Isaiah Simmons has a rare quick-turn revenge-game opportunity as his New York Giants travel to Arizona to take on the Cardinals on Sunday, a little over three weeks after they shipped the former first-round pick away for a bag of peanuts.
"I'm not an emotionless person so I'm sure there will be some emotions flowing through me, but nothing that's going to affect me and make me do anything crazy," Simmons said Thursday, via The Associated Press. "I'm not a person to go out there and be like, 'rah, rah, rah,' so I'm not going to go out there doing that or try to make an extra play because then that's when you end up hurting yourself in the long run."
The Cardinals made Simmons the No. 8 overall pick in 2020. Late last month, the new brass traded him to New York for a 2024 seventh-round pick.
Given that less than a month ago Simmons was practicing with Sunday's opponent, there will undoubtedly be some residual motivation for the hybrid defender who couldn't quite find his bearings in Arizona.
Listed as a safety/inside linebacker in New York, Simmons feels he's in a better position to contribute to defensive coordinator Wink Martindale's system.
"I just feel like, this is a place where I was kind of meant to be," Simmons said. "I just feel like I knew I was going to fit in, but I didn't necessarily know I was going to fit in this well. You know, I fit in well with all the guys. I think I fit in really well in the system."
Like most of the Giants' players in the season-opening 40-0 loss to Dallas, Simmons didn't stand out in his first action. He generated one tackle in 15 total defensive snaps. Given his little time with the club, his usage in Week 1 shouldn't be a surprise. The question is how Martindale will utilize his talents moving forward.
"He's fitting in. He's fitting in," Martindale said Thursday, adding Simmons will get more action Sunday. "He's just going to keep getting better and better."
Facing his former team in a vital game for the Giants early in the season would be a great time for Simmons to make his presence felt for Big Blue.
