03-04-2019, 09:10 PM
I mentioned Brian Simmons in the Duffner thread and got to thinking about how underrated the guy is. Not only was he a very versatile defender (he played inside and out in both the 3-4 and 4-3 for us), he was a very quiet, AJ Green-like leader. Compare his Bengals career to Burficts:
Simmons: 121 games - 714 tackles - 23.0 sacks - 11 int's - 13 forced fumbles - 3 TD's - 39 passes defensed
Burfict: 75 games - 610 tackles - 8.5 sacks - 5 int's - 4 forced fumbles - 1 TD - 28 passes defensed
Burfict is more of a tackle machine, but Simmons was always a playmaker. He never got the Pro Bowl recognition, but our own fans seem to have forgotten the guy, or forgotten how good he was. For awhile, people considered him and Spikes as 1A and 1B as the best players on our defense.
The lack of appreciation for Simmons wasn't just isolated to fans though. The Bengals unceremoniously cut Simmons in 2007, just to save $2 million in cap space.
So who do you think is a guy who doesn't get the recognition he deserves? Be it from the fanbase or the team itself?
Simmons: 121 games - 714 tackles - 23.0 sacks - 11 int's - 13 forced fumbles - 3 TD's - 39 passes defensed
Burfict: 75 games - 610 tackles - 8.5 sacks - 5 int's - 4 forced fumbles - 1 TD - 28 passes defensed
Burfict is more of a tackle machine, but Simmons was always a playmaker. He never got the Pro Bowl recognition, but our own fans seem to have forgotten the guy, or forgotten how good he was. For awhile, people considered him and Spikes as 1A and 1B as the best players on our defense.
The lack of appreciation for Simmons wasn't just isolated to fans though. The Bengals unceremoniously cut Simmons in 2007, just to save $2 million in cap space.
So who do you think is a guy who doesn't get the recognition he deserves? Be it from the fanbase or the team itself?
The training, nutrition, medicine, fitness, playbooks and rules evolve. The athlete does not.
