Simms focusing on a comeback
By Rick Stroud, Times Staff Writer
Published February 17, 2008
TAMPA - Chris Simms is planning another comeback. Time will tell if it will be with the Buccaneers.
"Whether it's the right place for me or not, I don't know," Simms said. "You know me, I don't try to think or force too much. I kind of just let things take their course, and we'll see how we go."
Simms, 27, said late last week that he hadn't heard from coach Jon Gruden or general manager Bruce Allen in nearly a month. Nothing unusual about that. He's under contract for 2008 and will begin offseason workouts with the team in late March.
"Three months ago, I was questioning whether or not I was going to make it back," said Simms, who hasn't taken a meaningful snap in about 16 months. "I believe in myself to all degrees, but it's human to have a little doubt at times, and I did, that is for sure. ... "
By now, you're familiar with his story. On Friday, he stood before several hundred people at the Hyatt Regency - most of them students - and recounted how a ruptured spleen threatened his life and career.
Simms was the undercard on a motivational speaking program for the Florida Adlerian Society and introduced Rudy Ruettiger, whose life inspired the movieRudy and made him a Notre Dame football icon.
Simms has his own Rudy-esque story of pain and perseverance, of how injury twice denied him a chance to remain the Bucs' starting quarterback. A shoulder injury derailed him in '04. Doctors say he came within 35-45 minutes of bleeding to death when he ruptured his spleen in a 2006 game.
When he reported to training camp last summer, he quickly discovered something was still wrong.
"I went through practice, and then Coach brought me on another field to do some drills," Simms said. "He was making me move around in the pocket, and he was clapping his hands to throw it. I don't even know if he noticed, but when he would clap his hands, it took me a split second to get my body to do it.
"That was the first time I had done something reaction-wise in a while as opposed to just warming up and throwing to a guy. I thought to myself, 'That didn't feel right.'
It shouldn't take me that long to gather my body and throw the ball..........................http://www.sptimes.com/2008/02/17/Bucs/Simms_focusing_on_a_c.shtmlSorry Chris, it's not the injury making you throw the pill slow, it's your throwing motion itself. This is the main reason he's a horrid fit for the offense. I hope the FO lets Simms show he's back healthy in preseason then trade his arse.
