Takeo Spikes @ SLB? (1 Viewer)

[cpstorm]

from KFFL:

(KFFL) Updating previous reports, Chris Brown, of BuffaloBills.com, reports Buffalo Bills LB Takeo Spikes (Achilles') will be the starting strong-side linebacker when healthy and not at the weak side, as originally reported.

what will this do his IDP status? Surely this hurts him...

 

[Jene Bramel]

from KFFL:

(KFFL) Updating previous reports, Chris Brown, of BuffaloBills.com, reports Buffalo Bills LB Takeo Spikes (Achilles') will be the starting strong-side linebacker when healthy and not at the weak side, as originally reported.

what will this do his IDP status? Surely this hurts him...

Some discussion starting here...Definitely hurts him. Huge boost for Crowell if this holds. And it's still more data to show that all Tampa-2 playbooks are not alike. You'd have expected the Bills to mirror the Bear playbook, with Perry Fewell's history with Lovie Smith and two solid, aggressive linebackers in Spikes/Fletcher like Briggs/Urlacher. But this is reading very much like an Indianapolis right/left playbook if the blog Aaron quoted in the other thread proves accurate.

More than anything else, I think it shows what kind of player the Buffalo coaching staff thinks Crowell can become.

I'd defer to Rudnicki on all things Buffalo though...

 

[bigreese82]

http://football32.myfantasyleague.com/2006...ID=200607311512

Published Mon Jul 31 3:12:00 p.m. ET 2006

(Rotoworld) Takeo Spikes (Achilles) is targeting a Week 3 return date.

Impact: Spikes is not expected to participate in any of the Bills' preseason games and will be very limited until the start of the season. He could move to strong-side linebacker as well, so Spikes shouldn't be on IDP radars at the moment.

 

[Rozelle]

from KFFL:

(KFFL) Updating previous reports, Chris Brown, of BuffaloBills.com, reports Buffalo Bills LB Takeo Spikes (Achilles') will be the starting strong-side linebacker when healthy and not at the weak side, as originally reported.

what will this do his IDP status? Surely this hurts him...

Crowell owner

 

[Bob_Magaw]

no doubt spikes owners will be bummed about this if true, but if he can come most of the way back, his skill set could make it a good fit... he is very athletic & is very good both rushing the QB & in coverage... than again, crowell a good athlete as well, & he showed pretty good blitzing & coverage ability last year, making the most of his chance...

 

[cpstorm]

is crowell worth picking up then? i dont see him on the rankings anywhere. I am in a dynasty league...

 

[RAPTURE]

is crowell worth picking up then? i dont see him on the rankings anywhere. I am in a dynasty league...

You better do it fast before someone else reaps the reward.RAPTURE - A Angelo Crowell Owner

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

I really think it is still premature to read too much into this. Spikes said himself that he is playing on the weakside. And Posey has been Crowell's backup in training camp. To me, that still suggests that Spikes will be WLB and Posey/Crowell will be competing for snaps at SLB.

Also, everything I've read suggests that Spikes may not play in the preseason but expects to play in week 1. No idea where that week 3 report came from.

 

[msommer]

I really think it is still premature to read too much into this. Spikes said himself that he is playing on the weakside. And Posey has been Crowell's backup in training camp. To me, that still suggests that Spikes will be WLB and Posey/Crowell will be competing for snaps at SLB.Also, everything I've read suggests that Spikes may not play in the preseason but expects to play in week 1. No idea where that week 3 report came from.

Could they be going to a left/right alignment like Seattle used to run with Simmons and the other guy I can't remember (Sharper?)?That would mean both Spikes and Crowell had value - just not as much as a WLB in the old scheme.

 

[Jene Bramel]

I really think it is still premature to read too much into this. Spikes said himself that he is playing on the weakside. And Posey has been Crowell's backup in training camp. To me, that still suggests that Spikes will be WLB and Posey/Crowell will be competing for snaps at SLB.Also, everything I've read suggests that Spikes may not play in the preseason but expects to play in week 1. No idea where that week 3 report came from.

Could they be going to a left/right alignment like Seattle used to run with Simmons and the other guy I can't remember (Sharper?)?That would mean both Spikes and Crowell had value - just not as much as a WLB in the old scheme.

Could be.The blog entry Aaron posted suggested this and I thought much the same thing in the Crowell thread. The skill sets aren't exactly the same, but you could see a Thornton/June tackle breakdown between Spikes/Crowell. I'm with Aaron, though, this sounds iffy enough that we should wait to see the alignment in action. And I think the Week 3 thing refers to the third week of preseason games. Or they're just intentionally trying to confuse us.

 

[Rozelle]

Will/sam, or left/right, who will play in the nickel and dime will be more important.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

Will/sam, or left/right, who will play in the nickel and dime will be more important.

if Spikes is 100%, I don't see any way they don't play him in the nickel with Fletcher. His health and recovery from the Achilles will be the determining factor there. I imagine Fletcher will continue to play in the dime package.

 

[Tick]

Will/sam, or left/right, who will play in the nickel and dime will be more important.

if Spikes is 100%, I don't see any way they don't play him in the nickel with Fletcher. His health and recovery from the Achilles will be the determining factor there. I imagine Fletcher will continue to play in the dime package.

Spikes is a monster on screens - they have to put him in on third downs. Any smart offense will rip the screen page out of their playbook when playing against the Bills.

 

[bigreese82]

Bills | Spikes eyeing Sept. 24 return date

Tue, 1 Aug 2006 12:34:46 -0700

Leo Roth, of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, reports that Buffalo Bills LB Takeo Spikes (Achilles') may not be ready for the team's first two regular season games, against the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins. His goal is to return to action Sunday, Sept. 24, against the New York Jets, in the Bills' home opener.

tried to find the original article but could not

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

Bill coming due: Spikes almost ready

Updated 7/31/2006 5:55 PM ET

By Leo Roth, Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle

Takeo Spikes didn't need a medical expert to tell him what had happened.

Sitting on the turf at Ralph Wilson Stadium on Sept. 25, the Buffalo Bills' All-Pro outside linebacker removed his helmet and slammed it to the ground. His right Achilles' tendon had been torn clean on a blitz call against Atlanta quarterback Michael Vick.

And Spikes knew it.

He had been dealing with warning signs. Twitches of pain. Soreness. Micro-tears. But like a guy who knows his faulty car generator will leave him stranded some day, he kept on driving.

"I knew it," he said. "I had been dealing with it for over a year. That Thursday in practice before we played, it tore a little bit then."

Then why play? Why risk a devastating injury in the third game of the season?

"Loyalty to the guys. I love what I do," said Spikes, who'd make the same call again.

Besides, even had he shut it down and had pre-emptive surgery, his season would've been finished. And rest would've only delayed the inevitable. At least Spikes went down under his own terms.

And now he's back eager to prove he can still be the same dynamic defensive force and emotional leader he was during his first eight seasons in the NFL.

The player who racked up 962 tackles, 20 ½ sacks, 13 forced fumbles and 12 interceptions. The player who went to two Pro Bowls his first two seasons with Buffalo after signing as a free agent from Cincinnati. A player universally respected for his passion and professionalism.

Taking it slow

Spikes may not be ready for the first two regular-season games at New England and Miami. His goal is to make his comeback debut in the home opener Sept. 24 against the New York Jets, when it will be almost a year to the day when he suffered his first and only serious injury playing football.

"I've still got time on my side and I'm going to take advantage of that," Spikes said. "Knowing Coach (####) Jauron, he's going to have a schedule set for me. They know what I can do. Once a dog bites, you can't ever take that away. Just get me back on the field and I'll be good."

The rebuilding Bills, whose defense crashed from No. 2 in the rankings to No. 29 without the playmaking Spikes, desperately need him to be good again.

While it won't be known for certain how well Spikes' Achilles' has healed until he plays in a game, his attitude about life and football has never been healthier.

With the support of family, friends and teammates, the sage medical guidance of James Andrews, the famed "surgeon to the stars," and some inspirational book reading, Spikes was able to endure a long, grueling recovery process.

It included 10 hours a week doing rehabilitation exercises like picking up marbles with his toes and another 10 hours in a hyperbaric chamber or swimming pool.

For the first three months, Spikes' worst pain was from a broken heart, not being able to play as the Bills stumbled to a 5-11 finish.

"My pride was hurt more than anything," said Spikes, who sports a 7-inch scar on the back of his right foot shaped like a zipper. "I had never missed a game (114 in all) due to injury. As a player, once you get on streaks like that, at times you really think you're invincible.

"I guess you can look at it lots of ways, a humbling deal maybe. I think it's good for me because now I have more intensity, more fire, more drive than ever to come back and play."

Which is a scary thought.

To trumpet his return, the gregarious Spikes had T-shirts made up for him and his teammates declaring: "The Comeback, September 2006. Bigger. Stronger. Faster. Better."

Can Spikes defy the Achilles' odds and be as good as new?

"It's a tough one to come back from. I was able to come back and play a few years after that, but the rehab is very tedious," said former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino, who made a successful return from Achilles surgery, albeit at a less strenuous position. "I think the one thing fans need to be with him is patient, because it takes a while to come back from that injury."

Spikes admitted patience isn't one of his virtues. A medical setback is a constant worry for him, his doctors and trainers if he pushes things too fast or too hard.

Finding inspiration

During his recovery dog days of winter, Spikes' spirits were lifted from the quality time he got to spend with his 3-year-old daughter, Jakai. While his first name means "great warrior" in Japanese, hers means "beautiful flower."

Spikes, meanwhile, gained inspiration from Robert Edwards, his Georgia high school teammate and former star running back for the New England Patriots who is no stranger to the gamut of emotions surrounding a career-altering injury.

Edwards, now playing for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League, suffered a severe knee injury in 1999 while playing a game of beach flag football during the week of the Pro Bowl in Hawaii.

He sat out three seasons until returning to the NFL with the Dolphins in 2002. Edwards had an arthroscopic procedure performed on his knee in January and would show up at the same Atlanta facility each day to work with Spikes.

"Days I didn't feel like going or I had a bad attitude, he was there for me," Spikes said of his friend.

"I just wanted to be there and push him," Edwards said. "I went through it and I know how hard it can be to be alone. Anytime I saw him slack off, I'd say, 'You gotta keep up, man. You can't be this comeback player of the year if you don't continue to work.' I think he did a great job. The only thing was patience because Takeo wasn't seeing results in the beginning and injuries take time."

Edwards and Spikes turned routine exercises into friendly competitions. It was Georgia vs. Auburn in a game of one-leg jumping or balance beam catch.

Spikes soon morphed from the devastated, bitter person who phoned Edwards with the news his career was in jeopardy to the same old cheerful Takeo, brimming with confidence.

"Once he started back running, cutting, that was the key," Edwards said. "He started to realize his comeback would be for real. With the work ethic he has, he's going to be fine. He might even be a better player. Once you're injured, you're renewed. You have a different respect for the game, just being able to be on the field. You now realize that it can be taken away from you at any moment. I think Takeo appreciates that he has a second chance and he won't waste it and he'll play harder. He'll be a more energized guy and that's going to flow to his teammates. I can see that trickling down."

As for Spikes, he can see himself making that first tackle, driving a running back into the backfield or causing a fumble.

"One of the greatest quotes I've read is, 'A man can't have vision if his imagination is out of focus,' " Spikes said. "I've seen it (his first hit) already."

Spikes, who keeps inspirational quotes from Vince Lombardi in his locker stall, also drew strength during his recovery from the book Mind Gym: An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence by Gary Mack with David Casstevens.

The book, given to him by another friend, former Indiana basketball guard A.J. Moye, is filled with words and stories of encouragement from the world of sports. One piece of advice from the book: It's not the situation but how you respond to it that makes all the difference.

"I started reading it and never put it down and I kept going back to it," Spikes said.

He plans to give a copy to each of his teammates this season.

Spikes would also like to write his own book someday about his recovery. He kept a diary, which began with the very first thought he had on the field when he was injured: "Thank God I've saved my money."

"It can be a good story," he said. "I've been through a lot. I didn't realize what guys who have been injured have gone through. Now I do. And I now know in my heart I'm going to be back."

Clearing hurdles

Shortly before the start of practice Monday, Spikes completed his individual workout and flashed a thumbs-up sign to a group observing him along the sideline.

Already drenched in sweat as he prepared to join his teammates, Spikes said: "It's an every day ritual," referring to the 15 minutes he spent going over his footwork.

Not today, he was reminded.

It was different this time because he was wearing full pads for the first time since the injury.

"Yeah," Spikes said in agreement, a grin forming on his face. "I used to hate to put these pants on because they're so tight. But I love 'em today."

The two-time Pro Bowl selection and the heart of Buffalo's defense took another significant step, joining the Bills on the field for their first full padding practice of training camp.

Although he was held out of full-team drills, Spikes took part in pass-coverage and individual sessions, showing no signs of a limp or strain while delivering a few hits along the way.

An overeager Spikes ran over tight end Brad Cieslak away from the play during a 7-on-7 segment. The best and first hit came when he accidentally bowled over a camp intern while going after a pass in an interception drill.

"Yeah, I did, didn't I?" he said. "I forgot to pick him up."

No problem. The intern, who got up on his own, is sure to have a story to tell, and the Bills are beginning to believe they have their TKO — as Spikes is called — back to provide their defense some extra punch.

"It's really good and it's really good for him, too," Jauron said. "It's another step in his confidence level in his rehab."

Added linebacker London Fletcher: "Just to have those pads on, I think that really helps his psyche in knowing, 'OK, I'm back to doing what I do.'"

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nf...-comeback_x.htm

I'd still be surprised if he doesn't play in the first 2 games, but I guess they are better off taking things slow with him than rushing him back too soon and risking a setback.