The Buccaneers forced five turnovers Sunday night, and it still wasn’t enough to win at Soldier Field. Chicago’s defense has something to do with it.
After the game, there were complaints about the Bears’ defense.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield says Bears players were barking the cadenceprompting Bucs offensive linemen to commit false starts. Right tackle Luke Goedeke had a more specific complaint regarding new Bears defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.
Via ESPN’s Kalyn Kahler, Goedeke explained why he spent some time with Simmons on Sunday night.
“I mean, you have me by one, you came right on my head,” Goedeke told Kahler. “I mean, it’s always fun. He’s known for it on Pass Pro, just hold the tackle so the DE can run freeso I got it twice. So that’s always a good thing. But yeah, it’s just a back and forth. I mean, respect the guy, but some things he can really take away from his game. It’s just a little old, to be honest.
Goedeke added that Simmons is known to hold the tackle so the defensive end can get a free kick against the quarterback. Asked if Goedeke had spoken to officials about it, he said: “It won’t be announced.”
Goedeke said “not too many other” defensive tackles use this technique. “I think maybe it’s happening too quickly,” he said. “I mean, I’ve told the refs multiple times. This is what happens, and nothing happens, nothing changes. So it is what it is.”
It will be interesting to see if this continues, if it actually happens. It will also be interesting to see if officials monitor the situation more closely to try to catch Simmons in the act.
Whatever he does, it’s effective. On a night when Chicago’s offense was spitting the football like a cat with a gullet full of hairballs, Simmons and the defense all but saved the day.
And whatever he did, apparently, it worked. On a night when the Bears probably should have lost, they won. Simmons has a lot to do with that.
Gn sports
