats test.
 
I have no idea if he's overwhelmed or not, but I don't think it's a secret that he's playing out of position. The problem is that he's a 3-4 ILB playing on a 4-3 team. He's too slow and sucks at coverage, so playing OLB has been a chore. He's not good enough at shedding blocks to be able to play well in a 1 gap scheme. He's really made to be 2nd fiddle ILB in a 2-gap 3-4 scheme.
 
Unfortunately, the Pats played a few snaps in a 3-4 against the Texans, and Hightower was eaten up by linemen getting to the second level. The DT's we have aren't suited for a 2-gap scheme, and Hightower just can't shed blockers. Until we get some real linemen in there (next year), Hightower is going to struggle because I just don't think he's talented enough to make up for poor play around him.

 
After reading through your article, I think you actually touched on essentially the same points (albeit more cogently and eloquently).
 
I am curious though...
 
Any particular reason you like him more as a 3-4 OLB over a 3-4 ILB? His ability to shed blocks and play solid man coverage has been an issue, and that seems like it would spell disaster for him in a 3-4 OLB role. You also point out that he was more effective as a 3-4 OLB, but isn't that with the large caveat that Wilfork/Mayo were still playing, or were they already out of the picture at this point?

 

[lambeau]

So Siliga seemed to be an experiment with another space-eater rotating with Sopoaga, and BB sounded pleased with the number of tackles Hightower was able to make.

 

[dougkyed]

I' had posted this in another thread, but I'm moving it here just because you've been posting in this thread:
 
 
 
After reading through your article, I think you actually touched on essentially the same points (albeit more cogently and eloquently).
 
I am curious though...
 
Any particular reason you like him more as a 3-4 OLB over a 3-4 ILB? His ability to shed blocks and play solid man coverage has been an issue, and that seems like it would spell disaster for him in a 3-4 OLB role. You also point out that he was more effective as a 3-4 OLB, but isn't that with the large caveat that Wilfork/Mayo were still playing, or were they already out of the picture at this point?

Wilfork was already out, Mayo was not. Hightower didn't move over to ILB in the 3-4 until Mayo's season-ending injury. And the Patriots didn't star using the 3-4 heavily until Wilfork was out.
 
I like him as more of an OLB than ILB in the 3-4 because I've seen him be more effective in that role. He's better in coverage when he's able to jam at the line and he plays with more force setting the edge against the run than when he has to pick which rushing lane to fill.
 
I try not to overreact positively or negatively, and if I have to sway one way, I'd rather it be positive because I've seen what happens when writers overreact negatively. Stuff like this happens where one player becomes a scapegoat. That's why I do a five stars of the game, but not five players who had a bad game. I like to see the whole picture before I write negatively about a player. Judging a guy off one or two bad plays can be dangerous.
 
I think Hightower played well early in the season and I only started to see the bad games strung together once Wilfork and Mayo went out. That leads me to believe it has to do with the talent around him, different position and added responsibility.
 
Hightower's not Mayo. If he was, he wouldn't have still been around at No. 25 overall. But he's better in coverage than Spikes, he's a good edge setter, he's a good blitzer and when he's got the right players in front of him, he's good at stuffing the run. At least he was last year and early this year.
 
I just think it's been very odd the past two weeks that suddenly it's Hightower's fault that the Patriots are letting up a crapload of rushing yards. No one wants to place the blame on Vellano and Jones -- neither do I -- but maybe we can blame Belichick for not planning better for the loss of Wilfork and Kelly.
 
We'll see what happens in the next couple weeks if Sopoaga is able to play more. I think we'll see some improvement from Hightower. I know everyone loves Mayo, but some of these issues existed with him too, he just always had Wilfork in front of him. Mayo wasn't exactly a stud in pass coverage, and he had his own trouble getting off blocks at times. He was just more instinctual and didn't hesitate as much.

 

[Tony C]

Excellent argument.
 
Along those lines, I thought Sopoaga played pretty well his first game, but seems to have played sparingly (including snaps going to a guy off the practice squad) and without impact since then. He does seem to have the potential to be average, which is all the Pats can hope for at this point. Any sense of why he isn't getting more play?

 

[Super Nomario]

Doug, thanks for chiming in.
 

Wilfork was already out, Mayo was not. Hightower didn't move over to ILB in the 3-4 until Mayo's season-ending injury. And the Patriots didn't star using the 3-4 heavily until Wilfork was out.
 
I like him as more of an OLB than ILB in the 3-4 because I've seen him be more effective in that role. He's better in coverage when he's able to jam at the line and he plays with more force setting the edge against the run than when he has to pick which rushing lane to fill.

My issue is less with Hightower in the base than with his fit in the nickel - he's a good rusher for a LB, but not good enough to be in the four-man rush, and he's too slow to cover backs or tight ends.
 
I see re-signing Ninkovich and drafting Collins as pushing Hightower inside in a 3-4 base. Those guys would seem to project more obviously as 3-4 OLBs.
 

I just think it's been very odd the past two weeks that suddenly it's Hightower's fault that the Patriots are letting up a crapload of rushing yards. No one wants to place the blame on Vellano and Jones -- neither do I -- but maybe we can blame Belichick for not planning better for the loss of Wilfork and Kelly.
 
We'll see what happens in the next couple weeks if Sopoaga is able to play more. I think we'll see some improvement from Hightower. I know everyone loves Mayo, but some of these issues existed with him too, he just always had Wilfork in front of him. Mayo wasn't exactly a stud in pass coverage, and he had his own trouble getting off blocks at times. He was just more instinctual and didn't hesitate as much.

Why do you think we haven't seen more from Sopoaga? Does he not understand the scheme? Is it conditioning-related? They seemed reluctant to play Forston, too. Do you see any method to the madness of playing Chris Jones and Vellano 90% of the snaps every game?

 

[Kenny F'ing Powers]

Wilfork was already out, Mayo was not. Hightower didn't move over to ILB in the 3-4 until Mayo's season-ending injury. And the Patriots didn't star using the 3-4 heavily until Wilfork was out.
 
I like him as more of an OLB than ILB in the 3-4 because I've seen him be more effective in that role. He's better in coverage when he's able to jam at the line and he plays with more force setting the edge against the run than when he has to pick which rushing lane to fill.
 
I try not to overreact positively or negatively, and if I have to sway one way, I'd rather it be positive because I've seen what happens when writers overreact negatively. Stuff like this happens where one player becomes a scapegoat. That's why I do a five stars of the game, but not five players who had a bad game. I like to see the whole picture before I write negatively about a player. Judging a guy off one or two bad plays can be dangerous.
 
I think Hightower played well early in the season and I only started to see the bad games strung together once Wilfork and Mayo went out. That leads me to believe it has to do with the talent around him, different position and added responsibility.
 
Hightower's not Mayo. If he was, he wouldn't have still been around at No. 25 overall. But he's better in coverage than Spikes, he's a good edge setter, he's a good blitzer and when he's got the right players in front of him, he's good at stuffing the run. At least he was last year and early this year.
 
I just think it's been very odd the past two weeks that suddenly it's Hightower's fault that the Patriots are letting up a crapload of rushing yards. No one wants to place the blame on Vellano and Jones -- neither do I -- but maybe we can blame Belichick for not planning better for the loss of Wilfork and Kelly.
 
We'll see what happens in the next couple weeks if Sopoaga is able to play more. I think we'll see some improvement from Hightower. I know everyone loves Mayo, but some of these issues existed with him too, he just always had Wilfork in front of him. Mayo wasn't exactly a stud in pass coverage, and he had his own trouble getting off blocks at times. He was just more instinctual and didn't hesitate as much.

 
Re: OLB vs ILB, that makes sense. Your job has been to watch these guys and check out game film, and I've essentially only watched each play once live. I trust your judgement here much more than I trust my own. Thanks for the feedback.
 
In regards to the Hightower/run defense corollary, I don't disagree with your sentiment. I think it's pretty clear to anyone paying attention that the Vellano/Jones duo started off hot, but it did so against offensive powerhouses like the Jets, Dolphins, and Steelers. These offenses aren't even 1-dimensional, they're 0-dimensional. They also struggle pretty heavily when running the ball up the middle (ranked 23rd, 18th, 25th when running mid/guard according to FO). Interestingly, FO has Den/Hou, the two teams who pushed the Pats interior around, ranked 7th and 4th in runs up the middle. Take it for what it's worth, I suppose. Either way, they've performed poorly in the past few weeks in both disrupting the QB (which Jones was excelling at) and controlling their gaps.
 
The bigger concern with Hightower in my opinion, though, has been his coverage. You're of the opinion that when he can jam at the line, his performance increases. I'm curious, though, how often we've seen him do that. If he's jamming at the line, then he's usually covering a tight end. This year, the Patriots have seen two of the top 5 tight ends (Jimmy Graham/Tony Gonzalez). Graham was game planned with cornerbacks covering him, and Hightower was abused so badly by Gonzalez (12 catches, 149 yards), that BB was forced to double and jam him at the line of scrimmage at the end of the game. I don't recall how many of those catches were on Hightower, but looking at the game log, he was left holding the bag and making the tackle after the catch pretty often.
 
Jacob Tamme(!) had some big catches, nearly 50 yards and a TD.
Greg Olsen had some big catches, over 50 yards and a TD.
Charles Clay had 5 catches, Heath Miller had 4 catches, Scott Chandler had 4 catches, Tyler Eifert had 5 catches...I know Hightower isn't the only guy covering tight ends. I know that each defensive plan and play call is different.
 
Still, this team gives up a ton of catches to tight ends, and at some point that has to fall on someone. I think this is partly scheme - BB generally likes for his LB to keep the play in front of them and make a tackle, especially in zone - and I think a lot of it has to fall on the player.
 
All that being said, I'm not a Hightower hater. Like you, I think when the players are around him and he's in a comfortable spot, he can be an above average player. Unfortunately, when the team's needed him to step up and play out of his comfort zone, his game hasn't elevated and his weaknesses are glaring.

 

[Super Nomario]

 
The bigger concern with Hightower in my opinion, though, has been his coverage. You're of the opinion that when he can jam at the line, his performance increases. I'm curious, though, how often we've seen him do that. If he's jamming at the line, then he's usually covering a tight end. This year, the Patriots have seen two of the top 5 tight ends (Jimmy Graham/Tony Gonzalez). Graham was game planned with cornerbacks covering him, and Hightower was abused so badly by Gonzalez (12 catches, 149 yards), that BB was forced to double and jam him at the line of scrimmage at the end of the game. I don't recall how many of those catches were on Hightower, but looking at the game log, he was left holding the bag and making the tackle after the catch pretty often.
 
Jacob Tamme(!) had some big catches, nearly 50 yards and a TD.
Greg Olsen had some big catches, over 50 yards and a TD.
Charles Clay had 5 catches, Heath Miller had 4 catches, Scott Chandler had 4 catches, Tyler Eifert had 5 catches...I know Hightower isn't the only guy covering tight ends. I know that each defensive plan and play call is different.
 
Still, this team gives up a ton of catches to tight ends, and at some point that has to fall on someone. I think this is partly scheme - BB generally likes for his LB to keep the play in front of them and make a tackle, especially in zone - and I think a lot of it has to fall on the player.

You can get this data on the "coverage" pages on PFF. E.g., https://www.profootballfocus.com/data/gstats.php?tab=by_team&season=2013&gameid=2841&teamid=19&stats=v&playerid=
 
1 Chander - 1 of 1, 4 yards
2 Winslow - 1 of 1, 9 yards
3 N/A (no targets when covering TE)
4 Gonzalez - 3 of 3, 24 yards; Toilolo - 0 of 1
5 Gresham - 1 of 1, 12 yards; Eifert - 1 of 1, 2 yards
6 N/A (no targets when covering TE)
7 Cumberland - 2 of 4, 33 yards
8 Clay - 1 of 11, 11 yards
9 N/A (no targets when covering TE)
10 Olsen - 1 of 1, 14 yards
11 N/A (no targets when covering TE)
12 Graham - 1 of 2, 17 yards
 
This doesn't tell us much. Teams have been efficient targeting TEs covered by Hightower, but without knowing how many snaps he's covering TE, it doesn't tell us how good a job he's doing overall. I looked at the Denver game closely, and generally Spikes was lined up on the TE while Hightower had the back. Which is still a problem, because he can't cover RB either (and Spikes can't cover TE).

 

[dougkyed]

Excellent argument.
 
Along those lines, I thought Sopoaga played pretty well his first game, but seems to have played sparingly (including snaps going to a guy off the practice squad) and without impact since then. He does seem to have the potential to be average, which is all the Pats can hope for at this point. Any sense of why he isn't getting more play?

 

Doug, thanks for chiming in.
 
My issue is less with Hightower in the base than with his fit in the nickel - he's a good rusher for a LB, but not good enough to be in the four-man rush, and he's too slow to cover backs or tight ends.
 
I see re-signing Ninkovich and drafting Collins as pushing Hightower inside in a 3-4 base. Those guys would seem to project more obviously as 3-4 OLBs.
 
Why do you think we haven't seen more from Sopoaga? Does he not understand the scheme? Is it conditioning-related? They seemed reluctant to play Forston, too. Do you see any method to the madness of playing Chris Jones and Vellano 90% of the snaps every game?

 
The Patriots have been in nickel a lot. They were in nickel all of the Broncos game. When they're in nickel, Sopoaga generally doesn't play.

 
Re: OLB vs ILB, that makes sense. Your job has been to watch these guys and check out game film, and I've essentially only watched each play once live. I trust your judgement here much more than I trust my own. Thanks for the feedback.
 
In regards to the Hightower/run defense corollary, I don't disagree with your sentiment. I think it's pretty clear to anyone paying attention that the Vellano/Jones duo started off hot, but it did so against offensive powerhouses like the Jets, Dolphins, and Steelers. These offenses aren't even 1-dimensional, they're 0-dimensional. They also struggle pretty heavily when running the ball up the middle (ranked 23rd, 18th, 25th when running mid/guard according to FO). Interestingly, FO has Den/Hou, the two teams who pushed the Pats interior around, ranked 7th and 4th in runs up the middle. Take it for what it's worth, I suppose. Either way, they've performed poorly in the past few weeks in both disrupting the QB (which Jones was excelling at) and controlling their gaps.
 
The bigger concern with Hightower in my opinion, though, has been his coverage. You're of the opinion that when he can jam at the line, his performance increases. I'm curious, though, how often we've seen him do that. If he's jamming at the line, then he's usually covering a tight end. This year, the Patriots have seen two of the top 5 tight ends (Jimmy Graham/Tony Gonzalez). Graham was game planned with cornerbacks covering him, and Hightower was abused so badly by Gonzalez (12 catches, 149 yards), that BB was forced to double and jam him at the line of scrimmage at the end of the game. I don't recall how many of those catches were on Hightower, but looking at the game log, he was left holding the bag and making the tackle after the catch pretty often.
 
Jacob Tamme(!) had some big catches, nearly 50 yards and a TD.
Greg Olsen had some big catches, over 50 yards and a TD.
Charles Clay had 5 catches, Heath Miller had 4 catches, Scott Chandler had 4 catches, Tyler Eifert had 5 catches...I know Hightower isn't the only guy covering tight ends. I know that each defensive plan and play call is different.
 
Still, this team gives up a ton of catches to tight ends, and at some point that has to fall on someone. I think this is partly scheme - BB generally likes for his LB to keep the play in front of them and make a tackle, especially in zone - and I think a lot of it has to fall on the player.
 
All that being said, I'm not a Hightower hater. Like you, I think when the players are around him and he's in a comfortable spot, he can be an above average player. Unfortunately, when the team's needed him to step up and play out of his comfort zone, his game hasn't elevated and his weaknesses are glaring.

 
 

You can get this data on the "coverage" pages on PFF. E.g., https://www.profootballfocus.com/data/gstats.php?tab=by_team&season=2013&gameid=2841&teamid=19&stats=v&playerid=
 
1 Chander - 1 of 1, 4 yards
2 Winslow - 1 of 1, 9 yards
3 N/A (no targets when covering TE)
4 Gonzalez - 3 of 3, 24 yards; Toilolo - 0 of 1
5 Gresham - 1 of 1, 12 yards; Eifert - 1 of 1, 2 yards
6 N/A (no targets when covering TE)
7 Cumberland - 2 of 4, 33 yards
8 Clay - 1 of 11, 11 yards
9 N/A (no targets when covering TE)
10 Olsen - 1 of 1, 14 yards
11 N/A (no targets when covering TE)
12 Graham - 1 of 2, 17 yards
 
This doesn't tell us much. Teams have been efficient targeting TEs covered by Hightower, but without knowing how many snaps he's covering TE, it doesn't tell us how good a job he's doing overall. I looked at the Denver game closely, and generally Spikes was lined up on the TE while Hightower had the back. Which is still a problem, because he can't cover RB either (and Spikes can't cover TE).

My coverage charts on Hightower are far more forgiving. PFF's system "blames" a defensive player for every reception. Many times, especially on throws to tight ends and running backs, players are left completely uncovered based on defensive scheme. In those cases, the closest player in coverage gets blamed. On throws to tight ends and running backs, that's usually a linebacker or slot corner.
 
PFF has Hightower with 30 catches on 46 targets for 314 yards, 0 touchdowns, 0 interceptions.
I have Hightower with 21 catches on 39 targets for 199 yards and a touchdown, 0 interceptions.
 
I don't think Hightower is great in coverage, he gets beat for a big play every other game or so, but he's not a complete liability. Spikes, Mayo, Fletcher, Ninkovich and Collins aren't exactly great in coverage either anyway.

 

[RoDaddy]

I haven't seen the last few games on TV and so don't know how Sopoaga and Siliga are being used, but I assume it's in rotation rather than with each other.  If so, I'd be interested in seeing both out there at the same time on occasion plugging the middle in run situations.  This combo would also give Chris Jones and Vellano  breathers from taking on bigger guys such that when they come back in on passing downs, they'd be able to give a more energetic push up the middle.

 

[( . ) ( . ) and (_!_)]

In the game ball thread and elsewhere multiple people have commented on the excellent play of Sealver Siliga and people are also commenting on how much better Hightower played.
 
Kyed for the Win!

 

[Reverend]

Hightower was definitely in on a lot more plays and it was noticeable. But when isolated, he was also seen to be incredibly slow in closing on, like, anybody; I mean, he's probably faster than me, but he is noticeably slow on an NFL field. This does nothing to undermine the burgeoning theory that he's effective within a system, but it's a bit scary to have to consider what a liability he can become on the plays where the system breaks down.

 

[Ed Hillel]

I'm sorry I am a bit late here, but in regards to the planning for the loss of Wilfork and Kelly, keep in mind that the Pats also signed Armstead. If we can assume that he would be at least a replacement level guy (which I think is fair), that's a lot to plan for. I think you can push that he could have signed or drafted a fourth guy for even more depth, but I think maybe that's mostly a circumstance you chalk up to shitty luck circumstance. Not many teams can account for losing their top 3 interior DL for the year. Obviously, Mayo going down makes the loss look even worse.

Siliga's overall play yesterday was extremely encouraging. If he can help shore up that middle and provide some occassional pressure, that would be YUUUUGE.

 

[Kenny F'ing Powers]

Copying form the Raven's thread as it has a little more relevance here. How are people feeling about Hightower after the last few weeks? How are they feeling about him after yesterday? Good or bad, he's going to be a big factor to this team's success in the playoffs.
 
I've been championing the "Hightower blows" campaign all season, but I really liked his play yesterday.
 
The team seems to be doing a better job of leveraging his strengths the last few weeks. Some plays they lined up in a 2 or 3 man front and had him play off the line, and then crash it on the snap. There was one play in particular where Hightower tumbled over a lineman, got up, and chased Flacco out of the pocket and forced a bad throw (on 3rd or 4th down I believe). Getting him in there to standup some lineman, play down hill, and limit his exposure in man coverage has done wonders for his results. It seemed like they were playing in zone a bit more yesterday too. Several of the balls that were batted down or tipped were done so by players on the zone under Flacco's intended receiver. Hightower's tip came out of a zone (at least a zone by the linebackers).
 
Basically, Kyed was right. They've started to play to Hightower's strengths, and his game has drastically improved.

 

[( . ) ( . ) and (_!_)]

It's hard to be patient as a football fan because they only play once a week and you would think/expect that 6 days between games would be enough time to figure stuff out.  Unfortunately reality is that it sometimes takes longer then that.  Hightower is not Mayo and that is not his fault, it took a little longer for them to figure out how to use and probably a little longer then we would have liked for Hightower to understand his new role.  But he has had several good games in a row now.  He is limited in what he can do, but his strengths, especially against the run, are starting to show through.

 

[Stitch01]

I feel much better about his role going forward when Spikes walks this offseason and Mayo returns.

 

[Phragle]

A career high 41 coverage snaps yesterday

 

[Super Nomario]

A career high 41 coverage snaps yesterday

Not surprising with Baltimore trailing all day and having to throw, and Fletcher out (not to mention Mayo).

 

[lambeau]

Hightower ended the regular season with four strong games--he attributes this to trying initially to do too much after Wilfork and Mayo went down.
But Kyed predicted he would do better if the middle of the line was shored up--and those were the four games started by Siliga.Or it's the positioning.

But in that four game run PFF graded Hightower overall higher than every linebacker except Aldon Smith.
The stretch brought his regular season grade for run-stopping up to fifth, behind only Von Miller, Trent Cole, Terrell Suggs, and Spikes.
He even graded positive for coverage, with three good games (Miami excepted).

So maybe we have the best run-stopping linebacker left in the playoffs--who can even cover a little.