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29 Jason Simmons - Biography

HEIGHT: 5-9
WEIGHT: 198
COLLEGE: Arizona State
NFL EXP: 10th season

Simmons' gift helps single mom buy home

TRANSACTIONS: Selected by Pittsburgh Steelers in fifth round (137^th overall) of 1998 NFL draft…signed by Steelers on July 14, 1998…re-signed by Steelers on April 26, 2001…signed by Houston Texans on April 8, 2002…re-signed by Texans on March 21, 2003…re-signed by Texans on March 11, 2004…re-signed by the Texans on March 9, 2005...placed on the reserve/injured list on Sept. 11, 2007 with a left knee patella tendon rupture.

PRO: Smart and versatile defensive back who has proven himself a jack-of-all-trades in Houston…earned the starting strong safety spot in place of the injured Glenn Earl in 2007 but was sidelined with a season-ending knee injury in the first game (9/9)...played 121 games with 12 starts in his 10-year pro career...has 159 career tackles, 131 solo, two sacks, three fumble recoveries, four forced fumbles, two interceptions and 11 passes defensed…standout special teams player with 96 career stops...started a career-high six games in 2004 at both safety positions…finished the 2005 season with 29 tackles…also utilized as a corner in dime coverage…originally signed with Houston as an unrestricted free agent (4/8/02) after four seasons in Pittsburgh.

2007: Played in part of one game...totaled one solo tackle and one pass defensed...entered the regular season as a starter for the first time in his 10-year career...started at strong safety and recorded one solo tackle and one pass defensed in the season opener against Kansas City (9/9) before leaving the game with a season-ending left knee patella tendon rupture...placed on the reserve/injured list (9/11).

2006: Played in 16 games for the first time since 2003 and made two starts, one at strong safety and one at free safety…finished the year with the second-highest tackle total of his career, notching 38 tackles, including 30 solos…recorded the second interception of his career, which he returned 11 yards, and knocked down a pair of passes…also pitched in nine tackles on special teams…registered three total tackles, an interception for 11 yards and a pass defensed against Philadelphia (9/10)…played on special teams and as reserve defensive back at Indianapolis (9/17), finishing with one tackle…registered one tackle and one special teams tackle against Washington (9/24)…saw action on special teams in win over Miami (10/1)…finished with two tackles and one special teams tackle at Dallas (10/15)…started at SS for an injured Glenn Earl in victory over Jacksonville (10/22) and registered three solo tackles and one special teams tackle…finished with one assisted tackle and one special teams tackle at Tennessee (10/29)…registered two solo tackles and one special teams tackle at the New York Giants (11/5)…finished with one solo tackle and one special teams tackle in a win at Jacksonville (11/12)…saw action as reserve SS and on special teams against Buffalo (11/19) and registered one solo tackle…saw action as reserve SS and on special teams at the New York Jets (11/26)…recorded five solo tackles in a win at Oakland (12/3) and also had one special teams tackle…registered two total tackles (one solo) against Tennessee (12/10) and had one special teams tackle…started at FS at New England (12/17) and finished with a season-high seven tackles, including three solos...had one solo tackle on the team's first-ever win over Indianapolis (12/24) and also played on special teams…finished with four solo stops in the season-ending victory against Cleveland (12/31).

2005: Played in 14 games, starting one at safety...finished with 29 tackles, one sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and one pass defensed...also added eight special teams stops...recorded two tackles and the Texans' only sack of QB J.P. Losman in the season opener at Buffalo (9/11)…started at stong safety and recorded a season-high eight tackles against Indianapolis (10/23)...recorded seven tackles and forced one fumble versus Cleveland (10/30)...also made three special teams tackles...recorded two tackles and one pass defensed at Jacksonville (11/6)...left the game on the opening series with an injured hamstring at Indianapolis (11/13)...made four tackles off the bench at Tennessee (12/11)...also played on special teams...posted three tackles and recovered a fumble against Arizona (12/18)...also made two special teams tackles...recorded three tackles against Jacksonville (12/24)...made one special teams tackle at San Francisco (1/1/06).

2004: Played in 10 games, starting six (two at strong safety, four at free safety)…collected career-high 46 tackles, plus first career pick and one forced fumble…added three special teams stops…opened season with three tackles versus San Diego (9/12)…recorded three stops and rushed for one yard on a successful fake punt in win at Kansas City (9/26)…started at strong safety against Minnesota (10/10), racking up career-high 10 tackles…started again the following week at Tennessee (10/17)…posted five tackles before leaving with an injured shoulder after a vicious hit on Titans RB Chris Brown…would miss the next six games…returned to action against Indianapolis (12/12) as the starting free safety after Marcus Coleman was placed on injured reserve…collected seven tackles and one forced fumble…recorded four stops in frigid win at Chicago (12/19)…had two tackles in 21-0 win at Jacksonville (12/26), the Texans' first-ever shutout win…picked off first-career pass in season finale versus Cleveland (1/2/05)…added four tackles.

2003: Played in all 16 games, starting two contests…totaled 23 tackles, four passes defensed and 14 special teams stops…collected two tackles and one special teams stop in season-opening win at Miami (9/7)…gained seven yards and a first down on a fake punt at New Orleans (9/14)…made his first-career start as the Texans opened in nickel formation at Tennessee (10/12)…responded with two tackles and one special teams tackle…totaled three tackles and added two special teams stops at Cincinnati (11/9)…registered three tackles in win at Buffalo (11/16)…made second start against Colts (12/28) when Texans again opened in nickel defense…collected two tackles, one pass defensed, and a team-high three special teams tackles.

2002: Played in 15 games, registering 14 tackles, one sack, one fumble recovery and two passes defensed…added 14 special teams stops…played in Texans debut against Dallas (9/8) and forced a fumble on a Cowboys kickoff return in second quarter…recorded first-career sack for a 10-yard loss at Jacksonville (10/27)…collected one tackle on both defense and special teams in win over Giants (11/24)…registered season-high five tackles plus a fumble recovery and a pass defensed against former teammates in win at Pittsburgh (12/8)…made two tackles as nickel corner and paced the team with two special teams stops against Baltimore (12/15).

2001: Played in 12 games and both postseason contests for the Steelers…notched four tackles, adding eight special teams stops…posted one tackle in season opener at Jacksonville (9/9)…had one tackle at Buffalo (9/30)…notched two special teams tackles at Kansas City (10/14)…made two stops at Tampa Bay (10/21)…returned to lineup for first time in three weeks versus Jets (12/9)…made two stops on special teams before leaving the game with a hamstring injury at Cincinnati (12/30)…had one special teams tackle in Divisional Playoff Game win over Baltimore (1/20/02).

2000: Played in 15 games…finished with 14 tackles, two forced fumbles, and 17 special teams stops…downed two punts inside the five-yard line, including one spotted at the one, at Cleveland (9/17)…added one special teams stop and a forced fumble…made two special teams tackles and forced one fumble versus Tennessee (9/24)…made two tackles at Jacksonville (10/1)…registered one tackle and two passes defensed at Jets (10/8)…had solid day on the special teams unit at Baltimore (10/29)…helped force fumble that led to Steelers' eventual game-winning FG…added one tackle and two special teams stops…posted two tackles versus Philadelphia (11/12)…recorded two tackles and one special teams stop versus Oakland (12/3)…registered two tackles in season-ending win at San Diego (12/24).

1999: Played in 16 games, posting five tackles and one pass defensed…tied for third on the team with 17 special teams tackles…also forced a fumble and recovered one on special teams…accumulated two defensive tackles and four special teams stops at Baltimore (9/19)…credited with two special teams tackles in Monday night game win over Atlanta (10/25)…downed two punts inside the 10-yard line versus Baltimore (12/12)…finished with two special teams tackles versus Carolina (12/26).

1998: Played in six games as a rookie while registering 12 tackles and five special teams stops…also notched one pass defensed and a forced fumble…made NFL debut in season opener at Baltimore (9/6)…recorded seven tackles and two special teams stops…made two tackles versus Chicago (9/13)…finished the day with one tackle and one special teams tackle versus Seattle (9/27)…also forced a Seahawks fumble to set up Pittsburgh FG…suffered a fractured left hand on final kickoff at Cincinnati (10/11) after accumulating one defensive tackle and one special teams tackle…returned to play at Jacksonville (12/28).

COLLEGE: Four-year letterman for the Sun Devils, earning second-team All-Pacific-10 honors as a senior…served as team captain and started 10 games at LCB…posted 41 tackles with 10 passes defensed and three interceptions…honorable-mention All-Pac-10 selection as a junior in 1996, helping Sun Devils post 11-0 regular-season mark…started every game at RCB and notched 43 tackles with an interception and nine passes defensed…registered 62 tackles and two interception during sophomore campaign, earning honorable-mention all-conference honors…played in every game as a freshman…majored in political science.

Married to Tiffany, couple lives in Houston with children Taelyr, Jason, Jr. and Jaddan…honorable mention all-state selection and two-time All-Bay League choice at Leuzinger High School in Lawndale, Calif.…played cornerback and quarterback…also voted to Long Beach Press-Telegram's "Best of the West" squad…earned MVP honors after throwing for 950 yards with 10 TDs and 713 rushing yards with eight TDs his senior year…also amassed 68 tackles, four interceptions, and six pass break-ups…lettered four times in track and earned first-team all-state honors in the 4x100m relay…part of Houston Texans Blood Drive…participated in Special Olympics Texas Sports and Celebrity Carnival…spoke to a group at the U.S. Veterans Medical Center…read to students at Alief Library as part of Reliant Energy Power Readers Program…took a group of children from a Houston-area women's shelter holiday shopping as part of Palais Royal's Shop with a Texan for the Holidays…served as Texans' 2002 representative for the Coat and Blanket Drive with Craig's Cleaners to support Star of Hope…born Jason Lawrence Simmons in Inglewood, Calif.