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Waiting for a comeback

Chris Simms is ready, but his chance might not come in Tampa.

By JOHN ROMANO
Published June 20, 2007

TAMPA - The spleen was ruptured in late September.

It would be another nine months before the heart was crushed.

And so it goes for Chris Simms, the quarterback who lost his starting job in September due to a late hit and again this month because of an early call.

The Buccaneers began their annual offseason minicamp Tuesday, and it was stunning to realize how drastically Simms' career has devolved.

At this time last year, he was the savior. He was the hot shot with the big arm and the easy grin. Simms had led Tampa Bay back to relevance in 2005 and was the only quarterback on the roster who inspired either confidence or hope.

Yet the combination of bad luck and play - feel free to choose which was worse - has left Simms sliding down the depth chart today.

He is no longer the starter; coach Jon Gruden made that hasty call by announcing Jeff Garcia had assumed the role. And the way things are going, do not be surprised if Simms is also behind Bruce Gradkowski come training camp.

"I love Garcia, I like what he's doing a lot. I just think he's got some traits that we haven't had around here - his mobility, his experience. He's been very, very good here, " Gruden said. "Gradkowski's getting better, obviously.

"Simms is a work in progress right now; he had a serious injury. Count on him being ready for training camp."

It has gotten just that precarious in his world, even if Simms is reluctant to acknowledge it. Or even complain about it.

But the truth is, the Bucs spent the offseason searching for new quarterbacks, and Gruden continues to be high on Gradkowski's potential.

That suggests Simms is no longer today's answer or tomorrow's hope. Which means he may already be yesterday's news.

"We know the way coach is. He's always up for competition at the quarterback position. He's always going to welcome anybody here, " Simms said. "If Joe Montana wanted to come back and suit up, he would be more than welcome to come back. That's just the way coach is. You just go with it."

For fans of Simms, it is undeniably sad. You might even say regrettable. Yet, in retrospect, it was also probably unavoidable.

At the time he signed a two-year contract in December, Simms assumed the Bucs envisioned him as a starter. Turns out, they were just covering their rears.

Gruden already had his heart set on chasing Garcia in free agency, not to mention Jake Plummer in a trade, which made Simms a handy insurance policy.

Considering the amount of guff the Bucs endured in 2006 for not having adequate depth at quarterback, it is hard to blame them for using Simms as a fallback position if their offseason shopping had not gone as planned.

Yet, once Garcia arrived, Simms' fortunes took a double hit. Not only had Garcia surpassed him on the depth chart, but the offense is being re-tooled around him.

Garcia, quite simply, is the type of quarterback Gruden has been seeking for years. A veteran who can not just run but can also think and throw while on the move.

Gruden already has begun inserting plays in the offense that will take advantage of Garcia's mobility and his improvisational techniques.

Those are not qualities normally associated with Simms. He is more of a pure passer. A dropback quarterback and a downfield threat. Not to mention he is left-handed, which opens a whole new set of issues when you're talking about a quarterback potentially coming off the bench.

And it is probably no coincidence that Tampa Bay also pursued Plummer, who is more similar in style to Garcia than Simms.

Does any of this mean Simms' days in Tampa Bay are numbered? That he could be traded or released before the regular season?

I suppose that is possible, but I wouldn't think it's probable. Not yet, anyway. Simms may have a handsome salary in 2007 $2-million but Gradkowski still comes cheap. So the total dollars invested in the quarterback position are not extreme.

And having seen his starting quarterback go down with a serious injury in three consecutive seasons, Gruden wants as many options as he can find for '07.

Besides, as Simms said, it is only June. He will have more opportunities to catch Gruden's eye. Simms said he is completely healthy but has simply fallen into some bad throwing habits while favoring his midsection.

At 26, Simms still has plenty of days ahead of him. It is hard to imagine him not getting another shot at being a starting quarterback in the NFL.

It's just that, the way things look today, it's also hard to imagine him getting that shot anytime soon in Tampa Bay.

[Last modified June 20, 2007, 00:01:15]