New England Patriots: Brandon Spikes Poised for Breakout Season in 4-3 in 2011

Everything's changed so fast for Brandon Spikes and the New England Patriots. Without going all Lifetime made-for-TV movie on you, this just isn't the same situation anymore. So much has changed, and I don't even know if Spikes is the same person anymore (at least, judging from his Twitter timeline).

Before you ask, this article I posted over two months ago on a potential breakout 2011 NFL season for Brandon Spikes was never intended to be a two-part mini-series. 

Spikes just isn't the same fit anymore. Cue the Coldplay! 

In the end, it's better for all parties involved. In the 3-4 defense, Spikes was merely a two-down linebacker, albeit an effective one. According to ESPN Boston's Mike Reiss, Spikes played 349 out of a possible 1,101 defensive snaps in 2011 for 31.7 percent of all defensive snaps. 

As evidenced by Pats Propaganda's Mike Dussault, most of that playing time came against run-heavy offenses.

The big question was whether or not he could become an every-down linebacker in the 3-4. Of course, that's now obsolete, as he is clearly a three-down linebacker in the 4-3. 

Spikes gets to play in a 4-3 defense that allows him to do everything he became comfortable with as the captain of the Florida Gators' national-championship defense.

This is the same defense in which Spikes chomped up and spit out anything that dared to enter his area of the field. In his three years as a starter, Spikes tallied 292 tackles, 32.5 for loss, 6.5 sacks and six interceptions with four pick-sixes.

His talent against the run was never an issue, as he tallied seven tackles in just 23 plays against the Jets last season and led the nation in tackles at Florida in 2007 with 81 unassisted. He has the ability to go downhill and take on guards and centers, which some linebackers aren't nearly physical enough to do.

Where Spikes may have been exposed a bit in the 3-4 for his lack of speed, the 4-3 actually covers it up. With two athletic linebackers on either side of him in Jerod Mayo and Gary Guyton or Rob Ninkovich, Spikes can be confident that his sharp instincts will be enough.

Bill Belichick has made comments about Spikes' keen football instincts in the past, saying, "He sees some things that I’m not sure everybody sees. He’s an instinctive player, and he sees things. I don’t know if they are exactly the textbook way you would read the plays, but he reads them." 

In that regard, the switch to the 4-3 allows Spikes to get the mental blocks out of the way and get back to reading plays and using his instincts.

Erik Frenz is the co-host of the PatsPropaganda and Frenz podcast. Follow Erik on Twitter @erikfrenz.