Roy Cummings speculates on the reasons why Jon Gruden hates Chris Simms:
For reasons that aren't completely clear, Gruden has little or no use for Simms. Maybe it's Simms' lack of mobility or the fact he's left-handed, which forces Gruden to flip-flop his offense whenever Simms is in the lineup.Or maybe it's the fact Gruden was never really on board with the Rich McKay-generated decision to draft Simms. It doesn't matter, really. The facts are the facts, and it's time for the internal squabble about Simms to end.
Or, you know, it could be that Simms is 12/17 TD/INT for his career with his most recent action producing one touchdown to seven interceptions. Or it could be the nine balls batted at the line of scrimmage in 2006. Or it could be that every time he gets a shot to start, he gets injured. I don't think the reasons are unclear.
And yes, it has been an internal squabble that has kept Simms in Tampa and thus in limbo. Do you really think it was Gruden and General Manager Bruce Allen who decided to keep Simms around as an injured fourth quarterback last year?That call came from above, from a family of owners that seldom gets involved in the on-field management of their team. In this case, though, the Glazers saw Simms as an asset they feared they would take a huge loss on if he was let go.
You know what this part of the story could use? A source; possibly a quote. That might lend some credibility to the idea that the Glazers, who never take an active role in the management of the team, decided that a third-string quarterback is the player worth breaking their silence over. They kept quiet and took the PR hit when it came time to part ways with John Lynch and Warren Sapp, but the quarterback who has still not started a season's worth of games needs to be retained at all costs? Cite a source for this information, Cummings!
Oh God, I really want to be a reporter. It just seems so fucking easy. I could just make shit up that I think happened, and print it like it's fact. It's just like I do now, except it would be legitimized because I would be writing for an established publication and I'd be getting paid an actual salary! Real sportswriters are taking all kinds of shots at bloggers these days for being dogmatic and petty. When are they going to expose the members of their own clan to the same scrutiny?
Last night I watched the first Bucs/Panthers game from 2006 again. It's Simms's last game where he ruptures his spleen and continues playing through it even though he can hardly get his breath and he's in obvious pain. Simms really took a lot of punishment during that game, most of which can be laid at the feet of his offensive line which failed to protect him adequately all day. Some more of the blame can be shouldered by Gruden who, for some reason I still don't quite understand, rolled Simms out on a bootleg in the fourth quarter only to get leveled by Al Wallace. Both Simms and Wallace were horizontal in mid-air when Simms released the ball and completed a pass to Mike Alstott, making for one of the best courage-under-fire moments I've seen. My point here is that I've been a Simms fan and I appreciate his talents and his grit. That said, I also understand why Gruden is done with him.
After five years, you expect a third round quarterback to have produced something, especially when the competition has been as weak as it has. Maybe if Edell Shepherd catches that perfectly thrown ball in the endzone a few years ago, we're not having this conversation. But you can't bank the future of your team on what-ifs and speculation. You need facts, and the facts are that Simms has not been a good and reliable quarterback, regardless of his athleticism or how likable he is. And, look, I'll even link to an official source for my facts.
Comments (9)
Simms had 29 sacks and 6 fumbles in 2005 alone as well. It's like the second coming of Dan Pastorini. :P
When you eat that many sacks, you can say its the lines fault for protection, and maybe also the Qb's fault for holding onto the ball too long and not going to an outlet, or just dancing around and not setting up well. Even though I disliked having an immobile Brad Johnson back there in the past, he didn't take as many sacks because he setup and got rid of the ball much faster than Simms.
The Bucs could use a QB similar in size and style to Matt Hasselbeck of Seattle. Maybe the new Josh Johnson can fit that mold if he can put together some mobility and a strong release.
Posted by LostInSeattle | May 5, 2008 1:15 PM
I think it's becoming clear that journalism, and especially sports journalism, is becoming a joke. There is no independence. There is no research. There is little or no fact checking. It's all become speculation, opinion and rumor passing as "reporting."
Hell, today's reporting isn't even checked for logic or reasoning.
The articles are poorly written. They are generic. None of them are original. And most are heavy on the self promotion, that's right fuck you Peter King. Last week, NFL.com actually wrote an article praising its writers for getting between 24 and 27 picks right in their mock drafts. Yeah, bullshit. If you read the fine print, "correct" includes getting the team picking the player named, the team picking a different player in the same position, or the player being selected in the correct round. That's how 6 right turns into 27 right.
I think the attack on the blogs is a total self defense mechanism by lazy and stupid "professionals" who go along to get along and whose primary moto is "don't rock the boat."
The real creativity is happening in blogs like this. And the real journalism is happening in blogs like (shudder) Asshole Florios. Not from the professionals.
And yes, the blogs often go overboard, or go off topic, or take a less than serious tone, but they aren't pretending to be the authoritative voice of sports. The professionals do pretend to be authoritative, but they're lazy, dumbasses. If they were doctors or lawyers, they'd be sued for malpractice.
Shit. Do you know the kind of cool articles I could come up with if I was paid to spend my days watching sports, if I was given tickets to events, and if I had contacts throughout the NFL that I could cultivate? It would be a hell of lot better than the shit I see on the Trib, or at NFL.dum or the others.
Posted by Matt Price | May 5, 2008 4:41 PM
Hey Scott,
Let me add that I think you're doing a great job. The Trib really fucked up losing you.
You always find good information and you never follow the herd -- like wasting our time with BS mock drafts all numbered like software. Seriously, this is one of the most informative sports cites I know and your analysis is usually right on point. Plus you're funny as hell. I'd love to see you calling Buc's games on TV! (That would be one hell of a quarter before they pulled you!)
Keep up the good work.
Matt
Posted by Matt Price | May 5, 2008 4:56 PM
Ira Kaufman and Roy Cummings are the worst sports analyist/writers I have ever seen or heard.How in the world do those guys keep a job?
Posted by Fizzy Womack | May 5, 2008 6:22 PM
Thanks for the kind words.
Posted by Scott
|
May 6, 2008 8:27 AM
I agree with Matt's sentiments. Why TBO didn't beg for you to come back, I'll never understand.
Though I do have to dispute one point Matt made. I don't think the networks would allow Scott to stay on for a whole quarter...
Posted by Jon | May 6, 2008 1:19 PM
Though Scott's cheerleader analysis WOULD be top notch...
Posted by Jon | May 6, 2008 1:19 PM
It would go like this: Well, here we are Raymond James Stadium awaiting kickoff, looking around the stadium I see... Damn! She's got a nice set of... ***Broadcast interupted due to Technical Difficulties***
Posted by LostInSeattle | May 6, 2008 3:36 PM
I stand corrected. My estimate of a quarter involved Scott locking the door and the network being unable to break into the booth. I forgot they could just cut him off at the truck...
Posted by Matt Price | May 6, 2008 9:12 PM