Report: Mid-Season Pickup Impressing Bill Belichick And Brian Flores

The New England Patriots are impressed by John Simon, and it seems like he is winning everyone’s hearts, including head coach Bill Belichick.

The linebacker inked a deal with the Patriots after the team’s game against the Lions, and was really impressive in the Patriots’ loss to the Miami Dolphins. He totaled two tackles and a sack.

“John’s been really a great addition to our team, obviously played real well last week. He’s really developed and grown over the course of the season. He got banged up early and then, I would say, over the last three, four weeks has gotten healthy and really done a good job of just bringing energy to the team. He’s got a great skillset, does a good job with his pass rush, does a good job setting the edge, plays with good speed, good energy. He’s been a solid contributor to the team and we’re happy to have him,” Patriots de facto defensive coordinator Brian Flores said Tuesday.

“It’s something that he’s shown in practice, he showed in his time in Houston. We got, obviously, good reviews about him. He’s definitely an instinctive player, smart guy, picks things up quickly and picked up our defense quickly. So, again, like I said before, we’re definitely happy to have him and he’s been a great contributor and hopefully continues to do so moving forward.”

Simon is a former fourth-round pick of the Ravens. He spent his rookie year with the Ravens, and signed with the Houston Texans.

“John’s done a really good job for us since he’s come in here and has picked things up very quickly, contributed for us right away defensively and in the kicking game. He’s really done a solid job. He’s experienced, smart and has very good football instincts. He’s got good awareness. Even though he hasn’t had as much experience in our system as some other people have, his instinctiveness to kind of just do the right thing on the football field at the right time consistently keeps showing up. He’s been a great addition. I’m glad we have him,” Bill Belichick said of the linebacker.