Back
Jeffery Simmons' debut with the Chicago Bears was almost perfect.
The star defensive tackle made an immediate impact for the Bears in his first game in Week 8 against the Jacksonville Jaguars and showed everyone exactly why general manager Ryan Poles was willing to give up a historic package for him.
The only hiccup for Simmons on Monday came after the contest, when head coach Ben Johnson was doing his "good, better, best" portion of his postgame speech and Simmons apparently wasn't familiar with it.
We know that because, in the video of the speech, Simmons was visible in the background and wasn't reciting it with the rest of the team. What was funnier was Montez Sweat trying to get him going.
On Wednesday, Simmons vowed to be better next time around. He even said he's going on YouTube to study up and make sure he gets it right, according to CHGO Bears.
"I've definitely been on YouTube trying to figure that out," he said with a smile. "Make sure I'm good for next game. So, next game, especially I'm on the camera like that, I'll know the words. I'll be ready."
We can envision Simmons now.
He'll have the playbook that he's still learning in one hand and Johnson's "good, better, best" on repeat.
Truth be told, nobody gives a damn about Simmons' "good, better, best" hiccup when he played the quality of football he did against Seattle.
Simmons was every bit of the menace the Bears hoped he would be. It took him just two drives to notch his first sack, and he had a team-high six tackles and two tackles for loss, a bunch of pressures, and even one pass defensed.
There are so many ways Simmons changes this defense.
Not only is he great as an interior pass-rusher and run defender, but Simmons also draws double teams that give his teammates more favorable matchups. And, there are even times when Simmons beats those double teams to make a play.
"Phenomenal player," defensive end Daniel Hardy said. "Really charged up the locker room. Definitely boosted up the DL. He took a ton of reps tonight and made them all count. You gotta account for him. Give him a 1-on-1, it's not gonna end well. He frees stuff up for everybody just because he draws so much attention to him. So appreciate it, and we're all happy with the production."
"I definitely got my opportunities," defensive end Montez Sweat said. "I definitely got some 1-on-1s. I was looking forward to taking advantage of that, and I'm looking forward to doing that the rest of the year."
Simmons' presence has now become even more important with the Bears dealing with some injuries along the defensive line.
Chicago is likely to have lost Kentavius Street for the rest of the season, and Grady Jarrett's status for Week 9 is up in the air because of a groin injury.