Brandon Spikes and Adrian Wilson "Hit It Off"

With the addition of former Arizona Cardinal Adrian Wilson, the Patriots are off and running to turning the middle of this defense into a hard-hitting machine that will make offenses think twice before throwing anything in the middle. The two main keys to this new style Adrian Wilson and Brandon Spikes are reportedly hitting it off since meeting each other in Patriots camp. Let’s face it, if it’s one thing they love to do it’s hit so it would only make sense they would hit it off.

It’s obvious that Spikes’ main goal was always to hit receivers and running backs into next week as he told the Boston Herald's Jeff Howe:

“It’s just a factor you’ve got to think about before you call that play across the middle,” Spikes said. “You’ve got guys in there that are trying to make a statement, trying to set the tone. I’m pretty sure (offensive) coordinators will think twice before they call something.”

The 6’3 230 pound Adrian Wilson is an intimidating force that one can’t help but notice in the secondary and with his attitude, he’s been nicknamed “The Incredible Hulk” by teammates in New England. When asked if he likes to lay out opponents Wilson responded with “That’s what football is; that’s what defensive football is.”

People are expecting Wilson to be a leader and they should. He made a career out of hard hits and has forced 16 fumbles and intercepted 27 passes. Wilson has slowed down a bit with age and was taken off the field for a lot of obvious passing situation last season, but he can be a real help covering tight ends and making sure plays don’t get behind him (unlike Steve Gregory).

It’s obvious that there is a ton of respect there between Spikes and Wilson especially from the much younger Spikes who had this to say about Wilson:

“I remember watching him when I was in the seventh or eighth grade,” Spikes said. “In the NFL, it’s just an honor being in the same locker room with him. The way he brings that intimidation level, he hits you. He knows his stuff. It’s good to have veterans like that on the field.”

The two are going to be exciting to watch in a sort of bash brother kind of way. Intimidation is about as old as the game itself and sometimes it can be a real benefit to a defense if an offensive player is trying to avoid a specific part of the field in order to avoid hits.

Josh Brown
@TitleTownTalkSB