Culcasi's Thoughts

As a middle linebacker at Clemson, Anthony Simmons was one of the most productive linebackers in NCAA history. The 15th overall selection in 1998 by the Seattle Seahawks, Simmons left the college ranks after his junior year as a three-time All-America with an astounding 486 career tackles (averaged a tackle every four plays). As it seemed, he was ready for the NFL with the only concern being his height.

At 6'0 240, Simmons possesses incredible speed, strength and a feel for the ball reserved for only the best 'backers in the game. He's been clocked around 4.4 with other reports putting him in the 4.36 range. His All-Pro skills have been derailed by injuries over the past two seasons, missing a combined 12 games, but he's maintained an impressive per game level that leads you to believe that health is the only concern in his game today (over 5.5 solo tackles per game with four sacks and five interceptions over the 20 contests that he did play in).

The Seahawks finished the season ranked 19th in overall defense a year ago, a nice jump from their #28 ranking in 2002, and they remain a team in transition. Ray Rhodes has a history of producing top 10 defensive units, and his first season in Seattle had them heading in the right direction, but there were some of his players that struggled with the new scheme. A year of experience should lead to a cohesive unit that is a very good bet to be a top 10 unit and one of the surprise fantasy defensive teams of 2004.

One of the struggles that Seattle faces could be along the defensive line, particularly on the interior. They are set one the ends with the developing Chike Okeafor and the free-agent signing of Grant Wistrom, but they lost three veteran tackles over the offseason: John Randle, Chad Eaton and Norman Hand. The development of Rashad Moore, Cedric Woodard and first-round pick Marcus Tubbs will go a long way in determining whether or not the Seahawks can stop anyone from running the ball. Another concern is at middle linebacker, where the Seahawks will be starting their 7th different MLB in five seasons. The Huff/Bates/Koutouvides battle will likely last deep into training camp. Considering that Simmons has performed well through the revolving door in the middle, the affect on his production should be limited. If anything, a struggling MLB could lead to more tackles from the guys outside.

Positives

• Simmons' production places him among the elite linebackers in the NFL. He's averaged almost 6.5 solo tackles per game over the last four years with 10 sacks and seven interceptions.



• Athletically gifted, he has an impressive size/speed/strength combo. He's a big-play guy with great range and sideline-to-sideline skills.



• The presence of Ray Rhodes in Seattle will undoubtedly make this a better Seahawks defense. Anthony Simmons will be relied on heavily as the leader of this defense and will be put into the position to make plays all over the field.
  

Negatives

• Injury prone? Simmons has missed 12 games over the last two seasons, three of those coming last year as he struggled through various injuries.



• Simmons plays very well in space when he's allowed to used his speed. If the defensive tackles are unable to create that space for him, he could get tied up in the line.



• He sat out a game last year after getting into an argument with coach John Marshall. He's a six year vet, the star on this defensive unit, and he needs to improve his leadership skills.

Final Thoughts

I've always been a big fan of Anthony Simmons and I tend to rank him higher than most. That's continued this year with my ranking being highest among the FBG staff. He's struggled with injuries over the last couple of seasons but, when he's healthy, he's one of the most productive linebackers in the game. A second year in Ray Rhodes system and the signing of Grant Wistrom leaves me excited about his prospect for the upcoming year. The interior of their defensive line does concern me, as do the missed games, but I see a return to his form from 00-01 (averaged 111 solo tackles, three sacks and a pick).

Rudnicki's Thoughts

Anthony Simmons has had some very productive seasons in Seattle. In 2000, he finished as the #3 highest scoring LB. Then, in 2003, although he only played in 13 games, his PPG finished ranked #6 among LBs. He is one of the exceptions in the league who has been able to produce big numbers despite playing at the SLB position. He's only 28 years old, but has had several injury problems over the past 2 years that have caused him to miss 12 out of 32 games. As a result of his injury history and the position he plays, fantasy owners sometimes ignore him more than they should, as he really is one of the fantasy LB studs, who is capable of carrying a team when healthy.

Positives

• One of the most productive LBs in the league, capable of racking up huge tackle numbers from the SLB position. He is a great 3-down LB who can cover, blitz, and tackle equally well.



• Seahawks don't have an established MLB, so Simmons gets to soak up a lot of extra tackles in run support than he might otherwise.



• He has one of the best size/speed combinations in the entire league. He is fast enough to cover some WRs and chase down most RBs from behind, but also strong enough to stack vs the run.
  

Negatives

• Missed games: Injuries have been a big problem with Simmons, and have made it difficult to rely on him as a LB1 for your fantasy team. He is great when healthy, but has missed nearly 40% of Seahawks games over the past 2 years.



• If the Seahawks ever find a solid MLB, Simmons could see his numbers drop.

Final Thoughts

When a LB has had a season like Anthony Simmons did in 2000, where he put up 119 solos, 4 sacks, and 2 INTs, people tend to notice. He has as much talent as any LB in the league not named Ray Lewis, and it is interesting to consider what type of numbers he might be putting up if he were playing MLB or WLB instead of on the strongside. Fortunately for fantasy owners, Simmons tends to be undervalued on draft day because of his recent injury history, so he ends up being a player who performs like a LB1 but doesn't cost as much. However, when you take him, you pretty much have to assume that he is going to miss a few games each year and plan accordingly. He is still quite capable of carrying a team when healthy though, and hopefully he can put his injuries behind him like Fred Taylor seems to have done in Jacksonville after being labeled with the dreaded "injury prone" tag for some time.

Quotes from the IDP Spotlight Message Thread:

To view the entire thread, click here: LB Anthony Simmons, Seattle Seahawks

Outside Contain:
"There's been some whispering out of Seattle that Simmons is getting an attitude but so far it's not more than a whisper. As far as we know today Simmons is the leader of Rhodes D.

As an OLB Simmons is a great one. Young, dumb and full of… stuff… He can play the pass and he can play the run. I am upgrading him a bit over last year. This is because:

• I feel the DTs will be better and protect the LBs.



• Simmons missed three games last year and while that might happen again I am banking it doesn't.



• Also I expect the Seattle D to be average due to inexperience and a big ? at MLB, which means they'll still be on the field a lot.

A danger here is that the O might blow the doors of opposing Ds and have the opposition passing more than usual but the Seattle schedule is not an easy one so I've decided to ignore this factor."

Bob Magaw:
"Bottom line, though, he makes a ton of plays when in the lineup, and scores more than many WLBs. They haven't had a real good MLB since...(?), and that allows Simmons to suck up a lot of tackles due to his superior range that he might not get otherwise if they had an active presence in the middle (kind of like shortstop that has to make a lot of plays in the hole if they have a slow 3rd baseman with little range?).

Simmons is one of the few LBs in the NFL that was supposedly a legit 4.4 guy... like Mark Fields in his prime, & I believe Sedrick Hodge has been timed at that. Robert Jones, the ex-cowboy LB was a physical specimen, but he didn't have a lot of seasons where he put up big tackle numbers. Of this group of 4.4 guys, Simmons & Fields seem to have better instincts & are football players... its not enough to be just a big strong dude who can run a 4.4 in a straight line. Can they stop & start, change directions, get to full speed quickly, move laterally, do they have good instincts & vision, can they get off blocks, can they break down in the open field, play under control, do they have solid form tackling & wrap up skills?"

Projections

IDP Scoring System
1 pt per Solo Tackle
0.5 pt per Assisted Tackle
3 pts per Sack
4 pts per Interception
1 pt per Pass Defensed
2 pts per Forced Fumble
2 pts per Fumble Recovery