Tim Grunhard by Tim Grunhard

Author:Tim Grunhard
Format: epub

Tracy Simien

Tracy Simien came to the Kansas City Chiefs halfway through my rookie year. Around that time Marty Schottenheimer decided to switch sidelines for a game. We were playing against the Houston Oilers, and Marty thought because it was mid-December and that it got colder on the shade side and that we’d be on the sunny side. He thought that would keep us warmer during the game, which would give us a better opportunity to freeze out that Oilers spread offense. He thought Warren Moon and his wide receivers were going to get cold because they weren’t used to it. Well, as we all know, Moon threw for 527 yards in that game, which is tied for the second most yards in a game in NFL history. The Oilers just blew us out.

I didn’t know Tracy at that point. He had just joined the club and he was a linebacker, so I didn’t have any reason during game prep to get to know him. I was sitting on the bench early in the game, and this guy, who wasn’t even dressed, sat down next to me. He said, “So you’re the center, right? Grunhard, right? I’m Tracy Simien. I’ve got nothing to do during this game. So I’m going to help you. I play mike [middle] linebacker and I deal with centers all the time. And I know what the defenses run. I know the defensive coordinator. I know some of the things they do. If I give you some information and some tips during the game, I’m sure it will help.”

During the game I kept hearing this voice screaming out, “Watch the mike linebacker: he’s blitzing!”

He was calling everything as if he was in their huddle. He was just that kind of guy. He was just a smart football player. After the game I thanked him for the help. Obviously, we got blown out in the game. It was pathetic. But he said, “I just I want to be a part of this team. And I that was the only thing I could do.”

He quickly became a big part of our defense. We had Derrick Thomas and Neil Smith as the heart of that defense in the 1990s, but Tracy was the brain of that defense. He was a smart football player and he was a great communicator. He made all the calls. He was a liaison between the defensive coordinators and the defense with Bill Maas, Dan Saleaumua, DT, and Neil. Those were all big personalities; they were all guys that had one concern—get to the ball. But somebody had to be the communicator. That’s kind of what I did on my side, and that’s what he did on his side. So, we had a natural bond. Tracy and I would really push each other in practice, especially when there was nobody in front of me (no nose tackle). Tracy would really do a great job of giving us a great look. When I walked onto the field in games, it was easy because I had practiced against Tracy during the week.

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