Linebacker

FOXBOROUGH - Spencer Larsen, one of the many free agents the Patriots have signed this offseason, said on Thursday that he is focused on fullback for now - though with his history, that could change. During his days with Denver, where he was a sixth-round draft pick in 2008, Larsen played fullback and also linebacker. In a November game against the Falcons his rookie season, he started on both offense and defense, and played special teams. "It was a fun time in my career; we got into some injury trouble at linebacker, I'd been playing fullback for a few weeks and we ran into...

FOXBOROUGH - Spencer Larsen, one of the many free agents the Patriots have signed this offseason, said on Thursday that he is focused on fullback for now - though with his history, that could change. During his days with Denver, where he was a sixth-round draft pick in 2008, Larsen played fullback and also linebacker. In a November game against the Falcons his rookie season, he started on both offense and defense, and played special teams. "It was a fun time in my career; we got into some injury trouble at linebacker, I'd been playing fullback for a few weeks and we ran into...

The Patriots announced today they have signed free agent linebacker Bobby Carpenter, who was a first-round draft pick out of Ohio State in 2006. Carpenter has played for the Cowboys, who drafted him No. 18 overall, Dolphins and Lions, appearing in 89 games and starting 10. He played in 16 games for the Lions last season and had 29 tackles and one interception, which he returned for a touchdown. Photos: Meet the new Patriots for 2012

The New England Patriots say they are "deeply saddened" by the death of linebacker Junior Seau, who spent parts of the last four of his 20 NFL seasons with them. The 43-year-old Seau was found shot to death at his Oceanside, Calif., home Wednesday in what police said appeared to be suicide. The Patriots said Seau's "unrivaled passion for the game quickly made him a fan favorite here in New England. " Seau spent most of his career with San Diego and also played for Miami.

FOXBOROUGH - Brandon Spikes has been elusive in his Patriots career - on the field, in the locker room, as a contributor to a defense that is sorely in need of some consistency and help. He showed up yesterday, though, perhaps the prelude to a playoff run in which he might just make up for his spotty appearances, the result of multiple injuries and a suspension at the end of his rookie year. He indicated as much yesterday on his Twitter feed - an outlet that has occasionally come into question for the second-year linebacker - saying, "Finally talked to the media today.

Abner Logan Jr. of Brookline's Dexter School has signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Maryland on scholarship next school year. He is a 6-1, 225-pound linebacker from Cambridge.

There are superhero nicknames. There are assumptions of greatness, some already achieved and more predicted. And amid of all that, there is one person ever vigilant about keeping Luke Kuechly humble. His father, Tom, wants to make sure his son's head is in the right place, that it doesn't get too big. So he accuses Luke, the junior Boston College linebacker, of "JOP-ing" tackles. The JOP? That stands for "jumping on piles. " "He always says I jump on piles at the end," Luke Kuechly said, smiling.

The Patriots have been awarded linebacker A.J. Edds off of waivers, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Edds was cut by the Miami Dolphins on Monday after one season. The Dolphins drafted Edds in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft out of Iowa, but he did not play last season due to a torn ACL suffered the first week of training camp. He is 6-foot-4, 246 pounds and in one preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons this year he had seven tackles and one sack.

Former New England Patriots linebacker Ray Costict has died. He was 56. The Patriots said Thursday that Costict died in Orlando, Fla., on Tuesday. No cause of death was given. Costict spent his entire NFL career with the Patriots from 1977-79, primarily as a special teams player. Drafted in the 11th round in 1977, he started four games and made 50 ½ tackles in 1978. The next season, he had 50 tackles and one interception in a backup role. Costict played four years at Mississippi State.

They've asked All-Pro Patrick Willis to blitz, and he is all for it. Even as a kid with big football dreams, Willis realized being one-dimensional would not take him very far on the field. He still works each day, now as a fifth-year pro and already an elite NFL linebacker, to reinvent himself and improve his game. Willis, who maintains the proper manners of his Southern upbringing — "Yes, ma'am," "Yes, sir," he says with a smile — is clearly having fun doing it in San Francisco's new system, too. "I always felt to be the best, whether as a kid and...

FOXBOROUGH - Jake Bequette was projected to be selected in the third or fourth round of the NFL draft, and Friday night he met those expectations as the Arkansas defensive end/linebacker became the fourth defensive player chosen by the Patriots in the first three rounds. The 6-foot-4 1/2-inch, 274-pound Bequette was selected in the third round, 90th overall, following the Patriots' two first-round choices Thursday night, Alabama linebacker Dont'a Hightower and Syracuse defensive end Chandler Jones, and Illinois defensive back Tavon Wilson, who was the team's second-round pick.

Merrimack linebacker Shawn Loiseau was not selected in the seven rounds of the NFL Draft, but he has signed with the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent. In a text confirming the signing, the Shrewsbury native and Warriors All-American wrote "O yea can't wait!" Loiseau was hopeful that he would be drafted, but was prepared in case he was not, and now he gets to be teammates with Texans' linebacker Brian Cushing, whom he has long admired. When asked at the Combine which linebackers he looks up to or emulates, Loiseau said, "(Green Bay's)

Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly, a two-time All American, was drafted in the first round of the National Football League draft by the Carolina Panthers on Thursday night. The Panthers used the ninth pick in the draft to select Kuechly. Kuechly, a 6-foot--3 inch, 242 linebacker, who watched the draft unfold from his home in Cincinnati, was the seventh Boston College player selected in the first round in the last 12 years and the fifth Eagle chosen in the first round in the the last seven years.

The Patriots selected Chandler Jones with the 21st overall pick in the NFL draft. (Photo courtesy of Syracuse University) By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff FOXBOROUGH -- The Patriots traded up in the first round of the NFL Draft twice, selecting Syracuse defensive end Chandler Jones with 21st pick overall and then snatching Alabama linebacker Dont'a Hightower at No. 25. The Patriots traded their No. 27 pick and...

The Boston Globe examines the top defensive linemen available in the 2012 NFL draft. Players are listed with position, school, height, weight, and 40-yard dash time. * denotes underclassman: Luke Kuechly* MLB, Boston College, HEIGHT: 6-3, WEIGHT: 242, 40 TIME: 4.58 ROUND: 1 Phenomenal all-around, three-down linebacker. Outstanding production with 191 tackles last season, which led the country. Demonstrated speed and agility to match his natural instincts. In workouts, he has shown a terrific ability to drop into coverage.

After Shawn Loiseau's freshman season at Merrimack College, during which he saw limited time on defense for the Division 2 football program, he met with coach John Perry. Perry meets with his student-athletes at the end of every semester to discuss their short-term and long-term academic and athletic goals. When he sat down with Loiseau, the Shrewsbury-raised linebacker who was his first recruit when Perry took over at Merrimack, the linebacker wrote, "I want to play in the NFL. " Perry knew Loiseau could be a high-level college player - he first saw him...

OWINGS MILLS, Md. - Terrell Suggs wakes to an elbow smashing into him most days, to a fight or a wrestling match or a show of strength. His combatant – by the name of Duke – shows no mercy, aiming that elbow at a man who most wouldn't want to anger. Suggs loves it. A 3-year-old can only do so much damage, after all. The wrestling is encouraged at the Suggs house. And, if his locker room antics are any indication, it's likely to be accompanied by exuberance, by shouting and cheering, by as much glee from the father as from the son. "I'm a big kid," Suggs said.

The New England Patriots say they are "deeply saddened" by the death of linebacker Junior Seau, who spent parts of the last four of his 20 NFL seasons with them. The 43-year-old Seau was found shot to death at his Oceanside, Calif., home Wednesday in what police said appeared to be suicide. The Patriots said Seau's "unrivaled passion for the game quickly made him a fan favorite here in New England. " Seau spent most of his career with San Diego and also played for Miami.

Once the Boston College football season ended, NFL scouting departments wanted to figure out exactly how good linebacker Luke Kuechly was. Everyone had seen the eye-popping résumé. There were the 532 tackles in his career. He led college football in tackles each of the past two seasons. He was a two-time All-American. Kuechly won the Butkus (linebacker), Lombardi (lineman or linebacker), and Nagurski (defensive player) awards his final season. But how much of it was just Kuechly cleaning up on a down Eagles team?