Pats Pulpit
The veteran linebacker joined the Patriots on a three-year contract earlier this offseason.
Even though there will be a lot of familiar faces on the field, the New England Patriots defense as a whole is going to look quite different in 2025. Besides a new coaching staff coming to town, the team also added several starter-level defenders during the offseason.
As a consequence, the offseason workout program has one primary goal: get everybody on the same page, and work from there.
Building unity within the group from a schematic and preparatory perspective falls on the defensive coaching staff, currently led by inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr. The Patriots’ most experienced players have also had an active hand in this process, however, with one among them standing out.
“Robert Spillane’s phenomenal,” Kuhr said on Monday.
“He’s like another coach on the field, seriously. He’s helping guys just as much as I am, and he’s made my job a lot easier.”
A veteran of seven NFL seasons, Spillane spent time in Tennessee, Pittsburgh and Las Vegas before joining the Patriots via a three-year, $33 million free agency deal in March. Since then, he has taken on a prominent role on defense: following the release of longtime leader and team captain Ja’Whaun Bentley, Spillane emerged as the top linebacker.
Unsurprisingly, Kuhr, who is serving as stand-in coordinator with Terrell Williams sidelined following a medical scare, is relying on him quite a bit.
“Hit the talk button, talk to Spillane. He handles the rest,” Kuhr says about the pair’s communication.
Spillane has not just left a positive impression on the Patriots’ coaching staff. Fellow linebacker Christian Elliss also spoke positively about his new teammate earlier during organized team activities.
“Spill’s a lot of fun. He’s so wise, he’s funny, he’s intense, and he’s my guy,” Elliss said. “We have a lot of similarities. We both have fun when we’re out there together.”
How much fun the two of them will ultimately have is going to depend on New England’s defensive success in 2025; playing winning football is the most fun you can have on the football field, at the end of the day. For that to happen, the Patriots are relying on veteran leaders taking ownership of the new-look defense.
So far, it seems that Spillane is doing just that.
