Simms breaks silence: I feel like I'm being held hostage

Chris Simms, right, watches alongside Chas Gessner during the Bucs game against the Houston Texans last season. [BRENDAN FITTERER | Times (2007)]

Chris Simms says his relationship with Jon Gruden is beyond repair and has been told he will not be with the team in 2008.

But with no trade on the horizon, the Bucs' forgotten quarterback wants to be released immediately, bringing an end to his career in Tampa Bay that seemed inevitable after missing nearly two seasons following surgery to remove his spleen.

"I feel like I'm being held hostage,'' Simms said. "I hate that all this has happened. I love Tampa. My family loves it here. But I've been quiet long enough. I feel like it's time to let everybody know why I'm not out there.''

Click here to read more from Simms' Monday interview with the Times, including why he has not attended the Bucs' off-season workout program.

Comments

[MikeinIndy]

Chris Simms is a great guy and loves the area. Having said that, it makes no difference on Sunday. He was never gonna take the Bucs to the promised land with his mechanics and his penchant for tipped passes. He may actually hold a Guiness World Record for num af pass attempts batted at the line. He had his moments, but what Buc player hasn't? They can't always keep a guy because he was injured in the line of duty. This is not the military. The Glazers took the high road and kept the PR positive. That ws then and this is now. Caddy got hurt and they brought in Mike Bennett, Warrick Dunn, and Corey Boyd. I don't see anyone bellyachin' about that. It's a competetive sport and players get hurt. Usually after an immobilizing or life threatening injury, the player never regains their form. I don't think Simms had great form to begin with, just great pedigree.

[Bucsfan]

i wish i was hostage too by the bucs, i dont have to play and i get millions for just rehabing, what a deal!!!!!!

[Matt]

Waaahhhhh, I made 2 million dollars for doing nothing! Cry me a river, a below avg. QB, that didn't get drafted by the current coach is upset because he made 2mil for doing nothing. GO SELL Crazy somewhere else Simms we are all stocked up here. I fully support Gruden/Allen's decision. Trade this bum so I don't have to see another batted pass.

[mrm]

I was at UT while Simms was there and all i can say is WOW! When he switched his commitment from Tenn to us I was elated.
I was thinking to myself, this guy might be the next Ron Pawlus. Seriously though,
I've met the kid and if his last name wasn't Simms, he'd be a financial planner. Great person, good athlete, but
not an NFL or even major college QB (sorry Major).

[cory]

Every negative comment on here says something amount him being paid to sit. If you read what was said, he is not complaining about money here. He's a football player who believe it or not wants to play football and move on to somewhere he is wanted. It really is sad to see some of these comments with ill will towards him. Regardless of your opininon of him as a football player, he has been a great teammate and member of the community. The ironic thing is half of you people telling him to leave are probably the same people whining about Jeremy Stevens. Well you are pushing character out the door.

[Matt]

And as for the babies crying about the lone division title Simms barely won (GRIESE won 5 of those games or how quickly you forget) I'll take a SUPER BOWL TITLE (GRUDEN) to Simms Partial Division Title. All Simms apologists feel free to jump ship and follow him to the Detriot Lions, and root for him as a career bench warmer. Good Riddance.

[Matt]

I'm not. I'm not asking Jeremy Stevens to be my life coach, but i'm not persecuting him for stories I'm not involved in, nor did I sit at any court proceeding. He's been totally clean since arriving to Tampa. If he screws up here like Boston, the Bucs will cut him. Gruden just went and signed the ULTIMATE professional Warrick Dunn. The bucs have a ton of HIGH character guys (brooks, barber, dunn, galloway, Ruud, Nece, ect.) So spare me the "WE NEED HIGH CHARACTER GUYS", thats BS to make exscuses for Simms shoddy play. What they need is good football players, which Simms is not. People aren't complaining about Simms 2million, they are complaining about having to hear him COMPLAIN about making 2 mil for doing nothing. He couldn't play last year, he should have been cut, since he was never in our future plans. The Glazers did him a solid, so now Gurden/Allen are trying to recoup some value for a WASTED 3rd round pick by McKay, and 2 mil that went in the drain for a guy doing nothing. Thats called smart buisness.

[mrm]

CHRIS SIMMS

GENETICS: EXCELLENT

PERSONALITY: GREAT

ATHLETICISM: GOOD

POTENTIAL: POOR

[Chris]

time to replace the guy that truly will ruin the Bucs, Gruden. Chuckie will continue to wreck the team through poor draft choices and his continued efforts to bring in "thug" players that he sees as proven winners.

[TS]

That's the problem with the NFL these days. You can make millions of dollars and still claim the team did you wrong. He has done nothing the last 2 years and has collected millions of dollars - I thought Chris was different, but he is just another spoiled player.

[aaron]

Simms is a class act. We all know what kind of a person Gruden is. everybody that leaves here says that Gruden is two-faced and cannot be trusted. Hey dont get me wrong, he is a decent coach, but a sorry human being. You fair weather fans can say what you want about Chris Simms, he is sorry, doesnt belong in the NFL or whatever. You can have those opinions and that is fine. But for a guy to go through what he did and to do it for the franchise and for his teammates is admirable. He has guts and big brass b*lls. Simms put it ALL on the line for the team (and Gruden) and then got treated like crap. You fairweather fans just look at the record or the batted balls. A true football fan and Buc fan can see beyond that. It isnt just always what is on the surface. The offensive line at that point was horrible. absolutly horrible. sean mahan? please! Anthony davis? Kenyatta Walker? and with all due respect to John Wade he wasnt very good either. he is a hell of a smart player but the physical part he just couldnt keep up with anymore. the line was horrible. The offensive line coach BILL MUIR failed to teach or emphisize the importance of keeping you assigned mans hands out of the passing lanes. is it simms fault the o-line didnt do their jobs? it all wasnt simms fault. why wouldnt gruden put in the shotgun formation when simms was in? anyways it is easy to point the finger at the QB. very easy but a true football fan can easily see that the situation here was not just the QB. the whole offense stunk.
So shame on you guys for dumping on Simms. he was a true Buc. he gave his spleen for the franchise, his teammates and the fans. and this is what you give him. you guys show just as much classlesness as does Gruden and Allen. i am a true Buc fan, always have been and always will. but some of you guys out there embarrass me that i am a Buc fan. it is a good thing that 95% of the people on this blog are bucs fans. because then the rest of the NFL fans could see that our fans are no better that Raider Fan, or Steeler Fan or Philly fan. shame on you and shame on the BUCS

[aaron]

Simms is a class act. We all know what kind of a person Gruden is. everybody that leaves here says that Gruden is two-faced and cannot be trusted. Hey dont get me wrong, he is a decent coach, but a sorry human being. You fair weather fans can say what you want about Chris Simms, he is sorry, doesnt belong in the NFL or whatever. You can have those opinions and that is fine. But for a guy to go through what he did and to do it for the franchise and for his teammates is admirable. He has guts and big brass b*lls. Simms put it ALL on the line for the team (and Gruden) and then got treated like crap. You fairweather fans just look at the record or the batted balls. A true football fan and Buc fan can see beyond that. It isnt just always what is on the surface. The offensive line at that point was horrible. absolutly horrible. sean mahan? please! Anthony davis? Kenyatta Walker? and with all due respect to John Wade he wasnt very good either. he is a hell of a smart player but the physical part he just couldnt keep up with anymore. the line was horrible. The offensive line coach BILL MUIR failed to teach or emphisize the importance of keeping you assigned mans hands out of the passing lanes. is it simms fault the o-line didnt do their jobs? it all wasnt simms fault. why wouldnt gruden put in the shotgun formation when simms was in? anyways it is easy to point the finger at the QB. very easy but a true football fan can easily see that the situation here was not just the QB. the whole offense stunk.
So shame on you guys for dumping on Simms. he was a true Buc. he gave his spleen for the franchise, his teammates and the fans. and this is what you give him. you guys show just as much classlesness as does Gruden and Allen. i am a true Buc fan, always have been and always will. but some of you guys out there embarrass me that i am a Buc fan. it is a good thing that 95% of the people on this blog are bucs fans. because then the rest of the NFL fans could see that our fans are no better that Raider Fan, or Steeler Fan or Philly fan. shame on you and shame on the BUCS

[aaron]

sorry for posting it twice. forgive me.

[Matt]

A true BUC??!! Look he played injured and i commend him for hta but let's not go giving him the medal of honor. As for all these idiots claiming we know what kind of guy GRUDEN is, implying he's some how evil, thats total BS. NO ONE HERE officially knows any of these guys on a personal level. Gruden does tons of charity work, adn the claims about "thugs" are way off. I guess Warrick Dunn is a THUG NOW huh? How about Luke Petigout? another thug right? Drafting that THUG and future pro bowler, Barrett Ruud i can't believe him?! That stud Safety Tanard Jackson and future pro bowler, what was he thinking another thug!!! Re-Signing that THug Rhonde to a log term deal, oh the HORROR THE HORROR! He should have never let go that upstanding citizen Simeon "me first" rice, that was such a mistake right, since he remains unsigned and out of the league after 1 year. I love the Dumeg clones and gruden haters, that are the TRUE BANDWAGON FANS. I sat through the years of RAY PERKINS, Richard Williamson, Sam Wyche. Any true buc fan who had to do that knows what a great coach we have. Gruden took a team pegged for last two second to last in the division and won the division, but i assume he had nothing to do with that, chris Simm's spleen was actually the master mind behind last seasons success. As for Simms he didn't give his SPLEEN for the franchise he got hurt playing the game he loved AND GOT PAID TO DO! I'll grant he's a tough kid but we aren't here to pay tough kids, you play to win championships. As for people claiming the SHOTGUN for Simms, we've been thre done that, he still got balls batted down in teh Shotgun, his mechanics are NOT GOOD, and he has never shown over any stretch of time teh ability to be a great QB. Wake UP from you're self imposed ignorance BUC/GRUDEN/ALLEN Haters!

[RAH]

No Surprise here - Sims has never been anything but a cry baby past high School He was beat out in Texas twice by Applewhite and blamed the coach, he was beat out in Tampa by every quarterback they had including 2 rookies . He would have been traded if anyone wanted him then or now. He will be a $2 Mil. Practice dummy then unemployed – If you want to be in the NFL you got to want to play and there in lies the problem

[Tuck]

Matt - Gruden FINALLY put in the shotgun last year for Garcia. Simms did not throw 1 regular season pass from the shotgun formation; it wasn't part of Gruden's playbook.

[Matt]

Untrue they ran a few formations with Simms in the first 3 games, albeit only a couple plays in the Shotgun, during his last season. They also tried it in preseason. Simms at 6'5'' gets the ball batted down consistently. Show me the proof where this guy has been SUCCESSFUL as a QB? Collge...nope. Pros...nope.

[Bill]

Get over yourself Simms. It's a business.....you're getting paid millions for having a very under-achieving career even before the injury. You think you're all that? Please. Take the cash and relax.

[JM]

I hope Simms finds a team.Gruden and the Glazers are the reason i don't cheer for the Bucs.They are slime balls.And who is Gruden to take credit for Tony Dungy's superbowl.What a low life Gruden is.And i hope one day one of those big lineman beat the livin hell out of him.

[Tony]

Good Lord Rick where do I start? Are we to believe that Simms did have have input from his OWN physician? Great job by the way of wrapping Gruden around the medical staff not diagnosing what you of course knew. Sims comes across as a WHINY LITTLE GIRL (no offense to women), he was paid millions, the guy he now is lambasting has said nothing derogatory about Simms in the press, regardless of what he might really think, that is called maturity Chris, try growing some of that. Stroud, get the "F" out of this city, you obviously can't stand to support your team, at least not since Gruden pissed in your Cheerios. Chris Simms is not an animal dammitt!!!! He is a human being!!!!! WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
That is the appropriate response to this drivel. Does this town need decent sports writers or what!!!

[Rodger]

I cant beleive someone with a job that pays that kind of money cant be happy with it. he wasnt even expected to produce. im willing to just hang out for a peice of that money.

[Tony]

By the way, for all you people crying about how Gruden is the reason you can't have a movement in the morning, get your head out of your rear, that is your real problem.

[Andy]

Well maybe Daddy can get him another job somewhere as a towel boy, because he is a horrible QB. Good luck to ya Chris and always remember when washing those towels to separate colors and whites.

[mkurbo]

Deumig Virus:

Stroud, Deumig and the rest of the Gruden/Allen haters owe a major league apology to those guys now that Simms confirmed that the Glazers intervened. When Simms was not released last year, it was a true “tar and feathering” of Jon and Bruce for everything having to do with the Simms issue. In retrospect, all they were trying to do was make the best out of a non-football decision by the owners.

Some of you guys are nuts ! You’re not even logical. What does a coach tell a player he wants to cut, but can’t ? What does a GM tell a coach when the coach needs that roster spot for a real bench need ? How do you look a player in the eye that you’re being forced to keep ?

It’s the Deumig virus again – It’s Gruden’s fault that the owners made a decision that forced actions that made it Gruden’s fault for things he didn’t have control over, which in turn make it Gruden’s fault for………………

[aaron]

wow, you guys are truly amazing.

"Show me the proof where this guy has been SUCCESSFUL as a QB? " -MATT

this is at the university of texas
-----------------------------------

Highest Pass Efficiency (Career) - 138.4. (Since eclipsed by Colt McCoy with 161.8)

3rd Best Winning Percentage (Career) - 26-6, 0.812 (Behind Bobby Layne and Vince Young).

2nd most touchdowns (Career) - 58 (Behind Major Applewhite).

2nd most touchdowns (Single Season) - 26 (Behind Colt McCoy, tied with Vince Young).

2nd most touchdowns (Single Game) - 5 (Behind Colt McCoy, tied with Bobby Layne).

2nd most passing yards in a game (vs Nebraska) - 419 (behind Major Applewhite).[

[Tony]

Ever see Trent Dilfer's College stats?

[aaron]

yes and they were pretty impressive. but what do you think he could have done if he had an offinsive line. or the defense that took us to the superbowl. Trent was never going to be in the class of brett farve, drew bledsoe, troy aikman and the other top of the line qb's in the league at the time. but he was a good game manager. he could manage the clock and make the throws and completions when he needed to. that was evident when he won a ring with baltimore. look at that situation, with the great defense and him doing what was asked of him. manage the clock, dont turn it over and make the plays when called upon, he won a ring. he could have done the same thing here in tampa with our great D. we just shipped him out. had he been with us during our height of great defense he easily could have been the qb who "took" us to the SB and won. it just happened to be Brad Johnson.

[Tony]

By the way, for all you people crying about how Gruden is the reason you can't have a movement in the morning, get your head out of your rear, that is your real problem.

[Tony]

Aaron, blame Tony Dungy for Dilfer, right?

[aaron]

cant blame dungy for that. it is just the way it was. dilfer wasnt wanted and they let him walk. not dungys fault. but you cant say dilfer sucked as a qb. There have only been 42 winning qb's in the superbowl, Trent Dilfer is one of them.

[Ryan24]

Let's see....he supposedly hurt but he said he wasn't hurt last season. He also failed to bring up the "hurt" issue when he signed his contract in the first place.

He also wanted to be released last season and Gruden was willing to oblige, according to Simms, yet wasn't "allowed" to. So how that's the coach's fault escapes me.

He also blames that the Bucs haven't taken care of the business side to all of this yet he has made $5 million dollars off a contract he signed while "hurt". So how he comes to the conclusion that the Bucs have screwed him and he's being held hostage is might perplexin'.

[Rerun]

we all knew you were a little off base with your love for Simms, but this last admission to thinking dilfer was any good whatsoever really shows how little insight you have aaron. can you say ravens defense; just like the bucs defense winning our superbowl? testeverde had more talent in his little finger than dilfer and simms combined; and he sucked!

[aaron]

ignorant RERUN. could the ravens have won the super bowl with Rex Grossman as their starting qb? Joey Harrington?
David Carr? no way. none of them could mange the clock and none of them could make the plays when it counted most. Trent Dilfer delivered when it came to managing the clock and making the plays at critical points in the game.
i did say RAVENS DEFENSE, Rerun. and i also said BUCS DEFENSE. if dilfer was our qb during our superbowl year do you think we would have still won?

[Kevin]

This will only solidify Gruden's rep for not being a "player's coach" This guy has no loyalty to anyone but himself. Maybe Simms will one day be throwing Super Bowl passes for someone else( Williams, Young, Dilfer)The only free agents who would play for Gruden would be doing it for the money and nothing else! Best of luck to Simms as he moves forward!

[kevin]

let's also not forget that Mike Allstott#40 will not take a position w/ the Buccaneers until Gruden is gone!

[aaron's a knucklehead]

aaron, everyone is entitled to an opinion. Some feel that Simms is not a good QB. You spewed this same nonsense last year when Simion Rice was let go. Some said good ridance because he was injured, past his prime and a locker room cancer. There you were with "how dare you!!, watch what Rice does!!" Yeah, we saw what he did, he got cut from two teams.

Why didn't any other QB have balls batted down at the line like Simms did WITH THE SAME WEAK O-line? Stop making excuses!!!. Simms sidearm delivery was a batted ball waiting to happen. He took to long to decide who to throw too, he never grasped Grudens offense and his lack of mobility made him a poor fit. Who cares about his strong arm, Jeff George had the strongest arm I ever saw in a QB, it certainly didn't help him in the NFL.

WE pay for the tickets, the NFL package and keep the TV ratings up by watching on TV so the NFL can charge advertisers high rates and pay these high saleries. If we want to critisize the players, it is our right as fans.

BTW, who cares that Simms lost his spleen. Simms knew the risk of football the first time he stepped on a pee wee feild. He got paid millions of dollars to perform and millions of dollars not to perform. You can have my spleen for two million dollars, I'll take cash or a certified check.

Personally, I'm sick of whinning millionaire atheletes, shut up and play ball. If they won't let you play, shut and and cash your check. At least you won't lose any more organs.

[Skylar]

dilfer did suck aaron.

[Skylar]

That's just what I heard; I didn't really "see" it happen. Simms confirmed it too.

[aaron]

AARONS KNUCKLEHEAD: you are absolutly right that everybody has their own opinion. There was no nonsense spewed by me last year about Simeon Rice. Not once, never, did i say watch what he will do. I said the way that he was treated was awful. I had no clue about the extent of his shoulder injury nor did i pretend to. What I said over and over was they way that he was treated really bad. Simeon gave us his best years. He gave everything he had out there. he never pretended to be a great run stopper and we never asked him to be. He was brought in to put pressure on and sack the qb. and you know what he did exactly that. They waited until the 1st day of training camp, just prior to the first practice to let him know he was being released. The man helped our defense become what it was. The man helped us win a SB. The man lives in Chicago, pick up the phone and let him know that he is not going to be retained before he packs his stuff up and flies down to Tampa. If you were going to release him let him know before he got down there. save him the trip.
The reason some of the other qb's didnt have as many batted balls is because their lines were even worse. Like David Carr with the Texans. Their line was even worse so he just got sacked. You say forget his arm but dont you think Joey would have rathered Simms throwing him that deep ball than Garcia, when it was intersepted in the endzone. Garcia's arm is only bit better than the Grad-man's. To compare Jeff George and Chris Simms is ignorant. yes both have great arms, but they ae completly two different personalities.
Yes as fan you can whine and cry about this person and that person making this much money and that much money. that is definitly your right. Nobody said you couldnt. So have fun.
Everybody knows the risk of playing football. who doesnt? My point is where is you loyalty? He played through tremendous pain and almost brought our team back to a victory. He showed guts. He did this out because of his loyalty to the team. He felt he owed it to his teammates after the poor start. Simms led us back to the lead in that game only to have our defense not be able to stop the panthers on a couple 3rd downs. They ended up kicking a 46 yarder with 2 seconds remaining. They kid played his butt off and for the team for the fans. When he took us to 11-5 the year before were you saying get rid of him then?
We all can see you have somthing against the guys making millions. But why. they entertain you every week for close to 20 some weeks a year. If they didnt get the money you know who would? the owners you fool. so you would rather them make $30,000 a year and have the owner rake in close to a billion. Nice logic.

[aaron]

welcome back skylar. didnt think you would leave the Tribune again. Tell Anwar i said hello. I bet he is loving this.

[Buster]

I always thought Chriss was crazy to sign that contract the summer after he got hurt. Why in the world would he do that? I would have become a free agent and gotten the hell out of here.

[cory]

Every comment continues to be he got paid to sit. WHERE DID HE SAY ANYTHING ABOUT MONEY?!?!?!?!?!?! He wants to play football. When was chris simms beat by every qb in tampa including 2 rookies??? He took griese's job and has been injured since. Fact of the matter is Gruden never wanted this guy in his offense. He didn't draft him and he didn't fit his system. It is best for all parties to move on. I do however believe simms can have success in this league for another team.

[Kurt]

I think sometimes we take these situations a little too seriously. There's a QB logjam in Tampa, and quite frankly, let's be glad for that. There is frustration on both sides and arguments can be made for both also. Point is, if Garcia becomes a problem, we're going to need Simms on our opening day roster to have 3 legits. Don't count on the Bucs releasing him anytime soon. Simms and Garcia both are showing signs of immaturity in the way they are handling their situations. Leadership is best attained by example; neither of these two have shown me any signs of leadership this offseason. Maybe we should ring in the McCown era and see what it brings. We're going to be a running team anyway with the O-line that's been built here.

[aaron's still a knucklehead]

Ohh "Rice gave us his best years" Put a sock in it!! He got paid millions of dollars for his best years!!! This is a business. Simion was let go the way he was because the Bucs didn't know they would get Addams in camp on time, Rice was a pawn. It happens in all big businesses. BIG DEAL!!! Players hold out and complain, teams cut players. BOTH DO IT TO EACH OTHER!!!

The way Rice was treated greatly benifited getting Addams signed and in camp on time. Cutting Rice sooner would have made no sense and would have gave Addams more leverage in his contract. Again, THIS IS A BUSINESS, ALL businesses do these type of things if they want to be successful. If Rice was cut BEFORE Addams was signed then the TRUE experts would have critisized the Bucs for being BAD businessmen.

There is no loyalty in sports, it is about the almighty dollar. players leave teams to get more money, teams cut players to sign younger and better players. You have a problem with HOW the press REPORTED an event happened? We are never privy to ALL the details when a player leaves. Some is sensationalism, some is truth, some is out right lies. Since we will NEVER know the true details of how things go down between player and team, IT IS FOOLISH to dwell on it or THINK you know details you know nothing about.

BTW, I have no problem with anyone making millions of dollars, whether it be owner or player. Just stop complaining you are a "hostage". Hostages don't get paid millions of dollars to sit on their butt.

Shut up and play ball.

[josh]

things happen...and everyone complains about their job its human nature.fact of the matter he was disrespected and spat on...the guy ruptured his spleen for god sacks and still tried to play not even 9months later...i give him credit for that...hopefuly he gets a chance to become successful some where,but it wouldve been nice to see what he couldve done for the buc's...good luck simms,and prove gruden wrong

[Tom]

"I had a number of people tell me in the organization the Glazers basically made sure I wasn't released," Simms said. "That's the hardest part of this whoile thing. The Glazers are a great family. They're very caring human beings. I respect them in so many ways.'

[Bob Arceneaux]

Hard to know what to trust when you find this information from Bucs Blog in August. Does this sound like a guy who was being forced to play the night before the game, when this was written a day before the game? And we'll just assume he really didn't mean he was 100% healthy when he said he was

August 20, 2007
The latest on Simms
Chris Simms didn't play Saturday night in Jacksonville but said he hopes to be able to get some time against the Dolphins this week.

He said he sees tangible signs of progress in his effort to return to form nearly a year after suffering a ruptured spleen in Week 3 of the 2006 season.

"It's sometimes hard to tell day to day," he said, ". . . but I just feel like a I have a little more control over my body."

Maybe the most interesting thing he said was this, when asked if he is injured: "I'm 100 percent healthy. I'm not injured. Now, am I 100 percent recovered? I think it's a matter of getting my body back to the way it was."

There's some gray area there, but if you listen carefully, it's clear Simms isn't himself as a result of his injury. The problem is, the injury occurred last season, and that fact alone might be enough to eliminate any liability for the franchise.

Posted by Stephen Holder at 1:46:36 PM on August 20, 2007
in | Permalink

[aaron]

Aaron is still a knucklehead: You are making yourself look like an idiot. Players make millions that is a fact. But Simeon wasnt a robot. these players are also real people, he is a real man. And he was a man before he was ever a Buc. Treat him like one. that is all i said treat him with respect.
you again look like a fool because you have no response to me telling you I never said "see what he will do (with another team)." That was a lie and i called you on it.
There is no if ands or buts about the way Rice's release happened. He flew into Tampa. He checked into the Celebration Hotel. He came to the World Wide of Sports Complex at Disney shortly after 4pm. Then was subsequently released. that is a FACT. There is no interpreting that. The should have called him while he was still in Chicago and said dont come.
Adams contract amount and the time that it got done had a lot to do with the guy that went (in the draft)before him also. The release probably did have somothing to do with it also, BUT THAT IS NOT THE POINT. It is the WAY it happened. Lets hope you understand what i am saying now. I dont want to waste my time or anybody elses time rehashing this Rice thing. But for you i will say it one more time. I dont care that they cut simeon rice. i care how it was handled, after the role he played for us in our SB year and in our run as a great defense. I think he deserved more respect.
That being said, i hope you get in through your skull.

[DR]

Everybody is wrong in this situation. The Glazers know nothing about the NFL game and should never interfere with personnel decisions, especially, when they are making it a personal thing. Simms left his spleen on the field but the fact of the matter is, he isn't a good QB. He has little promise for a future in the NFL. A 6'4" QB who gets passes batted at the line is not NFL worthy. The shotgun has nothing to do with that, again, he's 6'4".
That said, Simms should have spoken up before this. To complain now seems ridiculous to me. Simms was signed to a contract when he should have not have been signed. He was basically given free money. If he was treated so badly by Gruden, then why did he resign with the Bucs? The fact is he knew that he would not get a better offer anywhere else. He sold out so I have no pity for him.
Gru/Allen have treated players in the past with no respect. Simeon Rice gave more to this team than Simms ever did and they were wrong for the manner in which they released him. It's no surprise to hear that another player got disrespected by these clowns.
Let's see if these clowns can put together back to back winning seasons for the first time in their 7 year tenure.