BY LANDON RODY
Fresh out of New England, linebacker Brandon Spikes has a skill set that can serve the Buffalo Bills well.
Spikes,
entering his fifth year in the NFL, is poised to help the strengthen
the Bills' run defense with his hard-hitting, intimidating style of
play. It's an approach to the game he's shaped after linebackers of
years past.
“I’ve always played aggressive and watching all the older guys who played way before us,” Spikes recently told BuffaloBills.com.
“I know a lot of people are saying the league is passing now and it’s
pass, but as you can see in the playoffs everybody just starts running
the ball.
"[Teams] need a run stopper that can take that away like in the playoffs late in the season when the weather becomes a factor.”
Spikes
is out to prove he's more than just a first- and second-down player,
but helping bolster a run defense that was ranked 28th overall last
season (yards-against per game) is his top priority. He'll do so in the
'Mike' position of a scheme he finds similar to the one he played in in
college, at the University of Florida under Urban Meyer.
"It was a scheme where I was able to play at a
high level and had lots of success," Spikes said.
Pro
Football Focus ranked Spikes as the league's best run-stopping inside
'backer in 2013. He tallied 48 solo tackles behind the line of
scrimmage.
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