After being held out or limited throughout all Patriots offseason activities and part of training camp, linebacker Brandon Spikes returned to the Patriots practice field fully on Tuesday. He participated in 11-on-11s as well as his position drills.

In addition to his tremendous pop we've seen in years past from him, Spikes also brought energy back to the Patriots' defense--at one point leading a celebration after they broke up a screen pass.

"It was just the energy, the happiness," Spikes explained. "I was just excited."

"It's been kind of frustrating watching from the sidelines. But just to get out, run around and get a little contact, it feels good."

With Spikes back on the field on Tuesday, we were finally able to see a sneak peek at what a Spikes-Jerod Mayo-Dont'a Hightower linebacker combination would look like. Spikes says he was excited to be involved in this up-and-coming core.

"Yeah, it’s great," said Spikes "We’ve got an old unit. Lot of guys that can do different things. We’ve got to be on the same page and just come and get better as a whole unit. We should be fine."