Luke Goedeke airs grievances about Jeffery Simmons
· Yahoo Sports
The Buccaneers forced five turnovers on Sunday night, and that still wasn't enough to win at Soldier Field. The Chicago defense had something to do with that.
After the game, grievances were aired about the Bears defense.
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Quarterback Baker Mayfield says that Bears players were barking out the cadence, prompting Bucs offensive linemen to commit false starts. Right tackle Luke Goedeke had a more specific gripe, about new Bears defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.
Via Kalyn Kahler of ESPN, Goedeke explained why he had a couple of moments with Simmons on Sunday night.
"I mean, you're holding me on one, you came right at my head," Goedeke told Kahler. "I mean, that's always fun. He's known for it on pass pro, just holding the tackle so that the DE can run free, so I got that twice. So that's always a good one. But, yesh, just kind of going back and forth. I mean, respect the guy, but some of the stuff he can really take out of his game. It's just kind of old, to be honest."
Goedeke added that Simmons is known for holding the tackle so that the defensive end can get a free run at the quarterback. Asked whether Goedeke talks to the officials about it, he said, "It won't get called."
Goedeke said "not too many other" defensive tackles use that technique. "I think maybe it happens too fast," he said. "I mean, I have told the refs multiple times. It's what happens, and nothing happens, nothing changes. So it is what it is."
It will be interesting to see whether it continues, if it's indeed happening. It also will be interesting to see whether officials watch more closely in an effort to catch Simmons in the act.
Whatever he's doing, it's effective. On a night when the Chicago offense was coughing up the football like a cat with a gullet full of hairballs, Simmons and the defense basically saved the day.
And whatever he was doing apparently worked. On a night when the Bears probably should have lost, they won. Simmons had a lot to do with that.