Bussin’ With The Boys

Episode: All-Pro DT Jeffery Simmons Squashes Taylor Lewan Beef & Breaks Down Titans Coaching Search
Date: January 20, 2026
Hosts: Will Compton & Taylor Lewan
Guest: Jeffery Simmons, Tennessee Titans All-Pro DT

Episode Overview

This episode brings All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons onto the bus for a deeply candid, insightful, and at times hilarious conversation. While the boys spend some time chopping it up about snow days, soup, UFC fights, and general “clean takes,” the heart of the episode revolves around:

• Titans coaching culture: the transition from Mike Vrabel to Callahan to McCoy, leadership styles, and team identity
• Honest reflections on losing seasons and locker room dynamics
• Team leadership, player accountability, and what’s lost in translation with young rosters
• The real story behind the “beef” between Simmons and Taylor Lewan—aired out and squashed live on the mic
• Jeffery Simmons’ powerful thoughts on therapy, fatherhood, and breaking the cycle

The language is raw, authentic, and captures both the locker-room energy and the vulnerability of the guests. If you want to understand the actual pulse of NFL team culture, this episode is a masterclass.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Winter in Nashville: Snow-Day Banter

[03:23 – 14:00]

• The crew debates the merits of impending big Nashville snows.
• Will is openly anti-snow (“Snow can kick rocks, buddy.” [08:07]), while Taylor and JP wax nostalgic about snowmen, sledding, and snow day soup.
• They riff on classic snow day rituals, struggles bundling up kids, and why winter hits different as an adult and a parent.

Notable Quotes:

• “I have feral kids. They just want to be outside and rip around in the mud and stuff like that.” – Will Compton [05:23]
• “If I could just travel to snow, I don’t need it to come to me that often.” – JP [09:28]

Memorable Moment:
Debate gets heated over how snow changes the sauce on soup, video games, and family vibes:

• “Playing video games when the snow is outside. Hits different.” – Taylor Lewan [32:46]

2. Titans Coaching Transitions: Inside the Locker Room

[55:08 – 101:42]

From Vrabel to Callahan to McCoy

• Simmons describes Vrabel as setting a “foundation”—clear, demanding, and consistent.
• Under Callahan, the team identity was lost: “What is really our identity? ...I really feel like we really didn’t have [one].” – Simmons [58:24]
• Simmons emphasizes the difference between Vrabel’s rigor and Callahan’s lighter touch—how crucial tone and early leadership are.
• Lack of accountability and situational football drills led to internal frustration: “The little things off the football field... lead to the football field.” – Simmons [61:46]

Leadership and Accountability with a Young Roster

• Simmons details struggles motivating younger players: “The hardest part about leading is how can I get through certain guys?... If I say certain things, this guy gonna think I’m talking about him directly, and he gonna try to feel, I guess, like he gonna—emotionally.” [81:15]
• He credits therapy and trusted mentors (uncle, DeMarcus Ware) for evolving his leadership style.
• Player-led efforts to maintain culture and keep the locker room from fracturing, even in tough seasons.

Notable Quotes & Timestamps:

• “Winning solves everything.” – Will Compton [57:56]
• “Leadership is from within. We can keep this locker room together no matter what we’re going through.” – Simmons [84:52]
• “Being nice is not the way this thing’s gonna work. You have to set your foundation.” – Simmons [87:19]
• “To win the Super Bowl… that’s something we all dream of. That’s the reason why we play this game.” – Simmons [154:54]

3. Titans Coaching Search: Defensive or Offensive Minded?

[95:20 – 102:27]

• Will and Taylor ask Simmons what kind of head coach he wants for the Titans.
• Simmons leans defensive: “I would love a defensive head coach... Especially if he’s a defensive front guy, you know. If he let his defensive front go.” [97:12]
• But he’s clear: winning > everything, and the right fit for young QB Cam Ward is crucial.
• Discussion on the “secret sauce” (like Vrabel/McDaniels in New England), why offensive coordinators often get poached if successful, and the dream pairing of Robert Saleh as HC with Mike McDaniel as OC.

4. The Real Story: Simmons & Lewan’s Locker Room Beef

[102:27 – 125:05]

The Camp Incident

• Will brings up a notorious altercation: Will banked Simmons on a play, Simmons got pissed, and it carried tension into the locker room for a year.
• Jeffery: “There’s been a lot of things to where, you know, I’m not saying a coach have to do that, but it’s also just that feeling in the building…” [61:45]
• Full-on “locker room court,” both rehashing the escalation and eventual apology.
• Simmons: “I apologize for creating a grudge.” [124:50]
• Resolution comes, and everyone, even the audience, exhales.

Memorable Moment:

• The “gold chain” storyline: Taylor had previously promised (and forgotten) to buy Simmons a gold chain. The bit runs deep, with Simmons dryly ribbing Taylor for broken promises and high-roller ways. [147:40+]

5. Player Culture: Building Identity and Standards

[78:56; 84:51]

• Taylor and Will press on the challenges of getting young players to internalize a “championship standard.”
• Simmons explains it’s about not letting the standards slip—a lesson from the Vrabel days: “How can I not let guys be okay with being okay? Just being okay, you won’t win football games in the league.” [82:41]
• Taylor: “As a leader... you’re able to speak on stuff you don’t even need to know. That matters, they respect it.” [66:57]

6. Vulnerability: Fatherhood, Therapy, and Breaking the Cycle

[128:11 – 147:47]

• Simmons describes his upbringing without a father, being the man of the house with his brother, and the impact on his own parenting.
• Powerful segment on considering reaching out to his father, and why therapy is a 2026 priority: “It was hard, because for me, it was like all the stuff that I’ve been through in life… I feel like I got through it, but not really got through it.” [143:02]
• Will and Taylor both share their journeys with parents—creating deep empathy on the show.
• The hope: therapy will eventually prepare Simmons for that conversation with his dad.

Notable Quotes:

• “The biggest thing this year is do more therapy. To be able to maybe... eventually have a sit down with him.” – Simmons [144:12]
• “As a parent... it’s about how can I be the best dad for my child.” – Simmons [134:17]

7. Miscellaneous “Clean Takes” & Locker Room Vibes

Throughout

• Classic Bussin’ with the Boys topics: snow day rituals, soup debates, early dinner times, kids' activities, outdoor adventures.
• Will’s “clean takes” run: “It’s never too early for dinner.” [35:20] / “Breakfast over dinner as a parent is the way—kids are better behaved, breakfast easy.” [45:16]

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “What is really our identity? ...I really feel like we really didn’t have [one].” – Jeffery Simmons [58:24]
• “The little things off the football field...lead to the football field.” – Simmons [61:46]
• “Leadership is from within. ...We can keep this locker room together no matter what’s going on in the season.” – Simmons [84:52]
• “How can I not let guys be okay with being okay?” – Simmons [82:41]
• “Being nice is not the way this thing’s gonna work. You have to set your foundation.” – Simmons [87:19]
• “I think the hardest part about leading is how can I get through certain guys?” – Simmons [81:15]
• “My goal, especially this year, is do more therapy… to maybe, eventually have a sit down with him [my dad].” – Simmons [144:12]
• “I don’t care about draft pick. I want to win football game.” – Simmons [77:36]

Episode Flow – Key Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | Topic | | ------- | --------- | ----- | | Small Talk/Snow Debate | 03:23 – 14:00 | Snow in Nashville, snow day memories and pet peeves | | Titans Culture & Vrabel/Callahan | 55:08 – 101:42 | Team identity, coaching, locker room standards | | Titans HC Search | 95:20 – 102:27 | What’s needed, offense vs. defense, ideal hire | | Simmons/Lewan Beef | 102:27 – 125:05 | Rehashing and squashing aged locker room tensions | | Leadership/Player Culture | 78:56 – 84:51 | Player standards, holding teammates accountable | | Therapy & Fatherhood | 128:11 – 147:47 | Simmons on childhood, therapy, breaking paternal cycle | | Fun Wrap-Up/Gold Chain/Outro | 147:40 – end | Gold chain promise, Super Bowl sacrifices, group hugs |

Final Takeaways

• This episode is a masterclass in blending unfiltered NFL culture with deep, honest introspection. Simmons’ candor about leadership, the locker room, and his own growth—from wanting to fight in the locker room to prioritizing therapy—lays out a blueprint for the next generation.
• The “clean take” format keeps the fun rolling: From soup to snow to video game rituals, it’s the ultimate locker room environment—competitive, brash, but ultimately caring and authentic.
• The beef between Simmons and Lewan gets a perfect resolution: It’s funny, heartfelt, and shows that grown men (and elite athletes) have to learn the same lessons about ego, communication, and forgiveness that the rest of us do.
• Simmons’ vulnerability about his father and his plans for therapy is both inspiring and poignant—a rare look behind the mask of NFL toughness.

“My goal, especially this year, is do more therapy… to maybe, eventually have a sit down with him [my dad].”
– Jeffery Simmons [144:12]

“How can I not let guys be okay with being okay?... You won’t win football games in the league.”
– Jeffery Simmons [82:41]

“Taylor, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have hit you that hard. It wasn’t intentional, and I shouldn’t have gone to your locker.”
– Will Compton [124:01]

A must-listen for anyone who wants to understand real NFL team culture, the pressures of leadership, and the evolving journey of athletes as men, not just players.