In the Chicago Bears' 34-17 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football, newly acquired defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons made his impact felt both with his play and his leadership.
The Bears acquired Simmons in a trade with the Tennessee Titans that saw them send two first-round picks for the All-Pro defensive tackle, who came in and immediately showed his ability as a game-wrecker, not only for himself but for his teammates as well.
Simmons finished the game with six total tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, one pass defended, and a quarterback hit, showing his ability to disrupt the entire Seahawks offense during the time he was on the field. With everyone reaping the benefits of Simmons' arrival, his teammates had nothing but
praise for their new teammate following the win in Seattle, as Daniel Hardy and T.J. Edwards had plenty to say about him after the win.
Bears locker room energized by Simmons' presence
One of the more versatile lineman for Chicago's defense, Daniel Hardy said that the arrival of Simmons energized the locker and the defensive line unit as a whole.
"Phenomenal player,” 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."
Simmons' play speaks for itself
Veteran linebacker T.J. Edwards who was making his return from a hamstring injury, said that Simmons being himself is all that was needed to feel his impact.
"I think he’s just — I don’t know — you can feel his presence,” Edwards said. “Especially me, I’m right behind him, so I can kind of just feel how they’re trying to block him. I feel like [the defense] was just flying today. They made our job a whole lot easier. But he definitely helps, for sure. He’s just himself. His play speaks for [itself].”
The play of Simmons was raved about on the ESPN broadcast of Chicago's win by Troy Aikman and Joe Buck, while most NFL media followed suit on Tuesday, but the impact he made on his teammates is far greater than any others on the outside. There was plenty of conversation about if the Bears overpaid for Simmons, who became the first defensive tackle in NFL history to be traded for multiple first-round picks, but the early returns have shown that Chicago may have gotten a steal.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears players raved about Jeffery Simmons' debut vs. Seahawks
