PHOENIX — Dont’a Hightower and Jamie Collins are coming for any and all quarterbacks. That includes you, Tom Brady.
The two New England Patriots linebackers’ impressive versatility apparently extends past just playing defense. Collins said he’s willing to play anywhere on the field, including Brady’s position.
“I tend not to settle,” Collins, who played quarterback in high school, said Tuesday during Super Bowl Media Day. “I like to experience a lot of things. I like to do a lot of things on the field, especially if I can help my teammates. If they want to put me at safety, put me at safety. If they want to put me at quarterback, put me at quarterback.”
Yeah, Jamie, I don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon. Then again, wide receiver Julian Edelman has thrown a pass during the postseason, offensive tackle Nate Solder caught a touchdown and running back Shane Vereen and tight end Michael Hoomanawanui technically have played offensive line, so anything is possible.
“I might come after Tom,” Hightower said when asked what new position he’d like to try. “I think I want to play quarterback, bro.”
While it’s fun to think about the 6-foot-3, 270-pound linebacker dropping back to pass, the Patriots are probably better off letting Brady handle those duties. Hightower and Collins will be showcasing their versatility Sunday on defense in Super Bowl XLIX against the Seattle Seahawks, however.
Both players are known to drop back in coverage, blitz in the middle through the A-gap, rush off the edges and clog lanes in the running game. Their versatility is part of what makes the Patriots’ defense so valuable and dangerous.
Head coach Bill Belichick always has valued versatility in his players. He finally seems to have found a front seven who can be molded to any defense, whether it’s a 3-4, 4-3, nickel, zone or man. Hightower and Collins, as the team’s starting linebackers, are key in making everything tick.
Being so versatile didn’t always come so easy for Hightower, though, who had a stretch of troubles last season.
“Just trying to do a little bit more than what I was comfortable doing,” Hightower said. “I’m not a big vocal leader. I think that was probably the biggest thing, not knowing how to operate things. What I did this year is I’m a lot more comfortable with a lot more help. I have really good players around me who help out a lot. I think that was probably the bigger key between the two years. Just growing a lot that first year, I needed that pressure on me.”
One of those “really good players” is Collins, who has taken what Belichick describes as the “second-year leap.” This is Collins’ first time playing one position two years in a row since he was a high school quarterback, and it’s showing with how much he’s grown and matured in his sophomore season.
“Man, I’m gonna tell y’all about Tweet,” Hightower said about Collins, who earned his nickname for wearing canary yellow earrings last season. “Tweet’s a different dude, man. When he was a rookie, you could tell how good of a player he could be. He’s grown so much, and I definitely think that’s helped him. There’s been times in the game where he’ll come up to me and be like ‘High, when they do this, we gotta move the line, we gotta do something.’ I’m not surprised at all how good Jamie’s played. He’s a great athlete, great linebacker. If we needed him to, he could probably play safety or quarterback.”
These linebackers really want to put Brady out of a job.
Collins spent most of his final two seasons at Southern Miss as a pass rusher, so coverage is something he’s continuing to work at. At 6-foot-3, 250 pounds with impressive athleticism, Collins could be the perfect player to take on some matchup-nightmare tight ends.
“I might have to go with my covers, maybe,” Collins said when asked which area he’s improved in most during his second season. “I mean, that’s something I started doing a lot, covering. You can rush, you know, that’s nothing, but covering someone is really different. I’m a big guy.”
Hightower said before the season that the Patriots’ defense was trying to have more fun this season. Fun to Hightower means being able to play with more abandon, and that comes with more comfort.
“Oh yeah. By the way we play, you can tell (that they’re having fun),” Hightower said. “Guys making plays, everybody’s excited. Everybody’s running to the ball. Everybody wants to be the guy who makes the big play. That only makes everybody else want to play harder.
“I definitely feel like that’s the biggest thing we did was have more a lot fun this year. Some of the games got tight, like the (New York) Jets or the Oakland (Raiders) game, but there weren’t a lot of guys struggling. Not a lot of guys were worried about it. We still were just out there playing football and having fun. We came out with a W more than less.”
Having fun to Collins meant mastering his playbook. Media obligations, however, are the last thing he wants to do.
Collins was great at evading blockers this season, but he was even better at ducking reporters.
“It’s cool, but it’s just not something that I’m big into,” Collins said about media day. “It’s not me.”
Collins did his part, though, and sat at his podium for a full 60 minutes, unlike Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch, who left after four minutes of saying “I’m here so I won’t get fined.”
Collins will get through the week of being forced to talk to reporters, then Sunday he’ll get to have fun.
“I just want to play football, man,” Collins said. “That’s it.”
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
