Since the Patriots traded linebacker Jamie Collins to the Cleveland Browns on Monday, much has been made of why New England would opt to move on from a talented young player.
Some reports stated it was for contractual reasons, as Collins' deal runs out at season's end and the Patriots were apparently unwilling to meet his demands.
But some, including former Patriots executive and current FOX Sports analyst Mike Lombardi, have blamed Collins' poor performances and unwillingness to play within the Patriots' scheme as the reason why Bill Belichick shipped him off.
However, Patriots linebackers coach Brian Flores said that isn't the case.
"I wouldn't say freelancing was an issue," Flores said, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. "Jamie was a very good player for us. He made a lot of plays. He helped us win a lot of ballgames. I keep saying that time and time again. He was a good player. Freelancing, I mean, did he make mistakes? Absolutely. But again, everyone makes mistakes. There’s not a player in the league who doesn’t make mistakes. But again, he made more plays than he made mistakes. I would say that. He was a great player for us."
While it appears Flores isn't in total agreement with New England's decision to trade away maybe the best player in his position group, he said the club must "move forward."
"You've got to put your feelings aside, obviously," Flores said. "We all have our own personal feelings about the situation, but at the end of the day, Bill felt like that was the best thing for the team.
"We need to move forward and deal with the adversity like we deal with any adversity."
