Takeo Spikes ranks in the all-time elite tier for linebackers β a career that places Spikes in the top 5% of all players at the position. The Knox value model assigns Spikes a career score of 72, reflecting sustained impact that most players at the position never approach.
Takeo Spikes
Height6'2"
Weight242 lb
BornDec 17, 1976
Age49
CollegeAuburnSee College Stats
Rookie yr1998
Draft1998 Β· Rd 1, Pick 13 Β· CIN
All-Time Rank & Honors
career ranks, postseason ranks, awards, title context2x
Pro Bowls
1x
All-Pro
An all-time caliber linebacker (top 5% all-time) who combined elite production with excellent availability over their career. Iron Legends define eras β they show up, every game, for years on end.
Career Value Β· VORP
VORP 239 Β· #256 Β· EliteWorth 239 points of value above a freely-available replacement linebacker β top 6% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 13 of 13 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +18.4 on average.See board β
Seasons above replacement
13 cleared
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it β adds 0, never a debit
47
Replacement
the KC-H bar
β
13
Seasons over
cleared the bar
Γ
+18.4
Avg surplus
peak +27
13 seasons Γ ~18.4 surplus β VORP 239
Combined Season Grid
The full season-by-season grids, joined on one timeline. Every selected stat family stays visible at onceβno tab hopping.
1 grid split in one view
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Defense | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty | |||||
| 1998 | β | CIN | 16 | β | β | β | β | β | β | 2.0 | 2.0 | β | β | β | β | β | β |
| 1999 | β | CIN | 16 | β | 80 | 57 | 23 | 11 | 2 | 3.0 | 16.0 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | β | CIN | 16 | β | 97 | 78 | 19 | 8 | 2 | 2.0 | 12.0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | β | CIN | 15 | β | 95 | 66 | 29 | 15 | 5 | 6.0 | 26.0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | β | 1 | 0 |
| 2002 | β | CIN | 15 | β | 103 | 71 | 32 | 6 | 2 | 1.5 | 9.5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 2003 | β | BUF | 16 | β | 99 | 43 | 56 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 | β | BUF | 16 | β | 78 | 43 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 5 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2005 | β | BUF | 3 | β | 14 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | β | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | β | BUF | 12 | β | 50 | 23 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | β | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | β | PHI | 14 | β | 69 | 47 | 22 | 0 | 2 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | β | SF | 16 | β | 91 | 56 | 35 | 3 | 4 | 1.0 | 8.0 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | β | SF | 14 | β | 67 | 49 | 18 | 7 | 4 | 3.0 | 14.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | β | SF | 16 | β | 96 | 69 | 27 | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | β | LAC | 16 | β | 89 | 47 | 42 | 5 | 1 | 1.0 | 7.0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | β | LAC | 16 | β | 53 | 28 | 25 | 1 | 4 | 0.5 | 5.5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | β | 0 | 0 |
| Career | β | 217 | β | 1,081 | 685 | 396 | 59 | 27 | 29.0 | 115.0 | 19 | 69 | 15 | 18 | 4 | 0 | |
Defense
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 22 | CIN | 16 | β | β | β | β | β | β | 2.0 | 2.0 | β | β | β | β | β | β | 8.9 |
| 1999 | 23 | CIN | 16 | β | 80 | 57 | 23 | 11 | 2 | 3.0 | 16.0 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12.5 |
| 2000 | 24 | CIN | 16 | β | 97 | 78 | 19 | 8 | 2 | 2.0 | 12.0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10.9 |
| 2001 | 25 | CIN | 15 | β | 95 | 66 | 29 | 15 | 5 | 6.0 | 26.0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | β | 1 | 0 | 12.9 |
| 2002 | 26 | CIN | 15 | β | 103 | 71 | 32 | 6 | 2 | 1.5 | 9.5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 8.7 |
| 2003 | 27 | BUF | 16 | β | 99 | 43 | 56 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11.2 |
| 2004 | 28 | BUF | 16 | β | 78 | 43 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 5 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 15.6 |
| 2005 | 29 | BUF | 3 | β | 14 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | β | 0 | 0 | β |
| 2006 | 30 | BUF | 12 | β | 50 | 23 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | β | 0 | 0 | 5.4 |
| 2007 | 31 | PHI | 14 | β | 69 | 47 | 22 | 0 | 2 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | 6.5 |
| 2008 | 32 | SF | 16 | β | 91 | 56 | 35 | 3 | 4 | 1.0 | 8.0 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11.5 |
| 2009 | 33 | SF | 14 | β | 67 | 49 | 18 | 7 | 4 | 3.0 | 14.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7.4 |
| 2010 | 34 | SF | 16 | β | 96 | 69 | 27 | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10.5 |
| 2011 | 35 | LAC | 16 | β | 89 | 47 | 42 | 5 | 1 | 1.0 | 7.0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | 8.4 |
| 2012 | 36 | LAC | 16 | β | 53 | 28 | 25 | 1 | 4 | 0.5 | 5.5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | β | 0 | 0 | 6.6 |
| Career | 217 | 1,081 | 685 | 396 | 59 | 27 | β | β | 19 | 69 | 15 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 137 |
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 72 Β· GreatA great career by KV-H: a peak-driven profile that scores 72 of 100, era-normalized against tackles/g peers across 13 scored seasons.
66
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
73
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ1
Longevity
career length
Blend 68.8 Γ longevity 1 = KV-H 72Β· confidence 100%
What builds the career mark of 66
On-field 46.8
Availability 19.2
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative tackles/g)
1999bestavg 65elite 702012
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position14
Depth
of 100
Reached 15% of the all-time Sacks leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
15% of the all-time Sacks leader15
0 categories β₯25% of the all-time leader0
A 0β100 scale where 100 = matched the all-time leaderat this position. Built only from visible encyclopedia data β career production vs. the all-time leader, plus efficiency (EPA) and comparable-player confidence β so it's a transparent context score, not a subjective rating. Tiers: Elite β₯ 85 Β· Strong β₯ 65 Β· Solid β₯ 45 Β· Depth < 45. Comparable-player confidence: 92%.
Career Aging Trajectory
vs. position group average Β· KV-H basisAmber = this player (normalized to own peak). Indigo = average linebackers aging curve. Group peak age: 25. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (Auburn), but no parsed college box-score table is present in this profile artifact. The section stays here so every profile has a consistent college-stats landing point without fabricating unavailable rows.
Reference Graph
Career teammates and draft class, derived from year-by-year rosters β every name is linked.
Top Teammates
Nate ClementsS7yJustin SmithDE5yCorey DillonRB5yMark RomanS5yBrian SimmonsLB5yReinard WilsonLB5yGlen SteeleDT5yLondon FletcherILB4yRian LindellK4yTony McGeeTE4yChris KelsayDE4yAaron SchobelDE4yOliver GibsonDT4yAubrayo FranklinNT4yJosh ReedWR4yTerrence McGeeCB4yArtrell HawkinsFS4yRyan DenneyDE4yBrian MoormanP4yCory HallFS4ySteve FoleyLB4yBrandon BennettRB4yJevon LangfordDE4yCoy WireOLB4y
1998 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #13
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterTakeo inherited the Cincinnati Bengals LB room from Steve Foley (1998β2001), and handed it to Brian Simmons (1998β2006).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 2012final season
Last recorded season with LAC
- 2011team change
Joined LAC (from SF)
- 2008team change
Joined SF (from PHI)
- 2007team change
Joined PHI (from BUF)
- 2003team change
Joined BUF (from CIN)
- 1998draft
Drafted by CIN β Round 1, Pick 13
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts6'2" / 242 lb
Frame
Injury History
From nflverse weekly injury reports Β· coverage begins 2009.
| Season | Team | Games Out | Designations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | SD | 0 | W15QuestionableΒ· Back |
| 2010 | SF | 0 | W3QuestionableΒ· KneeW15QuestionableΒ· Hand |
| 2009 | SF | 0 | W8QuestionableΒ· ShoulderW11QuestionableΒ· HamstringW12QuestionableΒ· HamstringW13QuestionableΒ· HamstringW14QuestionableΒ· Hamstring |
Knox
StatVault's proprietary player intelligence, informed by full career data. How Knox works β
Historical Knox Β· KV-H
Era-normalized career quality β z-scored against 13-season peers. See all β
72
peak 73
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
B1999
B+2000
B+2001
B+2002
B+2003
B2004
C+2006
B2007
B2008
B2009
B2010
B2011
C+2012
Era Translator
Tackles translated to the 2025NFL β each season's standing among its own-era peers, projected onto 2025's scoring environment. Modern-era (1999+) coverage.
| Season | Actual Tackles | Tackles/G | β 2025 Tackles | β 2025 /G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 80 | 5 | 84+4 | 4.9 |
| 2000 | 97 | 6.1 | 101+4 | 5.9 |
| 2001 | 95 | 6.3 | 103+8 | 6 |
| 2002 | 103 | 6.9 | 119+16 | 7 |
| 2003 | 99 | 6.2 | 102+3 | 6 |
| 2004 | 78 | 4.9 | 72-6 | 4.3 |
| 2006 | 50 | 4.2 | 57+7 | 3.4 |
| 2007 | 69 | 4.9 | 74+5 | 4.3 |
| 2008 | 91 | 5.7 | 90-1 | 5.3 |
| 2009 | 67 | 4.8 | 71+4 | 4.2 |
| 2010 | 96 | 6 | 95-1 | 5.6 |
| 2011 | 89 | 5.6 | 86-3 | 5.1 |
| 2012 | 53 | 3.3 | 42-11 | 2.5 |
Data: nflverse:players, nflverse:player_stats_def, nflverse:draft_picks, nflverse:injuries, wikipedia:season-stats (CC-BY-SA, facts-only) Β· multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle Β· updated 6/18/2026
Career Value Β· VORP
239 career value over replacement β #256 all-time of 4,642. 18.4/season above a replacement-level LB.
Draft OutcomeValue β
Pick #13 (Rd 1) Β· CIN Β· 1998 Β· +11.7 vs expected KV-H
72actual
60.3 expected Β· Ξ+11.7
Fan Rating
Rate Takeo Spikes β All-Time
Tap a star to rate
Explore More
Similar Players