How Super Bowl justice was served to one former Tennessee Titan
It was as poetic of a finish to Super Bowl LVI as Tennessee Titans fans could have asked for. After Tennessee came up short in the AFC Divisional Round against the Cincinnati Bengals, former Titans LG Quinton Spain sounded off on Twitter, calling out Titans DT Jeffery Simmons in profanity-laced tweets sent from the visitor’s […]
It was as poetic of a finish to Super Bowl LVI as Tennessee Titans fans could have asked for. After Tennessee came up short in the AFC Divisional Round against the Cincinnati Bengals, former Titans LG Quinton Spain sounded off on Twitter, calling out Titans DT Jeffery Simmons in profanity-laced tweets sent from the visitor’s locker room at Nissan Stadium.
Mind you, this came after the Titans tallied nine sacks against Spain’s offensive line in a losing effort. In the game, Simmons had his way all day in the trenches as he was credited with three sacks of his own in the game, making Spain’s taunts look rather pathetic.
Fast forward to last night’s game.
Trailing 23-20 with 43 seconds remaining on the clock, QB Joe Burrow and his Bengals offense faced a 4th & 1 from the Los Angeles Rams’ 49-yard-line. With the Super Bowl on the line, Rams DT Aaron Donald burst through the interior of the Bengals’ problematic offensive line to disrupt Burrow and cause his throw to fall incomplete to the turf.
Burrow was under duress for much of the contest, and for the majority of the postseason for that matter, with the Rams tying a Super Bowl record of seven sacks. On the final offensive play of the game for the Bengals, Donald was lined up over Spain, who he dominated as soon as the ball was snapped. Spain did his best olé impression whiffing on Donald and giving up the game-winning QB pressure.
For most, this would be a humbling experience, but for Spain it was just another opportunity to get some tweets off at Simmons in the locker room. Only this time was after a Super Bowl loss – an irony that was somehow lost on the eight-year pro.
It is obvious that Spain still holds an unhealthy disdain for the Titans after spending his first four seasons in the NFL with the team (2015-18), starting in 48 games over the span. For Simmons though, this was another instance where he refused to back down, expertly trolling Spain fresh off of what was likely the biggest loss of his NFL career.
The Bengals’ offensive line was a massive liability all season, allowing the third-most sacks in the NFL this year (70). That number does not include the whopping 19 sacks the Bengals gave up in the postseason, either.
Spain’s contract is set to expire this offseason leaving the Bengals front office with a decision to make. After Burrow tore his ACL in 2020, Cincinnati needs to solve these pass protection issues before it is too late. If the Bengals elect to let Spain test the market in free agency, the 30-year-old could find himself with his fourth team in just five years.
As for Simmons and the Titans, after winning the AFC South the team will play a first-place schedule in 2022 that includes yet another date with the Bengals in Nissan Stadium.
Featured image via Kareem Elgazzar – USA TODAY NETWORK
