Rob Ninkovich quickly became a favorite of Bill Belichick and the entire New England Patriots organization.  Able to play both defensive end and linebacker, Ninkovich leads the NFL in fumble recoveries since the beginning of the 2011 season and is the only player under Belichick to record back-to-back seasons of eight or more sacks.  Ninkovich was also an instrumental part in the Patriots’ run to the AFC Championship in 2012 and their victory in Super Bowl XLIX.  Ninkovich announced his retirement before the 2017-18 season began.  In July 2019, ESPN announced Rob would be joining the network as an NFL Analyst.