Titans DT Jeffery Simmons proclaims he can’t be blocked one-on-one

[T-Rac]

Getty Images

Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald has been unsuccessfully trying to convince opposing offensive coordinators to no longer send double and triple teams his way.

Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons is seemingly inviting the same treatment.

Simmons, a 2019 first-round pick of the Titans, is one of the more promising young interior defensive linemen in the NFL. While Simmons isn’t producing nearly the kind of quarterback pressure numbers that Donald can, Simmons is confident in the type of impact he can have against opposing offenses. He believes that he can win any one-on-one matchup he faces.

“That’s kind of my mindset, even though sometimes I feel like I can beat two and that’s my mindset. Even when I’ve got two on me, I still want to make the play,” Simmons said, via Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com. “My mindset when there’s one guy on me, I will make the play. When there’s one guy trying to block me, no matter what block it is, I’m gonna disrupt the play. In my mindset, can’t no one block me one-on-one. That’s how I go into this game and that’s how I approach this game: I will not be blocked one-on-one.”

Simmons has started all 12 games for the Titans this season and has 45 tackles, three sacks and 10 quarterback hits for the Titans. He played in just nine games as a rookie as he worked his way back from a torn ACL sustained during NFL Draft prep work.

The Titans are currently the worst team in the NFL at sacking opposing quarterbacks. Simmons is responsible for three of the team’s 14 quarterback sacks so far this season. Because he’s one of the few legitimate threats up front, he’s seen his share of double teams this season already.

“I know that a lot of teams are going to double me. They may even run the ball away from me, but that’s one of the things where I can’t win a game by myself. If I’ve got two on me, somebody is going to be free,” Simmons said. “If they run the ball away from me, I know I can count on my teammates to make the play.”