Jeffery Simmons still has times when his emotions get the better of him. On Sunday, he got a 15-yard penalty that helped aid a Colts scoring drive when he slammed a blocker to the ground.
It’s not the type of play that one wants to see from a team leader. That said, Simmons’ frustration is understandable to a certain point, as he remembers the good old days when the Titans won games and made it to the postseason.
Now, in the throes of a desperate rebuild that has seen three losing seasons in a row, Simmons was frustrated Sunday after the Titans gave up 335 yards rushing in losing to the Indianapolis Colts.
But Simmons is tasked with being the face of the franchise right now, when things go well and when they don’t.
On Sunday, with the Titans having to patch things together at certain spots on defense – both starting linebackers were out, and safety Amani Hooker exited with a shoulder injury as well – Simmons sent a message that losing is not acceptable, no matter who is on the field.
“It’s time to grow up. It’s the NFL. At the end of the day, it’s called ‘prepare like a starter.’ K-9 (Kenneth Murray) didn’t practice all week, and since I’ve been here the mindset has been ‘next man up,’” Simmons said. “Throughout the week, if you don’t prepare like a starter and you get thrown into that fire, that’s on you.
“I don’t look at guys like, ‘You’re a rookie. You’ll get it next time.’ No, with me, I want to win, so everybody is held to the same standard.”
In trying to reestablish some type of culture, head coach Brian Callahan says he has been pleased with the way Simmons has stepped up in that role.
“He’s been called on to fill a leadership void that veteran players have left. You look around, and he’s one of our more veteran players,” Callahan says. “He’s one of our highest paid players. He’s one of our most consistent players, and those are the guys you hope are your leaders. And he’s done a great job. He’s grown a lot as a leader.
“It’s new for him to be sort of the focal point of the football team in that particular role. That’s our guy right now, and he’s really grown quite a bit in that leadership role. I’m proud of him and how he’s done it, which is not natural for some people.”
The challenge becomes this: duplicated that attitude throughout the locker room as the Titans try to salvage something from this season to build on for 2025.