Cardinals fan here and just wanted to see how Isaiah Simmons has been doing in Big Blue? I feel like Arizona didn’t have a great spot for him after MLB didn’t pan out (bit of a coverage liability).
His physical tools are insane and he had some clutch moments in AZ, but really never put it all together. It’s a shame, but maybe he’s killing it now for you guys?!
Isaiah Simmons has played a little over 200 snaps this season, 50% coverage, 25% pass rush, and 25% run defense.
As others said Simmons and McFadden are never on the field at the same time. McFadden is very limited at coverage and Simmons has a much better burst and bend, so its great to see the Giants use the two to cover each others limitations.
The Giants overall have the 4th worst defense in NFL this year, with major issues at DB and DLine… BUT inside linebacker has been their best strength as a team, and Simmons is a part of that as Giants are three deep at ILB now.
maybe he’s killing it now
I wouldn’t go that far, but he’s found a nice niche. The deal is basically that the defense uses two ILBs pretty much every down, one of which is Bobby Okereke who is the one calling the plays and quarterbacking the defense, and as far as I know he hasn’t missed a down (knock on wood). Then there is Micah McFadden and Simmons, who literally are never on the field at the same time:
https://twitter.com/Doug_Analytics/status/1719061558053961870/photo/1
So based on the package or role they sub out, it is a pretty good system that seems to help with Simmons’ limitations while not giving too much to the year two 5th rounder who struggled year one but looks much improved. It’d be nice to have Simmons back and just keep continuity in the middle if his market is weak in free agency. I think the trade worked out all around.
He’s a JAG