Jeffery Simmons said his first night as a Chicago Bear came down to one thought: “It’s just football.” The defensive tackle, traded by the Tennessee Titans last week, had six tackles, two tackles for loss, a pass defensed and a sack in the Bears’ 34-17 win at the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night, and he said afterward that the whole week had felt like a whirlwind.
Asked whether the game was calmer than the days leading up to it, he said it was. He described being in the building almost until 10 o’clock on Thursday night to catch up on the game plan, and getting back in early on Friday morning. “When I ran out of that tunnel, I just kept telling myself, it’s just football,” Simmons said. “Go out there, be me, play by play, be in the moment.”
“That first snap as a Chicago Bear”
Simmons said it helped that the Bears got the ball first, because he could run onto the field for the very first snap of the game as a Chicago Bear. “It was a lot of emotion, and I’m grateful to be here,” he said. “And today was a great start.” He added that the emotion built during the national anthem, when he had a new jersey on for the first time, and that he had to pull himself back and tell himself to go play football.
He credited the sack to a one-on-one matchup he wanted badly. “It’s not very often that I’m getting a one-on-one,” Simmons said. “So they gave me the one-on-one, and I was like, I need to go win it.” He said the coaches should be on him when he does not win those snaps. Of the first sack of his Bears career, he said: “Felt great, actually, to get my first sack in my first game. But I’m here to do my job.”
“I’m a Chicago Bear now”
Simmons played for the Titans from the time they drafted him until this week, and a reporter asked what it was like to leave losing seasons in Tennessee for a team that has been rolling. He said he never wanted to compare the two. “The last couple of years, it has been hard, not winning football games,” he said. “I’m a Chicago Bear now. The things change right now for me to be able to be here.”
He still spoke warmly about his old team. “My time in Tennessee was my time in Tennessee. It was unbelievable,” he said, and he thanked the Titans’ owner, “Ms. Amy,” for giving him the chance to play in the NFL. He said the message he gave the defensive linemen on the sideline was that Seattle’s reputation was not the point. “It’s not about them. It’s about us,” Simmons said. “It’s how we attack the line of scrimmage and how we attack the game.”
Setting goals, and letting them go
A reporter asked how he compartmentalized a week that included a trade. Simmons said he used to set numbers for himself, such as 10 sacks, but he got more from the game when he stopped. “When I stopped setting them goals and I would just be in the moment, be present, that’s when the team got the best Jeffery Simmons,” he said. “When I attacked the field, I wasn’t worried about the trade. I wasn’t worried about all the outside noise.”
He had been preparing for the Cincinnati Bengals, the Titans’ Week 8 opponent, until the deal was made, and had to turn the page quickly. “I had to flip the chapter to get ready for the Seahawks. So it’s all about being a pro,” he said. Asked whether he played more than he expected, he said the coaches told him to be ready as long as he knew the game plan. “I’m in shape. That wasn’t a problem. My biggest thing was how fast can I learn this game plan.”
Montez Sweat, and the Bears fans
Simmons said it was “unreal” to be accepted so fast in Chicago. “This city, especially in Chicago, they breathe football,” he said, and he noted that the Bears fans who made noise on Monday were doing it on the road. “This is not even our home crowd. So to be able to have that on a road game, that’s big.”
He also talked about being reunited with Montez Sweat, his “road dog” at Mississippi State. Simmons said Sweat “had three sacks” and that “the other two got called back”; the official stats credit Sweat with one sack and three quarterback hits. “I told him earlier this week, go put what you put in college on tape,” Simmons said. He said he challenged his linemates, including Grady Jarrett, to win their blocks when he draws a double team, and that he wanted the front four to win without sending extra rushers. “It takes all 11 on the football field, but I’m not a selfish player,” he said.
Praise for James Lynch
A reporter pointed out that Simmons had played with James Lynch for two years, and Lynch intercepted a pass and returned it 16 yards to the Seattle 6. Simmons said he did not know Lynch had hands like that. “We always joked because on Fridays, we used to run on routes, and I’m like, my hand’s way better than yours,” he said. “I’m so proud of Lynch.” He added that he would “help him with his speed” after the interception stopped short of the end zone.
Chicago is 6-2 after the win and hosts the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, November 8, at 8:20 p.m. ET, which is 3:20 a.m. Monday in Cairo.
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