Jamie Collins Has Nicknamed the Patriots Linebackers 'The Boogeymen' and I'm Embracing It
Respectfully, Dont’a Hightower might not know where Jamie Collins got “Boogeymen” from. But I sure as hell do. It takes a John Wick fan to know a John Wick fan. And I’ll bet my life Collins took this straight from the “Baba Yaga” scene, one of the best pieces of movie dialogue this decade.
Dont’a Hightower, Jamie Collins and Kyle Van Noy aren’t the Boogeymen. They’re the men you send to kill the fucking Boogeymen. Men of focus. Commitment. Sheer will. Who could kill three quarterbacks in a bar with a fucking pencil.
Assuming that’s the context (and I am), this is one of the great football nicknames in recent memory. Not every unit is nickname-worthy, only the most special ones. Your Steel Curtain. Legion of Boom. NY Sack Exchange. Or my personal favorite from my youth, the Patriots old Red Sea Defense; which worked both for the color they wore and the fact that they were so bad a tribe of Israelites in sandals could’ve walked right through them. For a unit to truly earn a nickname, they have to stand out from a historical perspective. And so far, the Patriots linebacking corps does.
Consider Hightower, Collins and Van Noy. Their totals at the moment:
Combined games: 13
Total Tackles: 59
Solo Tackles: 42
Tackles for Loss: 12
Sacks: 9
QB Hits: 14
Interceptions: 3
Passed Broken Up: 8
Forced Fumbles: 3
The Boogeymen have been the monsters in the closet of five teams that scored a total of two touchdowns and just four scoring drives on 68 possessions. And whose next three games are against the 23rd (NYG), 31st (NYG) and 25th (CLE) ranked offenses in the league. So since these numbers will, in all likelihood, be even better by the time we hit the halfway point of the year, hell yeah they deserve a nickname.
I mean, you can’t let plays like this not have a catchphrase.
Boogeyman 1:
Boogeyman 2:
Boogeyman 3:
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Now you add in role players like Ju’Whaun Bentley who’s contributing more and Chase Winovich who’s already got 4 Sacks and 5 QB Hits as pass rush specialist, and it’d be a sin not to give them a brand. I’ll just warn Collins, Hightower and the world that I’m going to use Baba Yaga freely as well. But “Boogeymen” is Certified Fresh on Thornton Tomatoes.