Phil Simms knows better. And, by now, so should Chris Simms.
Does Phil really want his son playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next season? And why would the Bucs want Chris? He’s proven to be a very average West Coast quarterback and he needs to find a team with an offense like the one Norv Turner is operating in San Francisco. Chris needs a solid running game to allow him to throw deep off of play action.
Simms won’t under throw Joey Galloway like rookie Bruce Gradkowski did last Thursday in Texas Stadium. But he also can’t escape from pressure like Bucs coach Jon Gruden has pointed out repeatedly like Gradkowski.
I thought everyone named Simms was upset with the Bucs regarding how Chris ruptured against the Carolina Panthers and then needed four blood transfusions while doctors removed his spleen afterward. The critical situation was touch and go for Chris.
In his last six starts, Simms averaged 195 yards passing a game and was a 58 percent passer while throwing five touchdowns with nine interceptions.
“The bottom line in what happened in that game,” said a NFC general manager, “is that Chris got hurt in the first quarter and kept playing on. Out of it, I know two things. That no one should ever dare call Chris not tough and that Jon Gruden will want to be involved in trying to get (Notre Dame’s) Brady Quinn.”
Cowher & Wolfpack?
The next rumor we are going to hear is that Steelers coach Bill Cowher will be the head coach at North Carolina State next season. Heck, it makes sense because Cowher’s family is already living near campus in Raleigh, N.C.
Now, Cowher knows that coaching in college is a LOT easier than dealing with professional players. But I can’t see him doing that. I can seem him retiring and relaxing for a season or two, waiting for Joe Gibbs to retire in Washington or for the some other rich owner to offer him what Mike Holmgren collects in Seattle.
Proehl Makes Sense
Ricky Proehl makes a lot of sense for the Indianapolis Colts because he is a realiable receiver who probably runs closer to a tight end than a speedy wide receiver these days.
The Colts could be minus Dallas Clark for more than a few games and Proehl could fill that void. If the Colts ever get Brandon Stokley back (high ankle sprain), Peyton Manning will have more than enough weapons to keep on winning.
One head case for another
Cowboys coach Bill Parcells is stepping out onto a pretty thin branch with the acquisition of Martin Gramatica.
We all know what a head case Mike Vanderjagt had become, but Gramatica lost his job in Tampa Bay because he was no more reliable than Vanderjagt was for the Cowboys. Gramatica missed six attempts between 30 and 39 yards in 12 attempts and even one attempt inside 30 yards. He was a 60 percent kicker in his last two seasons with Tampa Bay after winning a Super Bowl.
And here’s hoping Gramatica doesn’t pull a hamstring celebrating a game-winning kick for Parcells like he did for Jon Gruden.
Mooch to Arizona?
Phoenix isn’t California, but it’s only a short Southwest flight away.
I’m positive that’s what former head coach Steve Mariucci is thinking should the Arizona Cardinals come a calling. Mooch, who is a pregame analyst with the NFL Network, still is being paid by the Detroit Lions, but the Arizona job might lure him out of retirement.
Granted, the Cardinals have their hearts set on USC’s Pete Carroll, but I simply don’t see Carroll leaving the Trojans where he’s close to $4 million a season. Carroll has been through the NFL and he knows he probably has the best job in college football.
Nothing against Columbus, Ohio, but there is better weather and more to do in Los Angeles than Ohio.
Anyone watching a couple days of Green Bay practices will tell you that quarterback Brett Favre hasn’t looked very sharp. One local reporter said he’s been completing about 53 percent of his throws in 7-on-7 drills and in team drills. He went one stretch on Wednesday where he completed only one of five passes, including one batted down at the line of scrimmage.
“Brett and the offense really isn’t in rhythm right now,” said first-year head coach Mike McCarthy. “We’re installing plays into our offense while the defense has been playing a lot of man coverage. What I mean is that we’re not running plays to beat what the defense is throwing at us and so they’ve looked better a lot of times. But it’s way too early to be jumping to any conclusions about Brett and the offense.”
The Packers have been holding Ahman Green out of drills and expect to keep it that way for another week or so. GM Ted Thompson said he hopes that Green can see some live action in the third preseason game, Aug. 28, in Cincinnati against the Bengals.
Meanwhile, Samkon Gado and Noah Herron are receiving the bulk of the work in camp. Gado even got drilled by No. 1 pick A.J. Hawk near the sidelines and took a few seconds to gather himself.
A very young team, Green Bay appears to have had an excellent draft when you consider that two rookies, Daryn Colledge and Jason Spitz, are projected to be the starters at left and right guard, respectively. I realize it is early but second-round pick Greg Jennings from Western Michigan looks as good as any returning veteran at wide receiver. He may end up being the best receiver in this year’s draft.
On the downside, special teams could be looking for a kicker. Billy Cundiff hasn’t impressed anyone and there’s a very good chance that Jon Ryan from Regina, Canada could beat out former third-round pick B.J. Sander for the punting job.
Bears players like Jones
The Chicago Bears are the cream of the NFC North based on their 13 wins last season. They won with defense and Thomas Jones rushing to career numbers last season because they had a rookie quarterback in Kyle Orton. The defensive guys love and respect Jones, who feels he is underpaid and is currently nursing a sore hamstring. Jones may miss another week of practice.
With all the heat in the Midwest during the first week of training camp, head coach Lovie Jones has switched almost all of his one-a-day practices to the evening. But when the Bears work, they give it their all. And it seems like the defenders aren’t holding back on running back Cedric Benson. No love taps for him during live drills.
Could it be that the players prefer Jones to Benson, who loves to talk about rushing for 1,700 yards this season and finally being the starter after a messed up rookie season? Or, are the Bears simply enjoying toughening up Benson?
When to rest and when to retire
It makes perfect sense in New England that Tom Brady takes a couple days off from practicing (and throwing) to rest his arm. The Patriots would probably be finished if they ever lost Brady, the game’s best quarterback. Matt Cassell needs all the work he can get, considering he couldn’t even start at USC.
All those who believe that Priest Holmes will play this season for the Kansas City Chiefs raise their hands? The acquisition of Michael Bennett, who was coveted by Rams coach Scott Linehan, by the Chiefs virtually clears the way for the Chiefs to allow Holmes to retire. And speaking of retirements, guard Will Shields is pretty unhappy that teammate Willie Roaf hung it up, considering the two made a vow at this year’s Pro Bowl that they both would return this season. Roaf, though, had to go back on his word once he re-injured a bothersome hamstring during mini-camps. When you’re a big man like Roaf, it’s virtually impossible to get into playing shape when you can’t run.
Extra money for vets
There is going to be a lot of extra millions under the salary cap this season – one executive told me there could $200 million left once all the rookies are signed league-wide – and players are wondering if owners will spend it, securing valuable veterans for the future. Well, the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Bucs have done exactly that, showing the money to Roy Williams and Ronde Barber, respectively, with big bonuses and long-term deals.
You can bet that Steelers coach Bill Cowher isn't happy right now. He told Ben Roethlisberger to park his motorcycle last summer, but the 24-year-old quarterback basically told his coach, "Hey, this is a free country and I'm doing what I want to do."
As I write this, Roethlisberger is having surgery on a broken jaw after flying off his motorcycle Monday morning when his bike collided with a car near the 10th Street Bridge in Pittsburgh. Roethlisberger, who wasn't wearing a helmet, hit the car's windshield and opened a large gash on his forehead. His injuries are serious, but not considered life-threatening.
FOX's Terry Bradshaw also told Roethlisberger to "park the bike" on national television last season, apparently upsetting Roethlisberger in the porcess.
"I don't want to get into what I said, I just hope the kid is going to be all right," Bradshaw said today after hearing the news of the accident. "That sounds tough. It's too bad. I pray he's going to be OK."
John Czarnecki, a former sportswriter with over 20 years experience covering the NFL, has been the editorial consultant for the Emmy Award-winning FOX NFL Sunday since its 1994 inception. Prior, he provided exclusive information to CBS Sports' The NFL Today program from 1991 to 1993, holding a similar position.
Prior to joining CBS Sports, Czarnecki was a pro football writer for The National Sports Daily (1989-91), The Dallas Morning News (1989), and The Los Angeles Herald-Examin er. An archive of work can be found here.
