The Chicago Bears pulled off a 27-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night, but Tampa Bay right tackle Luke Goedeke had some serious complaints about newly acquired defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.
Goedeke accused Simmons of repeatedly holding offensive linemen to create opportunities for his teammates, following a frustrating loss in which Tampa Bay failed to capitalize on five Chicago turnovers.
And considering Simmons has only been in Chicago for two games, he’s already making quite the impression on opposing offensive lines.
Buccaneers Lineman Comments On Jeffery Simmons
Luke Goedeke said he got into a few heated arguments with Jeffery Simmons.
As reported by Mike Florio, Goedeke said Simmons was holding offensive tackles during pass protection and even swinging at his head.
“He’s known for it on pass pro, just holding the tackle so that the DE can run free,” Goedeke said.
Goedeke claimed during the game, Simmons used this method on him twice, which allowed Chicago’s edge rushers to get to the quarterback. Although he did admit he respects Simmons, he didn’t enjoy going against him.
“Some of the stuff he can really take out of his game,” Goedeke said. “It’s just kind of old, to be honest.”
Goedeke said he has tried bringing this problem up to officials. “It won’t get called.”
And to be fair, Goedeke does have a point about some of Simmons’ tactics. The film shows the Chicago Bears defensive tackle getting away with a little holding, but there’s a fine line between playing physically and crossing into dirty play.
Still, Simmons was getting the better of Goedeke throughout the night, even flattening him on one play.
Jeffery Simmons Having An Impact In Chicago
The Chicago Bears gave up two first round picks and a fourth round pick for Jeffery Simmons and a fifth round pick.
That is a huge amount to give up for a single defensive tackle, with those first round picks being huge for general manager Ryan Poles going forward.
However, they felt Simmons would bring a new look to their defensive line. And so far, they’ve seen a positive impact.
Simmons picked up a sack in his first game for Chicago against the Seattle Seahawks and then another against the Buccaneers.
Throughout the game, Simmons made four tackles, one sack and one pass deflection. This helped Chicago’s defense who were put in some tough spots due to their offense.
They had no business winning the game with Caleb Williams throwing four interceptions and turning the ball over five times. However, somehow they managed to come away with another win.
The defense had four sacks on Baker Mayfield, two interceptions and had a pick six from Jaylon Johnson who returned an interception for a touchdown.
Simmons obviously wasn’t solely responsible for that, but having a real threat inside the defensive line has given Chicago what they desperately needed this season.
Chicago signed Simmons to make their defense more dangerous, especially when their offense isn’t performing well. They had a pretty good example of why they paid so much. And with Chicago sitting at 7-2, Simmons is already giving opponents plenty to complain about.
Bears Jeffery Simmons Accused of Dirty Playstyle by Buccaneers Lineman