Titans defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons played his first five NFL seasons with Mike Vrabel as his head coach, and never reached the Super Bowl. That gave him mixed emotions when he saw Vrabel get to the Super Bowl last year with the Patriots.
Simmons said on Terron Armstead’s podcast that he still has a great relationship with Vrabel and was happy for his success in Year One in New England, but also disappointed Vrabel couldn’t help Simmons reach the Super Bowl in Tennessee.
“Was I surprised?” Simmons said. “I think we all would be surprised if this guy, first year in New England, they go straight to the Super Bowl. First off, I’m jealous as hell. Like what? I was just with you four years, and you couldn’t get me to the Super Bowl? But I could call Vrabel right now and he’d answer the phone. You build that relationship off the football field, and I think that’s the thing with Vrabel. It’s the same with Saleh, when you can build that relationship with players off the football field, and not just on the football field, they’re going to play as hard as they can for you.”
Simmons said that as he watched Vrabel and many of the assistant coaches who were with him in Tennessee get to the Super Bowl in their first year in New England, it gave him high hopes for what the Titans can do this year with new head coach Robert Saleh.
“I was surprised. He took the whole Tennessee Titans staff with him,” Simmons said. “Coach Robert Saleh, first year? Why not?”
The Titans taking that kind of leap forward in Year One with Saleh would likely require the same second-year turnaround from Cam Ward that Drake Maye had last season. Simmons said he sees the hard work Ward is putting in, and is a believer that the Titans have the right people in place to make a big turnaround in 2026.
