Sal Maiorana

@salmaiorana

Brandon Spikes brings an intimidating presence to the middle linebacker position

Spikes was signed to a one-year deal in the offseason

Spikes spent his first four seasons with New England

Brandon Spikes did not have a very cost-efficient two games against the Buffalo Bills in 2012, back when he was patrolling the middle of Bill Belichick's defense in New England.

In the first meeting, Spikes laid a wicked, blindside hit on tight end Scott Chandler that drew a $21,000 fine from the NFL. In the second game, Spikes went helmet-to-helmet with then Buffalo quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, with Fitzpatrick's helmet taking the brunt of the hit as it went flying off his head. That transgression cost Spikes $25,000.

Needless to say, this was not a player anyone in the Buffalo locker room was very fond of. Fitzpatrick called Spikes a "punk ... not one of my favorite players" and center Eric Wood referred to him as a "headhunter."

Two years later, all has been forgiven as Spikes is now the new middle linebacker for the Bills.

"Obviously, we've had words on the field, we've hit each other," Wood said. "Some of the hardest hits I've had have been against Spikes, but we're bringing toughness to this team and I don't think there's a tougher 'Mike' linebacker from an offensive line's standpoint to go against in the NFL than Brandon Spikes."

In other words, bygones are bygone, welcome to the team.

Spikes wore out his welcome in Belichick's world. The coach suspended him for the 2013 postseason because he was late for team meetings, though the reason he gave was that Spikes was hurt. So Spikes knew it was time to leave as a free agent, and the Bills — despite his checkered past — gave him a one-year contract to come be a menace in the middle of Jim Schwartz's 4-3 scheme.

"He texted me when he signed saying, 'Hey, I'm coming,' and I was thrilled," Wood said. "He's the type of guy we want on this team. He's done nothing but work hard since the day he got here and he's been a lot of fun to compete with in practice; he's a heck of a ballplayer."

Spikes knew he might be walking into an indifferent locker room, but he was pleasantly surprised to see that the Bills were concerned only with the future, and winning, as opposed to what had happened in the past.

"I think it was dead as soon as I signed my name on that paper," Spikes said. "The guys welcomed me with open arms and I'm happy to be here. They wanted me, and it feels good to be wanted. The guys brushed it off, they know we're competitors and tempers get flaring out there and you can't take it personal."

Spikes will be just 27 years old when the season opens next month, but he is well-versed in the history of the game, particularly the position he plays. Watching him play might remind children of the 1960s of Dick Butkus, the Bears Hall of Fame linebacker who struck fear into every opponent he faced.

Funny, because that's the player that Spikes patterns his style after.

"For the pioneers that paved the way, I watched how they played the game," Spikes said. "Butkus was the most aggressive guy, he was relentless to the ball, and I try to mold my game after someone like that. A lot of people consider me a throwback linebacker, but the guys that played the position the right way, guys like Butkus and (Lawrence Taylor), those guys are very violent."

Spikes can't play exactly like Butkus. If he did, he'd be kicked out of the league. Talk about not being cost-effective, the fines that Butkus would have racked up in today's NFL would have easily outpaced his salary back then.

But that doesn't keep Spikes from carrying the same mean-spirited attitude, nor prevent him from wielding the hammer on those annoying pretty boys on offense.

"I feel that comes with the position," he said. "I don't want to be labeled as a finesse player, I want to be that guy who's setting the tone, being relentless and getting after it, being a game changer. If you come out with a lot of energy, that oozes throughout the whole defense and everyone wants to join the party."

Rookie linebacker Preston Brown knows all too much about Spikes. His head coach at Louisville, Charley Strong, was Spikes' linebacker coach when they were at the University of Florida.

"Every day he would tease me about Spikes," Brown said with a smile. "'You'll never be as good as Spikes,' or 'Brandon made this play for a tackle for loss and you made it for a two-yard gain.' I was always hearing about him. It's crazy that we ended up playing on the same team. Coach Strong calls me laughing about it, so we have a good time with it."

Spikes is one of the elder statesmen at linebacker for the Bills, and he's relishing the idea of teaching the kids like Brown how to play with an edge, something he learned from Belichick.

"I always take the approach of being a professional," he said. "At times when I was younger, I had problems with that, learning the Patriot Way and stuff like that. But my hat is off to them, they showed me how to be a true professional on and off the field and how to conduct myself and be a professional. Those are things I've been doing here as a vet, which I should."

MAIORANA@DemocratandChronicle.com

Twitter.com/@salmaiorana

Bills this week

Tuesday, 8 a.m.: Practice at St. John Fisher College.

Wednesday, 2:55 p.m. to 5 p.m.: Shared practice with Pittsburgh Steelers, Saint Vincent College, Latrobe, Pa.

Thursday, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.: Shared practice with Steelers, Saint Vincent College.

Saturday, 7:30 p.m.: Preseason game at Pittsburgh.

Photos: Andre Reed's Hall of Fame weekend