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Bucs/NFL

What if Simms is just passing fancy?

By GARY SHELTON
Published September 7, 2006

TAMPA - In the city that does not doubt, the unquestioned quarterback was on his way to a job that no one seems to wonder if he can do.

It was Monday afternoon, and Chris Simms was on his way to the new Bucs training facility to watch some game tapes. He stopped at a red light - perhaps the only negative thing to happen to him this offseason - when a blue Explorer pulled up alongside.

"Hey, Simms," the driver yelled. "You (stink)."

Oh. So there is a discouraging word to be heard about Simms locally.

Other than the drive-by quarterback critic - and it should be noted that Jon Gruden does not drive an Explorer - Simms has pretty much gotten a free pass in the offseason. In a city that used to destroy quarterbacks, with fans who used to dissect them for sport, eyebrows have remained safely unraised.

We have argued about the quarterback in back of him, and we have discussed the offensive line in front of him. We have debated his receivers and talked about his running backs. We have worried about his health.

No one asks the big question, though.

No one asks what happens if Simms simply isn't as good as he was last year.

Look, this isn't meant to knock Simms around. I like him, too. Simms won six of his final eight starts last season, and he led his team from behind twice (actually, he led the team from behind four times, but a missed kick against Chicago and the inability to hold on to a pass against Washington wiped out two of them). He showed charisma, leadership and ability.

That said, there simply aren't a lot of pages to Simms' resume. He has started only 12 games, which is fewer than Kyle Orton, for goodness' sake. He has won only seven. In his career, he has 11 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions. Last year, he was the 20th-rated passer in the league.

In other words, Simms is still more of a newcomer than an old hand, and his potential is still larger than his performance. Should there be some concern?

"If people want to question me, I'd be the first one to say that it's very deserving," Simms said Wednesday. "I haven't done much. I played good in some games last year, but I have yet to play a full 16-game season and beyond."

For the most part, however, Simms isn't questioned. It seems to be taken on faith that he will resume his career as hot as he was in the fourth quarter of that playoff game against Washington. For now, everyone has put his skepticism in a drawer.

"I guess it's surprising to a degree," Simms said. "I'll say this much: I appreciate the support I've gotten. Tampa Bay's fans are very loyal."

Oh, yeah? Tell it to Vinny Testaverde, who was ridiculed, or to Trent Dilfer, who was spat out, or to Brad Johnson, who was underappreciated. Like most NFL cities, Tampa Bay can be a tough neighborhood for a quarterback. Just not this one.

For Simms, this is new territory. When he was at Texas, fans used to turn his surname into a dartboard; the nastiest adjective was the bull's-eye. Even a year ago, when he didn't challenge Brian Griese for the starting job, it was common to hear what a disappointment Simms had become. When he lost his first two starts to San Francisco and Carolina, the disappointment was deafening.

After that, however, Simms spent a half-season quieting the critics. Those who said he couldn't play big in big games? He beat Carolina and Atlanta on the road. Those who said he couldn't lead a team from behind? He infused the team with the belief that the fourth quarter was Tampa Bay's. Those who said he wasn't tough enough? He absorbed the punishment without complaint.

Perhaps that is why there has been so little concern about Simms in the offseason; he did such a good job of disproving everyone last year. He looked like an overachiever and, around him, the offense looked dangerous. He would bounce around with that loopy grin and that lethal arm, and better days seemed promised. What's not to love about that?

Hey, let's not fool ourselves. Simms played well enough last year to silence the critics, but in the NFL, they never retreat far. Look around the league. There are questions for almost every quarterback.

"You have to win games, be consistent and not turn the ball over," Simms said. "That's a huge portion of being a successful quarterback. Especially when you're on a team where the defense has been unreal forever, where the special teams are great and when you have great players around you."

Yeah, that's part of it. On the other hand, this is the NFL and he is a quarterback. In a division where every other team starts a Pro Bowl player at quarterback, a lot of the Bucs' season is on Simms.

"I'm going to have to earn my money, definitely," Simms said. "Five or 10 plays a game. On the other hand, in two of the three Super Bowls that Tom Brady won, his numbers were nothing special. But he came alive when duty called."

For the Bucs, that's what they need out of Simms. They need a little more proof. They need a few more comebacks, a few more moments, a lot more victories. They need Simms, 26, to grow into someone special, and for him to guide the offense into something special.

Do that, and the Bucs will be convinced. Tampa Bay, too.

Do that, and maybe we'll see how much confetti some wiseguy can stuff into the back of an Explorer.

[Last modified September 7, 2006, 01:41:33]