With his future in Tampa decidedly undecided and no mandatory requirement to participate in voluntary offseason sessions, quarterback Chris Simms is working out on his own, and waiting to see what the Buccaneers will do.
Simms even skipped last week’s “quarterback orientation” (which in Tampa requires a full-blown banquet hall), the first time he has missed the session in his NFL career.
“I just think . . . it’s in my best interest to continue my own workouts and to just wait and see what happens with the team,” Simms said. “I don’t really know what’s going to happen. As far as the Bucs and the quarterback position goes, it’s always an adventure.”
The Bucs recently brought back Brian Griese, the player who became of no value to the team in 2006 after Simms delivered in late 2005 on his perceived potential.
Last year, Simms was unable to return from a September 2006 spleen injury that resulted in the removal of the organ. He supposedly had some type of problem with his internal balance in 2007, and was unable to get his throwing form back.
He now says he’s healthy.
“I’m back to 100 percent and just excited about getting back on the field again,” he said.
But while the Bucs likely are hoping to get value in exchange for Simms’ services, we can’t imagine any team giving much for a guy who by all appearances stored his mojo in his spleen. At a bare minimum, Simms will have to get on the practice field and show what he can do before anyone will seriously consider putting anything on the table.
Besides, Simms wasn’t playing very well at all before the September 2006 game against the Panthers in which he reversed perceptions that he had become afraid of contact by taking a tremendous pounding in sweltering heat and continuing to keep going.
Though teams like the Vikings, who run a similar offense to the Bucs, might be interested, we’re intrigued by the possibility that the guy who coached Simms’ father, Bill Parcells, could try to get Chris down to Miami. It could be that the Tuna is sitting tight because he knows that, eventually, the Bucs will cut Simms loose.
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March 27th, 2008 at 9:32 am
Sounds like he’s skipping team activities just to remind everybody that he’s still alive…
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Rating: 2.65 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
March 27th, 2008 at 9:42 am
For a guy who was supposed to be the next Payton Manning (top rated HS player in the country and son of a longtime starting NFL QB), Simms never seems be be able to win a job that coaches want to hand to him.
At Texas, he never was better than Major Applewhite. Though it seemed he was named the starter every year based on reputation and potential, Applewhite played when the when the important games were on the line.
In Tampa, even when he did play, it never seemed the starting job was his to keep, even though there were high hopes he could be the QB of the future. His play was average, at best.
It’s now been close to a decade since his days as the USA Today HS Player of the Year, and maybe it’s time to realize that maybe he won’t be as good as he was expected to be (based on who his father is, size, arm, coaching, etc.).
That being said, I still hope the Vikings sign him to a 1-year “prove it” contract.
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Rating: 2.5 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
March 27th, 2008 at 10:10 am
The Vikings sign another QB that might actually compete with Jackson? Brad Childress’ man-love for Jackson would never allow that to happen. Only one QB in the NFL could pry Childress from the crotch nuzzling he does on Jackson and that would be McNabb.
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Rating: 4 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
March 27th, 2008 at 10:22 am
The Bucs have more QBs than Len Pasquarelli has chins.
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Rating: 4.25 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
March 27th, 2008 at 11:41 am
Poor Chrissy Simms. It must be hard for him to be out of the limelight.
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March 27th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
dont go saying anything bad about Chris Simms, that will make his dad angry
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March 27th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Regardless of whether anybody thinks Chris Simms is average-at-best, and whether he’s reached his “upside”, he’d still be a good backup for Buffalo if they trade JP Losman, Oakland, Jacksonville, Cincinatti, Dallas, NY Giants, and New Orleans. He’d give competition for a starting job at places like Miami (John Beck or Josh McCown? Puhlease), Minnesota, maybe even Carolina if Delhomme no longer has whatever he had that made him a starting QB. I don’t think it’d hurt to offer up a conditional late round selection.
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Rating: 3.5 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
March 27th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
He would give competition for the starting job in Minnesota which is exactly why he won’t be signed there.
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
March 27th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
We have all seen a situation where a highly touted player does not perform up to his “potential” with his first team in the league. Chris Simms is a good guy but unfortunately has shown average ability as a NFL quarterback. I have seen him throw some of the best long passes in his time with Tampa, but he has also had his problems as well. Before the spleen injury the knock on Simms was his inability to get passes through the line of scrimmage. Too many times his throws were getting batted down by the defensive lineman, due in part to the sub-par offensive line but eventually there needs to be an adjustment made. I am a fan of Chris Simms but it is time for both sides in this equation to move on. I think Miami would be a great place for him in that he would benefit from the staff that Parcells is assembling down there. Don’t write Simms off as a starting quarterback, if he finds the right situation and is given the opportunity to compete.
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March 29th, 2008 at 6:32 am
When Simms was at UT, I had to avert my eyes when he played - it was just embarrassing. By Chris’ 3rd year in the league, Gruden was still saying, “Chris shows promise.” He was given ample opportunity to demonstrate all that alleged ‘promise’ yet the hype still failed to morph into substance. In truth the handwriting has been on the wall for years, as the Bucs never signed him to a big contract or a long-term contract. He chooses to treat his story as something of an unusual drama. The only real drama was unrealistic expectations for a very average guy.
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