Darrin Simmons Reveals Tampa's Tell On Blown Fake Punt

The Bengals and Simmons noticed something out of the ordinary in pregame warmups.

CINCINNATI — Former Bengals running back and current Buccaneer Giovani Bernard took all the blame for the fumbled fake punt that helped spark Cincinnati's 34-23 win this past Sunday. Yet, Darrin Simmons saw it a bit differently.

The Bengals special teams coordinator appeared on 700 WLW's Bengals Line this week and spoke about the play.

"They probably had the play on," Simmons said. "I think Gio saw the front that we were in and tried to take it off—snapper just didn't get it. The rest of the punt team ran the [fake] play. They are running the play like it's a fake, but I think Gio was trying to take the play off."

Guessing Gio missed fake punt call#GoBucs #Buccaneers #CINvsTB #NFL pic.twitter.com/V1JUXVMOag

— len martez (@LMart810) December 18, 2022

Simmons has been the Bengals special teams coordinator for 20 seasons now. That experience helped him notice something that made Gio a clear tell for the fake play.

"We alerted our guys a little bit before the game that Gio could be the PP [personal protector]. Or if Gio was the PP, to be certainly ready, that something could be up, and he hasn't taken one snap there for them this season. He did it for us a little bit. Sometimes in a backup role, so I know he has the capability of doing it.

"At the end of pregame warm up, you know, sometimes teams kick field goals, sometimes teams punt, you know, just kind of on air, and Gio was the PP. So we caught that coming out of pregame warm-up. Sure as heck. ... The likelihood of them running a fake backed up like that is pretty gutsy. But he said a couple things that were a little different up on the line of scrimmage that we hadn't heard before. And so our guys were ready for it."

Bernard has dealt with injuries and slotted into a diminished role this season, but reporters were eager to talk to him after the game in what turned into a contentious exchange.

Bucs running back Giovani Bernard didn’t want to talk to the media about what happened on the botched fake punt. Here’s that interaction.

Note: As reporters, it is our job to seek clarity on what happened, especially on the most pivotal play of a game. pic.twitter.com/snQSvLE5mA

— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) December 19, 2022

In Simmons's eyes, the former Bengals' rusher took one for the team.

"I saw a couple interviews after the game, and Gio, as we know, is a stand-up guy," Simmons said. "He took all the blame for it, and I think jumped on the sword for them. So I wouldn't expect anything less out of him. But obviously, it was a pivotal play that helped get the snowball going."

Next up is New England on Christmas Eve. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET on CBS. You can watch via fuboTV—start your free trial here.

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