Jeffery Simmons didn’t want to get traded by the Tennessee Titans. Despite the organization’s ongoing struggles, he’d built a home there. He wanted to make that team great. It is one of the reasons fans grew to adore him. However, the franchise knew it’d probably be a few years before they were back to competitive status. He’d be past his prime by then. So they made the difficult decision to deal him to the Chicago Bears for two 1st round picks. Simmons had no other choice but embrace the opportunity.
He sure didn’t waste time. In his first game against the defending champions, he collected 5 pressures, a sack, a pass defense, and 2 tackles for a loss. Seattle had a miserable time trying to block him all night. The rest of the Bears defense certainly appreciated it, as they held the Seahawks to just 17 points. Suddenly, Simmons found himself on a 6-2 team that is starting to look like a contender.
The only thing left was finding out what this team’s locker room was like. Head coach Ben Johnson gave him his first taste after the game. First, he presented the defensive tackle with a game ball, and then led the team through their now-famous Good, Better, Best chant. Simmons clearly has no idea what to expect, but watch Montez Sweat next to him. It’s solid gold.
Jeffery Simmons must feel he’s been transported to another dimension.
For most of his career, he’s played for head coaches that are more your traditional types, like Mike Vrabel and Robert Saleh. Tough, hard-nosed, and straightforward in their motivational approaches. So to experience Johnson’s unique ability to inspire the locker room with methods that would seem corny to most must’ve been bizarre. It was especially true watching Sweat, who Simmons played with in college, fully embracing it. That should’ve been the first indicator that things are serious in Chicago.
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Contrary to popular belief, Jeffery Simmons has played on some good teams. He was on the 2019 Titans team that reached the AFC Championship Game, then won back-to-back division titles in 2020 and 2021. Unfortunately, they never managed to go all the way, often because they never had the offensive firepower to get over the hump. Ryan Tannehill was a solid quarterback, but he could never measure up to the AFC’s elite like Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, and Joe Burrow.
That is no longer the case with Caleb Williams on this roster.
The Bears have given him a chance to hope again.
Few things eat away at a player in the NFL faster than constantly losing. The past couple of years have been a miserable experience for Simmons. They were happening in his prime, too. He must’ve felt so helpless, putting together brilliant performances and having it not matter. That stops now. This team is good enough to take full advantage of the things he can do. Better still, they are a united locker room. Everybody is on the same page. The confidence is everywhere. Don’t be surprised if Simmons is getting into those chants a few weeks from now.
The Bears have a golden opportunity to build some momentum going into the bye week. A win next week against Tampa Bay would put them at 7-2. Then they have the New Orleans Saints after the bye. If they play up to their standards, this team could be 9-2 by the time they start hitting that second round of division games on Thanksgiving.
