#55 Brandon Spikes – I chose Brandon because of the impact he could have this coming Saturday night. His specialty is stuffing the run and he has been missing for the past seven weeks with an injury. His return couldn’t come at a better time. If he is in game shape he could help the defense as it faces the #1 rushing team in the NFL. Brandon had three tackles in the last game of the year against Buffalo and looked good. While he didn’t play that much it was encouraging to see him out there. I would anticipate more playing time this coming weekend.
Brandon was drafted out of Florida in the second round of the 2010 draft. Born in Shelby, NC he played high school football at Crest High School in Shelby. Brandon does carry some baggage with him for sure. At Florida he was suspended by his head coach, Urban Myers for his antics on the field in which he tried to gouge the eyes of Georgia’s Washaun Ealey. That said, his talent is not questioned. As a senior team captain, he was one of three finalists for the 2009 Chuck Bednarik Award, a finalist for the 2009 Butkus Award, a first-team All-SEC selection, and a consensus All-American, receiving first-team honors from The Sporting News and the Walter Camp Football Foundation and second-team honors from the Associated Press.
On December 10, 2010, prior to the Patriots' Week 14 game against the Bears, Spikes was suspended four games (the remainder of the 2010 regular season) for a violation of the NFL's banned substances policy, reportedly for an ingredient in Spikes' ADHD medication. The same day, Spikes released the following statement: "I’ve been contacted by the NFL and informed that I will be suspended four games for the detection of an illegal substance in a drug test. The substance was a medication that I should have gotten clarification on before taking. It was not a performance enhancer or an illegal drug. The integrity of the game is very important to me. I understand the league’s ruling and apologize to my teammates, the fans and the Patriots organization for this mistake."
He finished his rookie season with 61 tackles, one interception, and three passes defensed. With his season shortened by the suspension, he played in 12 games, starting eight.