Bucs will have to send a QB or two packing

The drafting of San Diego quarterback Josh Johnson in the fifth round means the Bucs will have to part with at least a veteran passer or two.

For the first time Sunday, coach Jon Gruden admitted the obvious. The Bucs will have to say good-bye to some quarterbacks. Although he did not elaborate, the most likely candidates to be traded or released are Chris Simms and Bruce Gradkowski.

   Including Jake Plummer, the Bucs own the rights to seven QBs -- Jeff Garcia, Brian Griese, Simms, Gradkowski, Luke McCown and Johnson.

   "No, we won't take six (to training camp),'' Gruden said. "There will be obvious decisions that will be made. There's been a lot of people saying we have six quarterbacks. I haven't seen (Jake) Plummer yet and Chris unfortunately hasn't played the last couple years. So we have had a tremendous amount of injury. We're not like some of these teams that have enjoyed the good fortune of having the same starter for five, six, eight, 12, 15 seasons. We've had three different starters play I think in four of the last five seasons.

   "Here in Tampa, we have a different perspective on the position. But we do have a Pro Bowl returner at quarterback and we're really excited about Garcia. We think Griese has proven he can play here. Luke McCown came on last year and did some good things. So here comes a youngster in here. We're going to have I don't know how many quarterbacks.''

   General manager Bruce Allen said the Bucs plan to take five quarterbacks to training camp.

   

Comments

[Jeff Filch]

When I grow up, i want to be a 'quasterback'...
:)

[shane]

chris bruce pack your bags you have no future in tampa bay any more and i would like to say to bruce good luck and i hope you can find a team you can play on and to simms well have fun watching the game from home, and with the 7.1 million you've taken from the bucs while sitting on the bench for the past two years, cuz you have no future in football at all.

[ND]

Im not sure whats simms did to you but the guy played a game with his spleen ruptured. Hes been nothin but class since hes been here, yea maybe he didnt do so well last time he played but he was startin to come around before that injury. Your a fool if you think he wont get another shot somewhere else, I wish we'd keep him and release bruce and never acquired griese.

[DR]

Shane is right, Simms has no future in the NFL. Good luck to him if he pursues a career in the AFL or CFL. The Bucs should just release him now.
Gruden's hating is funny. Just because other teams adjust their offense to their QBs strength doesn't mean you have to hate. There have been plenty of QBs in the league that have overachieved for a season or more. Gruden keeps tring to run a "west coast" offense without the right personnel to run it. Wouldn't try to use a shotgun formation with Simms. The only person Gruden should hate on is himself.

[JH]

I agree with Stroud. Gradkowski (who Gruden didn't even mention) and Simms are likely gone. Here is my concern: if Simms and/or Gradkowski are released, look at the teams who are needy at QB (e.g., Carolina and Atlanta). Although it was clearly a position of need, Carolina didn't draft one this year. Atlanta drafted Matt Ryan, but they could probably use another QB to take into training camp. I know that it is overrated, but do we want division rivals to have players who have an intimate knowledge of Bucs' schemes?

[dontae54]

i want to say good bye to Bruce, and luke i feel that CHRIS yes i said it CHRIS will be on the opening day roster. GO BUCS AND GO CHRIS

[d]

I think the comments on Simms are unwarranted. The guy got injured and tried to come back to soon making himself look bad. He was throwing quite a few interception with only a few tds. He also was having problems getting the ball block by defenders even with his tall frame. I think given more opportunities which in all fairness he needs and experience he will still be a qb in the league. He has to bulk up a bit and be in a different system. I think John Gruden is not interested in the lefty style even though he tried for a while...his playbook is immense and it changes with the lefty. Too bad if we cannot at least get a draft pick or 2 if he leaves. ( like giving up picks fo Plummer)

[Mike]

Gruden...you just said "and we're really excited about Garcia" ...now please pay him like you are...

[Bryan]

Look folks, I like Simms too, and once thought he might one day be the man in Tampa, but he no longer has a future here and probably none in the NFL. His spleenectomy will forever leave him listening to the defensive footsteps bearing down on him. His once strong arm apparently continues to elude him. Let him go to pursue his dreams whatever they may be. I wish him the very best. He definately won't leave needing a job.

[carsvin]

I don't think people should hate on Simms. But I don't think he should play in the NFL anymore. Why should he risk it? I think resigning him last year was almost a gift so that he could retire and be comfortable.

[Ish]

Not hatin' o Simms, but he's never been as good as people think. Great arm, great accuracy, all the physical tools, but he gets rattled easy (even before the spleen) and he makes poor decisions.

I've said it here before, but I'm in Oklahoma, and we always cheered when we heard that Simms got the nod to start over Applewhite. Simms was good for at least one OU TD.

I cringed when he was drafted. I felt sorry for him when he got hurt. I wish him well in the future. Just make sure the future is not in Pewter.

[TonyE]

I hope you all remember when Simms was in college and couldnt win the first half of a bowl and then Major Applewhite came in to the rescue and won that game. I think Simms is a classy guy but this is a "what have you done now" league, and obviuously he hasnt produced any decent game since before the Washington Playoff game 2 years ago. Remember that we were 0-2 before that Game he ruptured his spleen in.

[nycbuc]

Chris got his contract renewed by ownership because we have one of the few owners in the league with some honor. After all, team physicians failed to convince him not to play that day. They didn't realize that Chris will never not see that ring that his father won being the toughest SOB behind center of his era. Too bad the only guy capable of ending a QB's career then played on his team. You have to be more than just mentally tough these days. I will root for him wherever he ends up.

[Valrico Rick]

I don’t think Gruden actually understands the quarterback position, for all the credit he gets, and neither do most of you for that matter. In the history of the Super Bowl there has been only two legitimate running threat quarterbacks who have taken home the trophy. That would be Steve Young and John Elway, and they were both past their running prime when they finally made it. Gruden brought in his style of quarterback, Rob Johnson, in his first year here because he was convinced that old slow as molasses Brad Johnson couldn’t possibly be a worthwhile quarterback because he couldn’t run. Oops, got that one all wrong didn’t he? Made the same mistake with Gradkowski didn't he? So obviously Gruden is a leg man, and I just don’t understand it given that Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Doug Williams, Phil Simms, Terry Bradshaw, Troy Aikeman, Roger Staubach, Joe Namath, Bart Star, (that’s probably enough to make my point) together make up the who’s who of Super Bowl winning quarterbacks and not a running threat among them. Randall Cunningham may have been the best of the dual threat quarterbacks, but no Super Bowl. Michael Vick is/was a terrible quarterback everybody just decided not to notice because he runs/ran so fast. Chris Simms is the best quarterback on the Buc’s roster, but you want to run him out of town because you all are a bunch of football geniuses and you know all about it. I have some tapes I made of the Bucs games in 2005 and among them are two games against Washington where he twice placed the ball perfectly for Edel Sheppard to catch, unfortunately Sheppard only caught one. Simms is one of the best deep ball passers I have ever seen, and of course he looks bad in the dink and dunk, catch and run, Gruden coast offense. Simms won’t be sitting at home watching, he will be playing for a coach somewhere that is smart enough to realize that playing quarterback is about the arm not the legs, and you never try to make a quarterback play to your playbook, you make a playbook that fits your quarterback's strengths. ‘Nuff said!

[aaron]

Amen Valrico Rick! i have argued for the past year with just about everybody on this site about Chris Simms. he IS the best qb on the roster. If we keep him on the raoster he will beat out Greise for the #2. Greise never should have been brought back and Bruce doesnt even belong in this league. With a weapon like galloway, Simms would be the perfect quarterback for him. He throws a beautiful long ball. Very accurate. nobody else on this roster can come close to simms as far as arm strength. The batted balls were no entirely his fault. As an o-lineman your job as a pass protector is to keep you man from reaching the qb and TO KEEP HIS HANDS OUT OF THE PASSING LANES! when simms was in there our line was a mess. Anthony davis at left tackle, dan Beunning lg, wade at center, sean mahan rg and kenyatta at left tackle. that was not a very good bunch at all. Anthony Davis just is not quick enought to pass block, beunning was a second year player and was still learning, wade was old then, very smart but slow. sean mahan just wasnt strong enough to hold his own and I do not need to say anything about Kenyatta. Simms deserves to be the #2 in tampa. i am not saying give it to him. lethim earn it. i bet you anything, if given a fair shot, he would win it.

[Nick]

Simms was a class act. He left his spleen on the field playing behind Kenyatta. Without a spleen you can minus 20 years right off Chris Simms Life and the fact is he is now defenseless against meningitis and other viral infections. Gruden should collect plummers bonu$ and give that to Simms & Garcia. Trade Brad to Chicago or Pittsburgh.Griese to miami and stop gettting free steaks.Pay Garcia his Worth. Ya he scuked in the play-offs ,but he feeds that team emotionally and they believe in him. keep Luke , Chris,Jeff and Johns new toy Josh.

i say Garcia #1, Simms #2, and Josh #3.

Nick: having no spleen means you're vunerable to bacterial infections, diseases, etc. The compromised immune system can still handle viruses, not problem bacteria. I like Chris Simms and wish him the best; I'm sure he knows the risk he now faces when he's back in a huddle.

[Dan]

For Chris's sake, I hope he is gone. Gruden is a QB dope, and Simms deserved better. He brought them to the playoffs and was one dropped ball in the endzone away from advancing. The next year Gruden stuck him behind a swiss cheese line.

On the right team Simms is a winner.

Chris Simms couldn't win in college! Why do you expect any better in the NFL??? Applewhite was better!

[Peyton Manning]

I couldn't win in college either...Danged Gators! Tee Martin was the quarterback that won it all for the Vols. So College success means nothing when evaluating a pro...Gino Toretta? Tim Couch? Heath Shuler? Ryan Leaf?
Chris was just in the wrong system for his skill set.

[Tim Tebow]

Garcia is #1. Let Simms, Griese, Johnson, and McCown compete for #2 and #3. Allan claims the plan is to take a total of 5 QBs to training camp. Grakowski is a disaster and should be cut as quickly as possible.

[JR]

i think everyone knows that plummer is never gonna show up and we will eventually get money out of him, even tho it really belongs to the broncos. gradkowski is as good as gone. That leaves garcia, griese, mccown, simms, and johnson. count in garcia and griese as the starter and backup, mccown should be on as the 3rd stringer, simms will be traded if he shows promise and improves his stock in preseason or cut if he doesnt. Josh Johnson will be on the team as a developmental fourth quarterback for the future. i we will keep three qb's ahead of johnson because gruden doesnt want this guy to see the field at all in the first year while he is still learning the game, which i think is a good idea.

[jay]

John Grudin you are the smartest man in the NFL. Drafting Josh johnson means that not only will he be like Rich Gannon,only better, but also after he starts and tears the league up you'll get a huge contract extension. Way to go John, I miss you with the raiders

[JS]

why do i stil hear plummers name? he's like dead to the bucs. We should release grad and simms and Gruden hinted toward that path because he didn't mention them. I say josh johnson #3, and griese/mccown #2... why did we trade for griese!!!! aahhhh!!!