Dane Fletcher, Brandon Spikes Are Best Backup Plan Patriots Could Hope For

Being without Jerod Mayo and/or Dont'a Hightower at the start of the 2015 season would be a worst-case scenario for the defending Super Bowl champions. It's uncertain how quickly Mayo will return to the lineup, but Hightower isn't expected to be ready until August, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. 

As head coach Bill Belichick's wont to do, the New England Patriots have prepared for the worst by signing veteran linebackers Dane Fletcher and Brandon Spikes.

Thanks to these two moves, the Patriots can insert two experienced linebackers into their lineup if two of their stars are unavailable to begin the 2015 season. But Fletcher and Spikes aren't just experienced linebackers; they are experienced in the Patriots system, which is immensely important for players who are unsure of how big their role will be.

Player	Fletcher	Spikes
2010	155	356
2011	279	364
2012	0 (injured)	742
2013	211	694

From 2010 to 2013, Fletcher and Spikes played various roles in the Patriots' shape-shifting defense. Fletcher's responsibilities ranged from middle linebacker to weak-side linebacker, while Spikes was more strictly kept in the middle of the defense, whether it was a 3-4 or a 4-3 alignment. 

One might wonder why the Patriots waited so long to make moves at linebacker, considering their overall lack of depth at the position and the number of question marks surrounding the top of the depth chart. Thanks to the Patriots' patience at the position, neither Spikes nor Fletcher will count against the team in the compensatory pick formula since both of them signed after May 13. 

But more important than compensatory picks is the fact that the Patriots will be ready for any sudden emergencies at the linebacker position.

Spikes' strength is in run defense, where his instincts, gap shooting and aggressiveness help him make plays when he's crashing the line of scrimmage. He notched 174 tackles in his four years with the Patriots, one sack, four forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, two interceptions and 14 passes defended. 

Perhaps the best trait Spikes brings to the table is his mean streak. He is known for his heavy hits, which set the tone for the defense. 

The beauty of the Patriots' versatility at linebacker is that Spikes can sub for either Mayo or Hightower, but he can play in the middle either way. That's because Hightower can line up inside or outside in the 3-4 or 4-3, while Mayo can line up inside in a 3-4 and either inside or outside in a 4-3.

Fletcher has mostly been limited to a backup role with the Patriots, only notching six starts in four years in New England before his departure for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season, where he was granted four opportunities to start at middle linebacker in head coach Lovie Smith's 4-3 defense. 

Fletcher filled in on the strong side and the weak side for the Patriots over the years, so his versatility and experience in the Patriots defense should catapult him near the top of the pecking order among the backup linebackers. 

That being said, nothing is a given. Between Spikes, Fletcher, Dekoda Watson, Chris White, Matt Wells and James Morris, there is a deep competition brewing for those backup spots. Whoever winds up with those jobs will be lining up next to the highly athletic and versatile Jamie Collins, who has become a big-time playmaker for the Patriots defense. 

Due to their experience alone, Fletcher and Spikes should currently be considered front-runners for those jobs until the practices (the real ones with hitting, not the organized team activities with light jogging) get underway.