Former Tennessee Titans QB “surprised” they are being disrespected
Former NFL quarterback and current NFL analyst Chris Simms recently stated he was surprised by the lack of support the Tennessee Titans had in the preseason Vegas odds to win the AFC South. Simms is a former NFL quarterback for the Tennessee Titans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Denver Broncos. In the years since his […]
Former NFL quarterback and current NFL analyst Chris Simms recently stated he was surprised by the lack of support the Tennessee Titans had in the preseason Vegas odds to win the AFC South.
Simms is a former NFL quarterback for the Tennessee Titans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Denver Broncos. In the years since his retirement, Simms has maneuvered to the media side of football. In 2019, he went full-time with NBC Sports as an analyst for Football Night in America and NBC Sports Radio. He has also been the host of his own podcast, sponsored by NBC Sports titled “Chris Simms Unbuttoned.”
On a recent episode of the podcast, Simms began to unveil his list of the top 40 quarterbacks in the NFL. When he revealed Colts quarterback Matt Ryan was one spot ahead of Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill, it opened the conversation about which team he prefers.
When asked if he’d pick the Colts as the best team in the division, Simms said the following:
“No, I'm not ready to say that. I almost look at them as kind of equals, but I think I'd probably still give the Titans the slight advantage.”
Simms also mentioned his “surprise” that the current Vegas odds to win the AFC South so heavily favor the Colts.
“I’m a little surprised by this with PointsBet, that the Colts are this much of a favorite over the Titans,” Simms said.
The current odds for the AFC South on BetMGM list the Indianapolis Colts as the favorites (-105) to win the division, with the Tennessee Titans at +135.
For starters, nobody should ever be surprised by the Titans getting disrespected in national media or Vegas. That’s kind of an annual tradition. I do get where Simms is coming from, though. After finishing the regular season as the top seed in the AFC a year ago, it’s tough to make a case for the Titans not being the favorite in their division.
I’m not sure you can say with any certainty that the Titans are going to be as good as they were last year, but even with impact players AJ Brown, Rodger Saffold, and Rashaan Evans out of the picture, the Titans are still pretty loaded. Just staying healthy will be certain to give them a boost if Caleb Farley and Derrick Henry (among others) are able to play a full season.
The Colts, on the other hand, got a more reliable veteran QB, and stocked up their defense to hang with the best in the league, but are yet to prove they can play as a unit or do it for an entire season.
While Simms shouldn’t be surprised the Titans are being disrespected, he was correct in his thinking. The AFC South is probably more of a coin flip between the Titans and Colts until something establishes otherwise.
Image via George Walker IV – USA TODAY NETWORK
