Indiana University Athletics
Simmons’ Study Habits Give Him His Edge
10/7/2015 10:02:00 AM | Football
By: Sam Beishuizen | Twitter
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Not long ago, linebackers coach William Inge walked into what he thought was an empty meeting room to recover something he had left behind earlier in the day.
The room was dark, except for a little light in the corner. When Inge turned on the lights, he found junior linebacker T.J. Simmons quietly studying film by himself.
With any other player, Inge may have been surprised. But not with Simmons.
The third-year linebacker's study habits are well known in the Indiana training complex.
"The number one thing that stands out is the thing people don't see: his preparation," Inge said. "His preparation may be above and beyond in the upper-echelon of the leaders on the team. He prepares very well and studies the game. He understands how to play football."
Simmons is more battleship than fighter jet. At 6-foot, 232 pounds, he accepts not being the fastest or most athletic linebacker in the Big Ten and uses film study as his leg up.
Through five games, Simmons leads Indiana with 23 solo tackles and is tied with redshirt sophomore linebacker Marcus Oliver for the team lead with 34 total stops. He credited a majority of his tackles to recognizing an opponent's play and being in the right place for the stop ahead of time.
"I know I'm not the best athlete, so I try to get a mental edge," Simmons said. "I try to study more than other guys. I'm not as athletically blessed, so I try to fill that with knowing what's coming at me so I'm there for it."
After Saturday games, Simmons will grab a copy of the tape and watch it either Saturday night or early Sunday morning by the absolute latest, he said. By the time the team meets together to study film Sunday afternoon, Simmons has already watched a majority of the tape they'll watch.
Simmons' early film study is mostly self-assessment. He'll grade his footwork, his tackling technique and a whole list of other things each week. From there, he'll develop a personal plan to get better during the upcoming practices.
After Simmons finishes developing his own game plan, he starts studying the upcoming opponent. He'll watch as much game footage as he can, taking notes on tendencies, formations and which key players could give him trouble as he goes.
"People don't always realize how much of an advantage it really is," Simmons said. "Even though somebody may be faster than me or stronger than me, I can react faster and make the play because I already know what's going to happen."
By Tuesday or Wednesday during a practice week, Simmons' voice spills over the practice field. At middle linebacker, he's responsible for making sure everyone is lined up in the right place, and if they're not, he lets them know about it.
When Simmons recognizes a play, he'll shout it out for his teammates to hear. He might not always be able to stop the ball himself, but a teammate might.
"When they line up in certain formations, T.J. will be yelling out what they're favorite run is or if they'll pass on certain plays," senior defensive end Nick Mangieri said. "He's definitely on top of his stuff. That's what you want. Somebody who knows the other team's offense."
Simmons said his mental rolodex is becoming larger and larger with each passing season. Before even watching film of Penn State, he remembered tendencies and tricks they used from previous seasons.
He said judging the Nittany Lions is a little tougher this week considering they've played in mostly poor weather all season and likely won't be at full strength this weekend after suffering a number of injuries.
Regardless of what Penn State does, Simmons said he'll be ready. By now, he's watched just about everything Penn State could throw at him.
"We've got to pin our ears back as a defense and tackle this week," Simmons said. "We've got to get them on third-and-long and get them off the field."
