Eagles respond to shot by Titans’ Jeffery Simmons at Jalen Hurts: ‘Don’t care what any other locker room says’
Nolan Smith Jr. also praised the Titans' Cam Ward as "a really good quarterback."
Titans star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons made headlines this week when he seemed to take a shot at Jalen Hurts.
Asked a question about the Eagles quarterback Wednesday, Simmons said, via ESPN: “We just need to make Jalen Hurts be a QB. Stop his runs, make sure Hurts doesn’t get out of the pocket and make plays.”
This quote seemed like textbook bulletin board material, a motivator ahead of the Eagles’ Week 2 matchup with Tennessee on Sunday. But when left tackle Jordan Mailata was asked about it, he downplayed its impact.
“I don’t pay attention to that stuff. That’s clickbait stuff,” said Mailata. “That’s what you guys get paid for. ... I only care about everyone in this locker room. This locker room is all I give a damn about. I don’t care what you guys say about this locker room, I don’t care what any other locker room says about this locker room. This is my focus.”
Edge rusher Nolan Smith Jr. took it one step further. Smith was asked about Titans quarterback Cam Ward, who had a QBR of 34.4 in Tennessee’s Week 1 loss, which was the seventh worst in football. Smith took the opportunity to praise the former No. 1 pick.
“Man, I ain’t gonna do what [Simmons] did,” Smith said with a smirk. “Man, they’re a good team. Any team in the NFL, they get paid just like we get paid and they go out there and put their best foot forward. And Cam Ward is a great quarterback. The media may portray this and that, but he’s a really good quarterback.”
Simmons’ analysis came days after a solid Week 1 showing from Hurts. The seventh-year QB was one of only three quarterbacks to toss three-plus touchdowns with zero interceptions. He finished with 203 yards on 14-of-25 passing, along with 46 rushing yards on seven carries.
How, in Smith’s opinion, did Simmons’ comments ring throughout the locker room?
“Man, everybody got phones,” Smith said. “Everybody’s got social media, you know? I just tell people, they’re an NFL team, too. They get paid just like we get paid and they go out there and try to put their best foot forward. I’m not a big ‘tearing people down’ type of person, man. Just because you never know what somebody is going through personally in life off this field.”
Landon Dickerson has made a career of fighting through injuries and pain, last season being the latest instance. But after the left guard looked like a shell of himself Week 1 vs. Washington, the Eagles decided to shut him down - at least for now. With Dickerson landing on injured reserve, The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jeff McLane explains why, this time around, he and the Eagles are taking the cautious route. Jeff also shares what he's heard about how the Eagles might fill Dickerson's void on the offensive line, and takes listener questions in this week's mailbag segment. Listen here.
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