New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots must pay special attention to one defensive standout when facing the Tennessee Titans this Sunday.
Jeffery Simmons has wreaked havoc early this season, collecting 4.5 sacks and 11 quarterback hits in six games. The Patriots will look to snap the defensive lineman’s three-game sack streak in Week 7.
Josh McDaniels appreciates the upcoming challenge. The offensive coordinator delivered high praise to Simmons on Thursday, per MassLive’s Mark Daniels.
“This guy’s one of the best players in the league,” McDaniels said. “Period.”
Simmons has played 87 percent of the Tennessee defense’s snaps this season. McDaniels admired the 28-year-old staying on the field without his effort waning, via Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston.
“How hard he plays on a snap-to-snap basis… Full tilt, and he’s out there on almost every play,” McDaniels said.
Another Patriots coach has more familiarity with Simmons. Mike Vrabel coached the former first-round pick throughout his final five seasons in Tennessee.
Vrabel also mentioned Simmons’ stamina when raving about the three-time Pro Bowler.
“Great players make good coaches,” Vrabel said Wednesday, per the team transcript. “I really enjoy Jeffery personally. We’ve maintained a relationship. I’m glad that we do. He’s playing really well, playing at a high level. He plays hard. He’s got great play demeanor. Plays a lot of snaps, but he doesn’t – the ones that he’s in there for, which is a lot, it’s not like he picks and chooses when he’s going to play hard.
“But also, I felt like he always shared the message from us to the staff, to the locker room. I think he was a good leader for us. It’ll be a huge challenge here this week for us to be able to block him, to neutralize him and try to gain some yards.”
