Tag: Dont’a Hightower

Twitter reacts to Patriots hiring Dont’a Hightower as LB coach

What people are saying about Dont’a Hightower’s return on social media

The New England Patriots welcomed back Dont’a Hightower on Friday, following news that the former legendary defensive player had been hired as the team’s new linebackers coach.

It was ultimately a feel-good moment for fans that have cheered Hightower ever since he was taken by the Patriots in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft.

Since the news dropped, social media has been flooded with posts of Hightower’s best highlights combined with praise for the Patriots for turning a dream hire into a reality. Hightower now reunites with his former teammate, Patriots coach Jerod Mayo, on a journey aimed at getting the team back on the winning track.

The defense performed at a high level in 2023, despite missing a multitude of players due to injuries. So it shouldn’t take Hightower long to get up to speed with a top-10 defensive unit with stellar talent at the linebacker position.

Here’s what people were saying about the hiring on Twitter:

Patriots hiring former legendary defender Dont’a Hightower as LB coach

Former legendary linebacker Dont’a Hightower is reportedly returning to New England

Former legendary defensive player Dont’a Hightower is coming back home to the New England Patriots as a linebackers coach.

The news was confirmed through Hightower’s agency, SportsTrust Advisors, on Friday.

Hightower, a three-time Super Bowl champion for the Patriots, was one of the greatest linebackers in franchise history. He played out his entire career in New England after being drafted by the team in the first round in 2012.

Patriots coach Jerod Mayo has been trying to pull Hightower into coaching for years. He even brought up the idea as early as last April.

“I think Hightower would be a phenomenal coach,” Mayo said, when speaking with reporters. “So, we’ll see. When I get a chance to run my own ship, I’ll try to recruit him.”

Who would have thought that less than a year later Hightower would be accepting a coaching job under Mayo in New England?

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Dont’a Hightower rips particular no-call in Patriots loss to Dolphins

Dont’a Hightower was not pleased with this no-call in Patriots-Dolphins game.

The New England Patriots lost to the Miami Dolphins by a 31-17 score on Sunday. But the officiating has been a hot topic from Sunday’s game with many believing it was a poorly called game by officials.

Even former Patriots linebacker Donta Hightower voiced his displeasure on one particular play.

Miami running back Raheem Mostert was fighting for extra yards on a fourth-quarter run. Patriots linebacker Jahlani Tavai appeared to knock the football loose. The ball slipped out of Mostert’s hands, but the officials did not end the play until the running back’s forward progress was stopped.

Hightower did not agree with the call and made his frustrations known on the platform “X”.

It was a frustrating day of officiating overall, as New England dropped to 2-6 on the season. It’s safe to say that New England has an uphill battle to close out the year respectfully.

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Who could be Alabama’s guest picker for ESPN College Gameday this weekend?

A few candidates could represent Alabama this weekend as the guest picker on ESPN’s College GameDay. Who would you like to see?

There will be plenty of media personnel on hand for this weekend’s matchup between Texas and Alabama. Several familiar faces will be in Tuscaloosa prior to the game. One of those is the ESPN College Gameday crew. It will be the 17th time that the crew has broadcasted live from the University of Alabama campus.

Each week, there are guest pickers who join the set to pick games alongside the rest of the crew. In the past, Alabama has been represented by former Alabama quarterback Joe Namath and former Alabama golfer Justin Thomas.

Roll Tide Wire takes a closer look at some of the potential options to be the ESPN College Gameday guest picker this weekend.

Alabama football countdown to kickoff: 30 days

We are now just 30 days away from the start of Alabama football’s 2023 season!

The Alabama Crimson Tide will take the field for the 2023 college football season in 30 days, as Middle Tennessee State visits Bryant Denny Stadium on Sept. 2.

Here at Roll Tide Wire, we will be counting down the days until Nick Saban and his team take the field.

With 30 days remaining, we take a look at one of the best linebackers in Alabama football history, [autotag]Dont’a Hightower[/autotag].

Hightower roamed the field for the Alabama defense from 2008-11 before becoming a first-round pick in the 2012 NFL draft.

In his Tide career, Hightower would amass 234 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, and 5 sacks. Hightower announced his retirement from the NFL in March of 2023.

Sophomore linebacker [autotag]Jihaad Campbell[/autotag] currently wears No. 30 for the Crimson Tide and should make a run at one of the starting inside linebacker spots this fall.

Dont’a Hightower’s Photo Gallery

54 days till Patriots season opener: Every player to wear No. 54 for New England

Here’s a list of every Patriots player to wear the No. 54 jersey number

There are 54 days before the New England Patriots kick off their regular season opener. So we’re continuing our countdown series by listing every Patriots player that has ever worn the No. 54 jersey.

The two names that jump out in relation to that number are Patriots Hall of Famer Tedy Bruschi and a surefire future inductee, Dont’a Hightower. Both legendary linebackers spent their entire careers with the Patriots organization and won three Super Bowls each.

They’ve also both had at least one All-Pro nod.

More importantly, they have forever endeared themselves to Patriots fans by coming up with some of the biggest plays in franchise history. Who could ever forget Hightower’s strip sack on Matt Ryan to help New England complete the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history at Super Bowl LI?

And what about the epic stadium snow celebration, following Tedy Bruschi’s game-cinching interception against the Miami Dolphins in 2003?

The No. 54 holds some truly great memories in the Patriots’ organization. Here’s every player that has worn the number throughout franchise history (via Pro Football Reference):

Former Patriots look back on ridiculously stacked 2014 defense

Defensive lineups don’t get much scarier than this

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It’s easy to forget how ridiculously stacked the New England Patriots were defensively in their 2014 Super Bowl-winning season.

A Twitter post looking back on the unit got a retweet from multiple former Patriots players that were on the roster at that time, including Dont’a Hightower, Jamie Collins, Patrick Chung and James White.

Other standouts included Pro Football Hall of Famer Darrelle Revis, Vince Wilfork, Chandler Jones, Jerod Mayo, Devin McCourty, Logan Ryan, Brandon Browner and Rob Ninkovich.

It’s one of the most imposing defensive lineups on paper in franchise history. Some of the greatest players that have ever suited up in a Patriots uniform were on the roster.

It’s an incredible stroll down memory lane that former Patriots players decided to chime in on.

The Patriots went on to defeat the Seattle Seahawks at Super Bowl XLIX that season.

After Tom Brady and the offense engineered another one of their improbable comebacks, Malcolm Butler, who was an undrafted rookie cornerback at the time, secured a goal line interception on Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson to help the defense seal the victory.

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This was Dont’a Hightower’s reaction to idea of becoming future coach

Dont’a Hightower reacted to Jerod Mayo’s coaching suggestion.

New England Patriots assistant coach Jerod Mayo vouched for former teammate Dont’a Hightower to become a coach on a hypothetical staff one day. Hightower used a simple set of emoji’s to convey his reaction to the quote.

Hightower had a celebrated career as a linebacker, after being drafted by the Patriots out of Alabama in 2010. The 33-year-old officially called it a career in March, after not playing football since 2021. He finished his career with 569 combined tackles and 27 sacks in a career that lasted nine seasons.

After hearing Mayo’s comments, Hightower did not exactly shy away from the idea on Twitter, as the former linebacker seemed intrigued by the idea.

A Mayo-Hightower combination on the sidelines could be a nightmare for offenses. It remains to be seen if this happens, but it certainly is exciting to think about.

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Jerod Mayo would love Dont’a Hightower as a coach

Should Dont’a Hightower be the next former Patriots player to turn to coaching? Jerod Mayo thinks so.

New England Patriots inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo had high praise for a recently retired former teammate. Mayo believes former Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower would make a quality coaching candidate.

This would certainly be fun to see, given that Hightower was a successful linebacker for the Patriots organization. The former Alabama star recorded 569 combined tackles in a career that lasted nine seasons. His highest number of tackles was 97 in 2013.

The linebacker made the Pro Bowl twice and was a part of three Super Bowl-winning teams. To say he was a crucial part of the defensive unit would be a bit of an understatement. He was also dependable, making 114 starts in 117 games played.

Mayo seems to like the idea of Hightower taking all of that success and experience and putting it towards coaching.

“I think Hightower would be a phenomenal coach,” Mayo said, when speaking with reporters. “So, we’ll see. When I get a chance to run my own ship, I’ll try to recruit him.”

It would be fun to see Hightower on the sidelines in a different capacity. There is no doubt he has the football knowledge to succeed. Only good things can happen from seeing that knowledge and work ethic shared with the next generation of players.

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Bill Belichick releases statement on Dont’a Hightower retirement

Patriots coach Bill Belichick opened up on recently retired linebacker Dont’a Hightower.

Within a span of two weeks, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick has addressed the retirements of two of his best defensive players in franchise history.

Longtime safety Devin McCourty retired ahead of free agency, while Dont’a Hightower announced he was stepping away from football for good in an article for The Players’ Tribune on Tuesday.

For years, Hightower served as one of the key leaders for Belichick’s defense. So it must have been bittersweet for him to say goodbye to another former first-round draft pick.

“Dont’a’s blend of intelligence, positional versatility and physicality made him one of the rarest of players that I have ever coached,” Belichick’s statement read, via Patriots.com. “Very few players were capable of as much as Dont’a, who could win from multiple positions with power, athleticism and his mind.

“His skills were most evident in two of the all-time great plays in franchise history, which led directly to two Super Bowl championships, but date back to the start of his decorated college and NFL careers. As a rookie, it was clear that Dont’a was already a mature, highly-competitive player who could make an immediate impact, which he did in his first game and consistently over the course of a decade.”

Like McCourty, Hightower will end his career having only played for the team that drafted him. Together, the two defensive legends won three Super Bowls in the second-half of a Patriots run of dominance that lasted nearly 20 years.

There are countless number of plays to pull from as standout moments for Hightower, but he’s most remembered for his Super Bowl performances, including stopping running back Marshawn Lynch at the one-yard line at Super Bowl XLIX or the strip sack fumble on Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan at Super Bowl LI.

Few players rise to the challenge in the biggest moments as consistently as Hightower, and few ever will.

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