Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Grind Tuesday/Jeffrey Simmons Appreciation Day - #TicTacTitans Film Review & Titans Talk

Episode Date: October 22, 2019

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Welcome to the Locked on Titans podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Rowland, and Titans fans, this Tuesday will be a grind Tuesday. We are going to talk about Jeffrey Simmons and his performance for the entire episode. So in our first segment, we are just going to have a general conversation about his play. I'm going to wax poetic about some things that I saw, but I also want to tell you guys a little bit about some of the stats that I picked up, some of the things that I've seen on tape after re-watching the game that really excite me about his play that maybe aren't included in the conversations that you're seeing. In our second segment, we are actually going to jump in the film room, check out some X's and O's, and I got six plays for you just showing how dominant Jeffrey was in his limited

snaps. In our third segment, we are going to do Titans talk. I'm going to let you hear from Jeffrey himself. I'm going to let you hear from some of the coaches, some of the players about how they felt about his debut performance. Like I said, it's a grind Tuesday Titans fans. All hail Jeffrey Simmons. Let's get it. Your Tennessee Titans lead story is the season debut of talented rookie defensive lineman Jeffrey Simmons. What a game he had on Sunday in limited action. Jeffrey Simmons did not even play a typical amount of snaps that you would see from someone of his talent level, obviously due to recovery. So Jeffrey Simmons tears his ACL back in February, recovers for eight months, gets passed on in the draft all the way to the 19th pick where he falls to the Tennessee Titans when he was

considered a top five talent all along. Well, we saw that talent on Sunday in the 23-20 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Simmons had four tackles, one sack. Speaking of the sack, the Titans defense only got one sack on the day, and it was the first round rookie coming off an eighth month rehab for a torn ACL. Jeffrey Simmons making an immediate impact. One thing that you notice about the Titans defense that is clearly a weakness is their inability to get pressure on the quarterback when they only rush their front four linemen. We're talking Harold Landry, Jarrell Casey.

only rush their front four linemen. We're talking Harold Landry, Jarrell Casey. Typically, we're going to see Rashawn Evans or Daquan Jones and then Cam Wake. Well, Jeffrey Simmons is able to come in and be part of that foursome. Harold Landry and Cameron Wake on the outside, Jarrell Casey and Jeffrey Simmons in the middle. That is a very fearsome front line in terms of pass rush and we saw how Jeffrey Simmons impacted that, because that is a weakness that the Titans defense has, is their ability to do so. Usually their pressure comes from blitzes, from linebackers and safeties,

which leaves the secondary vulnerable against Hall of Fame quarterbacks like Phillip Rivers. That'll get you beat, and it almost did on Sunday. So the Titans do need to manufacture more pressure from their front four, but Jeffrey Simmons was already able to contribute that, having the only sack that the team had on the day in his limited action. Two tackles for loss. Just a fun tidbit of information. Jeffrey Simmons, as we said, was taken 19th in the NFL draft due to concerns about his ACL and some off the field

issues that we've talked about before on the show. Well, there were three prominent defensive linemen, interior defensive linemen, taken ahead of him in the draft. They were Quinn and Williams for the Jets, Ed Oliver for the Bills, and Christian Wilkins for the Dolphins. Well, Christian Wilkins was ejected from the Dolphins game on Sunday for his actions on the field. But those three players combined only have one tackle for loss on the season. Well, Jeffrey Simmons had two tackles for loss on Sunday in his first game in only 21 snaps. Four tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss, one quarterback pressure in 21 snaps. That's only 33% of the defensive snaps. And Jeffrey Simmons was able to make an impact that passes the box score and passes the eye test. He was even better in the run game. That's where you're not going to

get a lot of stats. The idea is just to stack up your man, let the linebackers make the plays, and boy was Jeffrey Simmons able to do that. There's a play where he gets attempted to be double teamed early in the game, gets off of it, and is able to chase down Melvin Gordon six yards down the field and prevent him from hitting through the second level. On the final goal line stand of the game watch the tape Jeffrey Simmons makes every single play possible other than Malcolm Butler's pass interference because that play doesn't stand anyway every other play at the goal line if you watch Jeffrey Simmons he's making a huge play we're going to cover that in our second segment in Tic Tac Titans and and actually give you a breakdown of what he was doing out there to help his team. But he was a stud in the run game. He was making plays in the

pass rush. As a matter of fact, the eye test, the box score is backed up by the analytics. Per Pro Football Focus, Jeffrey Simmons had the third highest grade of any defensive lineman on Sunday. He was the ninth best defender graded in the entire league. Jeffrey Simmons is going to make an immediate and incredible impact for this defense, and it's obvious whichever way you want to slice it, through the box score, through the eye test, through the analytics, this is why Jeffrey Simmons was selected by the Tennessee Titans to clear up this exact hole, and even in his limited action, we are seeing that come to fruition. One thing to consider, there are a few plays, which I have

personally retweeted so that you guys can see those at Tic Tac Titans on Twitter, where he did have a little bit of a limp and he obviously is coming back slowly. So it's important that the Titans coaching staff, who I'm sure are impressed by what they've seen, just like I am impressed by what I've seen, still find a way to limit his snaps and allow him to gradually get back up to speed. In our second segment, we are going to do another Tic Tac Tuesday with Jeffrey Simmons. I'm going to go over six plays that I thought really stood out to me that showed how dominant this guy can be. So we will continue Grind Tuesday, Jeffrey Simmons Appreciation Day. Before we jump into that, I do want to remind you guys,

the folks at Roman, a men's health company, are changing the game with Roman Swipes, the secret to longer-lasting sex. Get $10 off your first order of Swipes and free two-day shipping at GetRoman.com slash LockedOnNFL. Okay, Titans fans, it is a grind Tuesday edition of Tick Tack Titans. So let's talk about six plays Jeffrey Simmons made on Sunday that I thought were just phenomenal and showcased exactly what kind of player the Titans should be looking for throughout the rest of the year and Simmons' career. So play one, you're going to find us in the first quarter, one of Simmons' first drives

out on the field. There's three minutes and two seconds left. The Chargers are in a single back formation with Melvin Gordon in the backfield. They have trips wide receivers to the right side and a tight end in line on the left. Simmons is lined up in between the right guard and the center. He's on the outside shoulder of the center. Number 66 right guard Dan Feeney for the Chargers is tasked with blocking Jeffrey Simmons on this play as the Chargers do run Melvin Gordon directly into where Jeffrey Simmons is. They're looking to

go through the guard spot and turn Jeffrey Simmons inside so that Melvin Gordon can get through. And ladies and gentlemen, that is not what happens. Jeffrey Simmons blows off the ball. Both linemen try to take him on. And Dan Feeney stands 0% chance of stopping Jeffrey Simmons. He drives him about three yards deep into the backfield. Melvin Gordon tries to make a move. It's too late.

Simmons wraps him up. The rest of the Titans jump on and Jeffrey Simmons runs off of the field, flexing, jumping, screaming. Boy, he is an exciting player. That shows his ability to dominate in the run game and blow his matchup off the line of scrimmage. We're going to move on to play two. Here we have Simmons again at a similar position playing sort of a nose tackle in between the right

guard and the center, Dan Feeney. So what we're going to see is a run to Melvin Gordon from shotgun. We're here in the second quarter with 11 minutes left. The Chargers have just gotten possession of the ball after a great punt by the weapon, Brett Kern. And here, Melvin Gordon would have gotten a ton of yardage on this play if not for Jeffrey Simmons' incredible athleticism. Now, it's not the most excellent play to put on tape for Jeffrey Simmons. He does get an attempted combo block here by, I believe it's Schofield in the center, Dan Feeney. So what happens is the right guard in the center

come off and they both get on Jeffrey Simmons' shoulders and they try to push him to the other side of the field. Well, Simmons is able to get through it and stand his ground at first. Then 75, the guard, he's supposed to get that initial push on Simmons and then work his way up to the linebacker it's called a combination block the right guard and the center combine to block the nose tackle and then the guard sneaks off to get up to the second level to get a linebacker he's able to get both guys at the same time so he hits Simmons and think thinks that he's done enough, but Dan Feeney just cannot contain Simmons' athleticism. As soon as Jeffrey realizes that Melvin Gordon is running

the ball close to him, he turns away from his block, disengages from the center. Feeney runs up the field three yards, catches Melvin Gordon, and brings him down for only a six-yard loss, or only a six-yard gain. My apologies. Keenan Allen had a really good block on Adoree Jackson. The guard I mentioned, 75, Sheffield was able to get up the field and get on Kevin Byard. If not for Simmons coming back up the field and making the play on Melvin Gordon and catching up with him, this play may go for a lot more, and it will flip the field position for the titans make it a lot harder on them going forward throughout the rest of the game so really good play by jeffrey simmons

there and like i said it's not the best play to put on tape it just showcases his athleticism and the type of plays that he's able to make and right there he already saved the titans on multiple occasions our play three will be the only sack of the game for the Titans. It's the Chargers first play of the second half and what's special about this play whereas the last two plays we had mentioned Jeffrey Simmons had lined up as sort of a nose tackle on the outside shoulder of the center and the inside shoulder of the right guard. Well, this play, Jeffrey Simmons in a four-man front lines up as a defensive end over the right tackle, Sam Tavai. Look at the versatility. In his very first game, he's already playing multiple positions along the defensive line. The amount of

mental fortitude you need to be that locked in to learn your position while you're unable to play is incredible from this kind of player at this young age. So really impressive to see him be able to do this. The Titans run a really nice stunt on this play. This is the type of thing that we've talked about where the Titans offensive line has broken down. These are the type of stunts. So right here, the Titans have Jeffrey Simmons at the left end position. They have Daquan Jones at the left defensive tackle position. Daquan Jones jumps off the snap and goes essentially towards the outside of the pocket. His goal here is to take the guard who's blocking him and run into the tackle that's blocking Simmons, and then Simmons loops underneath him. Well, when Simmons loops underneath him,

he finds Phillip Rivers climbing the pocket all by himself and is able to take him down with force, but legally take him down with force and get a sack. Simmons celebrates with a huge flex. And once again, we are reminded this guy is massive. He's a huge human being with incredible explosion and power playing multiple positions already this early in his playing career. Our last three plays are all on the final stand for the Titans along the goal line and while we've showcased some of the more tangible assets that

Simmons has, his explosion, his size, his versatility. These last three plays showcase a clutch factor that he has to show up in the biggest moments, some intangibles that he has that are going to pay dividends for the Titans going forward as well. So let's jump to that goal line stand. Our fourth play is the first play of that goal line stand, and this is a play where Jeffrey Simmons is just quite frankly in the head of his opponent. He is lining up on the interior. The Chargers are on the one inch line, one foot line at best. And Simmons is lined up in that same spot in between the center and the guard.

And he just intimidates his opponent. Number 66, Dan Feeney jumps. And it's a false start on the Chargers. When they're on the one-yard line like that, getting any kind of negative yards going is super, super important. So let alone his play on the field, already the intimidation factor of Jeffrey Simmons is causing his opponents to make mental mistakes. So that pushes the Chargers back five very, very valuable yards. In the second play of the goal line stand that we want to mention, in between was the pass interference on Malcolm Butler, which I actually think was an excellent idea

by Malcolm Butler. If he had not committed pass interference there, that was going to be a catch and a touchdown for Mike Williams because of how big and physical of a receiver he is. So good play by Malcolm Butler there. Worst thing that could happen is they're at the one yard line, but either way, you prevented a touchdown. Good job, Malcolm Butler, getting that penalty. Probably the only time you'll hear me say that. But we'll move on to the second play of the goal line stand, our fifth play overall. The Chargers are in a shotgun formation. They do bring Austin Eckler, who had a fantastic game receiving out of the backfield, in jet motion. The shotgun snap comes to Rivers,

and he hands it off to Melvin Gordon, who is one of the better running backs in the league, but really struggled in this game. Jeffrey Simmons is playing in that same nose tackle role, and boy was it a bad day to be an interior offensive lineman for the Chargers. Number 61, the center, takes the snap. Left guard Dan Feeney is tasked with blocking Jeffrey Simmons, and he just explodes off the ball, past the line of scrimmage, goes about two yards deep into the backfield, hits Melvin Gordon with his left arm, and allows Rashawn Evans to come up and put Melvin Gordon

on the ground about a yard short from the end zone again another touchdown prevented and while Rashawn the shark Evans made the play and that's the play that he was drafted to make the penetration by Jeffrey Simmons to push the guard back two yards took Melvin Gordon off his course pushed him to the outside, and gave Rashawn Evans enough time to get there and put him on the ground. What's crazy is Melvin Gordon fumbled that ball too, about two yards short of the end zone, was able to fall down on top of it, but was ruled down about a yard short. I thought there was a chance that could go the other way for the Titans as well, based on where he lost the ball. Either way, what a play

by Jeffrey Simmons. What a play by Rashawn Evans as well. So our sixth and final play in the final play of the goal line stand will be a very similar play to our fifth play. Jeffrey Simmons is playing the same nose tackle role that we're going to see him play in most of the goal line sets. I would imagine he'll have Casey, Daquan Jones, a different assortment of the defensive linemen that the Titans have, but we will see Simmons in that nose tackle role most likely because of things like this. Now, on the last play, the Titans had Simmons at the left guard, over the left guard, I should say. Here, he's flipped to the other side. He's over the right guard in the center on that side.

Phillip Rivers is now out of shotgun. He's under center. The Chargers bring jet motion with Keenan Allen, and they try to run the ball to Melvin Gordon again. Well, you all saw what happened, and I will remind you in case you didn't. Jeffrey Simmons takes number 75, the guard, and literally puts his hands into his chest and bowls him over backwards three yards into the backfield. Melvin Gordon essentially

has to go a totally different route than he expected to go. He kind of trips up to his right. I do believe that the trip of his feet is what caused him to lose focus and allow Wesley Woodyard to hit the ball out. It was recovered by Jarrell Casey and the Titans win the football game, but the play was made at the snap when first round rookie Jeffrey Simmons was able to light up the strong side, play side, run side guard, push him deep into the backfield, cause Melvin Gordon to change his route, lose his focus, and ultimately fumble the football for the win. If you look at the replay, which I will be putting on my Twitter account,

at TicTacTitans, you will see Jeffrey Simmons push his man physically in the chest backwards and bowl him backwards into the backfield. It ruins the entire play. We have seen in just these six plays and even more plays that I wasn't able to cover right now, we've seen in these six plays the versatility, the power, the physicality, a clutch factor, everything that you expect to see from a first-round defensive lineman. I will put it bluntly on this Grind Tuesday, Jeffrey Simmons Appreciation Day, this is the steal of the draft.

Great job by J-Rob. In our third segment, we are going to hear from the Titans coaches, from Jeffrey Simmons himself, and some of his teammates, what they thought about his debut out there as we continue Grind Tuesday, Jeffrey Simmons Appreciation Day. We will get to that next. In our third and final segment on the show, we are going to do some Titans talk. You are going to hear from Jeffrey Simmons, Wesley Woodyard, and then Coach Mike Vrabel. The audio is courtesy of titansonline.com. Enjoy.

Like I said, it felt great, you know, but, you know, I'm a team guy, and that's what a game takes two people. So, you know, coming from Daquan, you know, I appreciate him. My job was to come off the ball, you know. That's one of the things Coach Vrabel talked about, you know, beating a guy across from you, knocking him off the ball. And I felt like that's what I did to my guy, and we got to stop it with big for the defense and the team.

It's been rough, you know, coming, you know, rehab, you know, just focusing on my rehab. I mean, that's the main thing, and that's it, you know. I mean, the main thing is to get back on the field so I can help this team however I can, and that's what I've been focusing on, rehab. Just go out there and have fun, you know, play football. Like I said, that's what I do. Football is football. Like I said, I'm excited. Graydon gave me the opportunity

and I'm going to keep it going. It's a great job. Everybody played. This whole team played a great game. Just the opportunity to get on the field. I had that feeling going to go on the field. I'm about to get ready to play my first game. I just had that feeling like it's here.

So, man, I was excited to be out there. Man, great job, you know. Congratulations, you know, on my first game, you know, being back with the team. And like I said, everybody happy. Everybody got this win together. And, you know, it's a team effort. A lot of work to do, you know. A couple plays, you know, I feel like I was a little too high on some certain stuff.

But, you know, overall, you know, I'm just excited we got this win. But that's why when we go back Wednesday, watch the film. I'm going to take the coaching, whatever it is that I got to get better at. Go for it. So you get a sack in your first game too. That's got to make it a sack and a win, I guess. Got to make it even more special. It's good to get a sack.

It's greater to get the win. I went out touring the game and told them, man, just relax, have fun. This game is just like college to you. You played in the SEC, you were dominant there. Go out there, be dominant today. And not saying that that made him play great, because I knew he was gonna do it anyway. But that's what it's all about.

We need a physical presence like that coming on the field for us, and he was able to do it for us today. I felt him, I think there was some push. I think there was, he looked like a big dude that was going forward, was excited about playing football. It's a long journey for him. He's a great kid, he's a better person than he is a football player. And we think he's gonna be a great football player for us.

But this is the kind of guy that you want to be around I'm glad he's on our team yeah I mean I think guys are you're always excited to play with guys that give you a chance to win that can that can dominate that are good at their position and you know happy for Jeff happy for the entire team but that was um it was cool for him to play his first game and be able to contribute the way he did and see some of the stuff that we'd worked on while he was coming back from his rehab and again it was a big decision for Jeff I think that it's cool for me to be able to sit there on Saturday morning and have him come in and say, Coach, I'm ready.

I'm confident in being able to go and play in the game. That was Jeffrey Simmons, Wesley Woodyard, and Coach Mike Vrabel. I hope you guys enjoyed Titans Talk. This has been a Grind Tuesday, Jeffrey Simmons Appreciation Day. We waxed poetic about Jeffrey Simmons in the first segment and just his impact on the field in the second segment we did do a little bit of tic-tac titans you can find the visuals that are going to match up with that on my twitter on Tuesday at tic-tac titans in our third segment we just did our titans talk so you could hear everything you needed to hear from Jeffrey himself and everyone else about his performance on Sunday.

Can't wait to see this guy blossom. What an incredible season debut. Ready for the next game on Sunday. The Titans continue to make a playoff push and try to turn this season around from a pretty rough start. Really excited for the rest of the week of shows. On Wednesday, we will have our Crossover Wednesday event with the host of the Locked On Buccaneers, ready

to bring all that to you guys. I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked On Titans.