Growing up a linebacker, Sione Takitaki was naturally drawn to watching others play the position. His film study — even since arriving to the NFL — included two familiar names: his new coaches, Jerod Mayo and Dont’a Hightower.
“Obviously they played for a while. Me being a linebacker, I watched them growing up,” Takitaki told reporters at Gillette Stadium on Thursday. “The style and the way they use their linebackers here, the Patriots for a long time. I feel like it fits my mold, so I’ve always watched them from afar. Even when I was young, growing up.