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Jeffery Simmons Comes to Bears Only to Face Off with His Old Nemesis

Bears and Seahawks on Monday night could bring together two old rivals from the AFC South should new Bears defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons play.
Gene Chamberlain|
Former Colts guard Quenton Nelson and new Bears defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons are definitely familiar with each other's game.
Former Colts guard Quenton Nelson and new Bears defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons are definitely familiar with each other's game. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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Chicago Bears

For eight seasons guard Quenton Nelson has faced defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons in the AFC South twice a year depending on their health, and after that amount of time the two must be getting sick of each other.

Two weeks ago they squared off when the Titans beat the Colts and Simmons definitely got the better of it on that day with two sacks, six tackles, six pressures, a forced fumble and fumble recovery. Then Nelson got traded by Indianapolis to the Seahawks early this week.

Finally he is rid of his rival while in the safety of the other conference.

Ooops.

Right back in front of Simmons

Now Simmons is coming to the Bears by trade, and on Monday night in the first game both will play for their new team they could be renewing their rivalry.

i mean hes a really sharp guy. HEs sbeen working realy hard since he got here getting up to speed.

“I know I need to bring my A-game every time I line up against Quenton,” Simmons told Titans reporters during the offseason. “He plays the game hard. Facing him twice a year for my last seven years, he’s been unbelievable. It’s nothing but respect for Quenton.”

Simmons in the past called it a "heavyweight matchup."

Nelson apparently has similar feelings about facing Simmons.

"It’s his power and then the way he plays the game," Nelson told The Athletic's Stephen Holder. "He plays hard. He’s got a motor. He’s one of the strongest if not THE strongest D-tackles I’ve gone against.

"And he’s not one dimensional. He can hit you with the pass rush or in the run game. He’s definitely the heart of that defense."

Now he'd be the heart of the Bears defense.

How much they'll play Monday

No one is certain yet how much Simmons would be playing because he joins the team at Halas Hall for practice on Friday before a Monday game. In Nelson's case, their plan to use him has already been stated by coach Mike Macdonald.

"He's going to play," Macdonald told Seattle reporters. The plan is to start Nelson against the Bears.

Grey Zabel is moving from left guard to right guard to make room for Nelson in this game.

McDonald anticipates a week being enough time for Nelson to pick up a sufficient amount of the blocking scheme to play at left guard.

"I mean, he's a really sharp guy," Macdonald said. "He's sbeen working realy hard since he got here getting up to speed."

It's probably easier for a defensive tackle to play than an offensive lineman on short notice. It wouldn't be easy for either. Khalil Mack joined the Bears in 2018 and in the same week he was playing in the opener extensively at Lambeau Field against Green Bay.

So who has the better of it when Nelson and Simmons faced off in the past?

Without a doubt it was Nelson. Although Simmons had two sacks in the last game, he had the same number for all the games they squared off in from 2019 until this year.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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