Dont’a Hightower has always been the main man for the Patriots’ defense. This year he’s been a mainstay.
The versatile linebacker known for his stinging hits on the field has often been bit by the injury bug, keeping him off the field during his seven-year career.
That has not been the case this season.
Aside from missing the Week 8 game in Buffalo with a minor knee ailment, Hightower has been a healthy horse in 2018. He is set to start his 15th game Sunday when New England closes out its regular season against the Jets. Hightower has reached 15 games just once previously — in 2013 when he played the entire 16-game slate.
Hightower, who was sidelined after tearing a pectoral muscle in Week 6 last season, has played 726 snaps on defense this season and a handful more on special teams. He credited an overhauled workout and maintenance regimen, incorporating more flexibility and small muscle activity, for his durability.
“That’s literally a lot of what I’ve been doing. You hear a lot of guys doing more treatment and stuff and that’s literally kind of been my story,’’ Hightower said. “I haven’t been doing the heavy weights, the heavy squad stuff. I’ve been a lot more core, a lot more functional movement stuff. I feel like that’s definitely kind of helped me out. I’ve still kept my power, and I’ve stayed lean. I’ve stayed healthy for the most part, so I’m just going to continue to build on that.’’
Hightower, who is adept at playing inside or outside, has quite literally been living on the edge for most this season. Helping to set the edge and occupying multiple blockers has cut down on his tackle numbers but has opened up opportunities for his teammates to make plays and stop opponents. To Hightower, however, his role hasn’t really changed a ton.
“The defense runs a little bit different,’’ Hightower said. “We run schemes a little bit different. So, to you, it might look different. To me, it’s the same with a little twist. The more you can do and whatever is asked is what’s done around here. The more that I’m able to do, the more I can put on my plate.’’
Because he is able to take so much on his plate, Hightower has been a natural resource in the locker room, where younger players gravitate to him with questions about assignments. Communication is the key to proper execution.
“We do it a lot, especially being a team that changes from week to week,’’ said Hightower. “A lot of our calls change. A lot of the things we do changes — not necessarily fundamental-wise or technique-wise.’’
Hightower was quick to credit all the veterans with making sure everyone is in synch.
“Whether it’s me or [Devin McCourty] or it’s [Kyle Van Noy], or Malcom [Brown] or Trey [Flowers], we’re always talking, always trying to make sure we’re on the same page, because a lot of time in a defense it takes just one guy to be off on an assignment or a check or something and everything goes crazy,’’ he said.
Bill Belichick had high praise for his linebacker this past week.
“He’s a very, I’d say, natural and instinctive football player,’’ said the coach. “A lot of it comes easy to him, but he studies and he’s smart, and knows the game plan and is in tune with what they’re doing. He works well with the line and the secondary, as well as the linebackers, which that’s important, too. Some guys work well within their group, but he works well with Devin, Pat [Chung], Duron [Harmon], as well as the defensive line — Malcom and Lawrence [Guy] and the ends and so forth, giving them calls and making sure that our communication and our assignments are correct on the different offensive formation adjustments we have to make. He’s good at all of that.’’
Eye on Roberts
When the Patriots watched the Jets Week 16 game against the Packers, the special teams players made special note of return man Andre Roberts, who returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown and brought another back 51 yards, setting up a game-tying field goal.
Roberts has emerged this year as one of the NFL’s best kick returners, averaging 29.3 yards per kick return and 14.7 yards per punt return. He’s made a strong impression on Patriots special teams captain Matthew Slater, who went so far as to compare him to add former Bears standout returner end Devin Hester earlier this week.
“He’s running really hard. He’s decisive. He can fly. He’s really handled the ball well,” Slater said Wednesday. “He’s made a lot of guys miss, broken a lot of arm tackles. He’s playing as well as any returner we’ve seen in the last five, six, seven years. He’s playing out of his mind.”
Slater said that Jets special teams coordinator Brant Boyer calls games aggressively because of Roberts, and that the Jets’ protection units are playing hard.
“They want to get him going, and I think those guys are selling out. It really reminds me of the way guys used to block for Devin Hester when he was going,” Slater said. “These guys are selling out to try to get him going, and he’s taking that ball with no doubt in his mind, hitting [holes] where you’re like, ‘Man, is it there?’ And he’s hitting it, and it opens up.”
The Patriots’ punt and kickoff coverage units have struggled this year, and Belichick called going up against Roberts and the Jets a chance to test whether they’ve made improvements.
“We’re going up against the best return team in the league, so we’ll see where we are against Roberts,” Belichick said Wednesday. “It’s not just him — I mean, obviously, they do a very good blocking. Their kickoff return scheme is good and punt returns, they do a good job of getting them started, they do a good job blocking, he does a good job running, he’s explosive, he’s fast. He doesn’t need much space — once he hits the seam, it’s all over.”
Edelman fined $63,504
Julian Edelman was fined for unnnecessary roughness on three separate plays in last Sunday’s win over the Bills, totaling $63,504. Two fines were for $26,739 and a third was for $10,026 . . . If the Patriots beat the Jets it will be their 500th regular-season win since they began play in 1960, the most by a former AFL franchise. It would also secure their 13th bye since 2001, more than twice as many as the next teams (the Broncos and Steelers each have five) . . . Belichick is 27-10 against the Jets.
Staff writer Nora Princiotti contrbuted to this article. Jim McBride can be reached at james.mcbride@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globejimmcbride.