Jeffery Simmons’ comments about Jalen Hurts made their way to the Philadelphia Eagles’ locker room, and Nolan Smith had a polite but pointed response about Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward, of all people.

The Titans (0-1) and Eagles (1-0) have a Week 2 matchup that now has some extra juice. The Eagles, Super Bowl champions just two seasons ago, travel to Nissan Stadium as big road favorites against a Titans team that has won only six games over the past two NFL seasons. A wave of Eagles faithful has already descended on Nashville ahead of the weekend, flooding the airport and the downtown bar scene.

Sunday could mark the hottest game in Tennessee Titans history if the forecast holds. The temperature on the field could (and will) exceed triple digits. But the heat between these two teams started rising well before game day.

Jeffery Simmons takes aim at Jalen Hurts

Things got started Wednesday when Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons was quoted in a tweet by ESPN’s Taron Davenport regarding Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts:

“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.”

In an age where everything lands on video, there’s no press conference footage to accompany the quote. Was that a straight, direct quote worded exactly the way Simmons said it? Maybe. Davenport’s tweet is all we have to go off.

Simmons isn’t wrong that Hurts has been at his most dangerous when making plays with his legs outside the pocket. The phrase “be a QB,” though, sounds about as dismissive as you can get when describing a Super Bowl MVP quarterback. That message clearly made its way into the Philadelphia locker room.

Nolan Smith claps back with class

Eagles outside linebacker Nolan Smith responded in a polite but pointed way, according to Sports Radio WIP in Philadelphia.

“I ain’t gonna do what they did. Cam Ward is a great quarterback. We’ve got to bring our best foot forward every game. I’m not a big tearing people down type of person, man. You never know what somebody is going through personally in life.”

That’s a fair way to handle it from Smith. I don’t think Simmons meant his comments to be as disrespectful as “be a QB” reads on a screen. Simmons definitely worded it in a way, or Davenport’s tweet made it sound like he worded it in a way, where the phrase carries maximum dismissiveness. Either way, it landed in Philly and drew a response.

Simmons had words about Saquon Barkley, too

Simmons, not surprisingly, also was asked about facing Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, saying the most important thing is to get Barkley to stop his feet in the backfield. Simmons acknowledged Barkley consistently makes something out of nothing, but he likes the Titans’ chances if they can slow him down behind the line of scrimmage.

That goes for any running back in the NFL. If you can get a back to stall his feet behind the line, you have a good chance. Simmons isn’t breaking any news there, and I don’t think he was being disrespectful. But I definitely understand why Philadelphia took it that way.

Did Simmons just motivate the Eagles on both sides of the ball?

So did Simmons just fire up the Eagles on offense and defense by taking a shot at Jalen Hurts, even if it wasn’t an intended shot? Sounds like it.

This is an offseason where Hurts has been under fire. A.J. Brown wanted out of Philadelphia after his relationship with Hurts broke down, and the overall criticism of Hurts’ ability to hit a ceiling as an NFL quarterback has grown louder. The Eagles are also trying to evolve Hurts into more of a pocket passer under offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, with more under-center snaps than he took early in his career. Simmons’ comments cut right at that tension.

The dynamic on Sunday will be fascinating. Simmons has infiltrated the locker room with his words. The question now is whether he can back it up on the field. It’s going to be hot in Nashville at Nissan Stadium, and it’ll definitely be hot on both sidelines.