Larry

I'm shocked that he would speak with a "Homer" like WDAE 620! After all, aren't they the Bucs "flagship" radio station? Nothing but good stuff gets aired there.

6:28pm, June 10, 2008

mostlarge

Pretty boy, take your ball and go home, we've got our own balls......Bitching about being paid well to do nothing but workout and pretend to be an NFL QB. Take your long, slow release and indecisive decision making somewhere else.

6:34pm, June 10, 2008

sarasotabucfan

some kid thats not a PI keeps saying we were offered picks for him. and are keeping him hostage... what an idiot.... as PI we knew they wernt offered anything from the get go.

7:08pm, June 10, 2008

orlandobucsfan

Let's see. Simms says they treated him badly from the business side while giving him $2 mil for just hangin' around. The fishwraps quoted him as saying the Bucs were offered a 6th or 7th round pick for him during the draft. But Simms aserts that when the Bucs picked QB Johnson, the offers were withdrawn...huh? So is he saying the other teams really wanted Simms AND Johnson? Otherwise, his statement makes no sense to me. Last year, Simms told PR he was fine, the doctors said he was fine, and now he says he wasn't. The Bucs thought he was just rusty and Coach wondered if it was all in his head...a legitimate question. He said he was forced to go in during preseason...how was he forced? Coach came to him and said: "Are you ready to go?" Man, what manipulation by that mean coach. Gruden then wanted to cut him...purely a business move by a coach who was under fire at the tiem, but the owner told Gruden to keep him on the roster. Simms didn't complain about being trapped then, but all of a sudden, he's trapped now. Simms was further quoted: "I don't get a year to recover after I put my life on the line?" Since when is getting hurt (albeit seriously) putting your life on the line...did he fight in Iraq when we weren't looking? Then he complains that he is not on Gruden's personal depth chart because his name is next to Plummer's. Nice to know Gruden has a personal depth chart...and if that is true, why shouldn't his name be next to Plummer's? Maybe he'd have been happier if his name were after Johnson?? Now let me tell you how I REALLY feel...LOL.

8:20pm, June 10, 2008

bucfever40

Well said Orlandobucsfan, it seems he is using the sevrity of his injury to justify what he is saying, and insinuating that the Bucs, or Gruden rather, jeapordized his health by "putting his life on the line"? Thus making Gruden out to be some heartless coach, which I don't buy. By the way Larry, WDAE may be a "homer" radio station, but Steve Duemig is leading the "Let's all hate Gruden" charge, he dumps on him constantly, and if you call his show to back Gruden, Duemig will not only hang up on you because you think Gruden should LIVE, but before he does that, he will call you every name in the book for simply making some valid points in favor of Jon, so forget the homer thing, they have the biggest anti-Gruden preacher of all time in Steve Duemig. Look Chris, I wanted you to be successful in the worst way, but your delivery is way to slow, and thus very predictable, and your throwing angle really shortens you to about 5ft 10 or so, with that said, In really wish Simms well, but we've waited long enough, it's time to see if Josh Johnson is our QB of the future.

8:59pm, June 10, 2008

cbgb

Get a clue Chrissy.

9:00pm, June 10, 2008

Lakeland Fan

Larry, do you even listen to WDAE 620? The BIG GOD... errrr...DOG... does nothing but trash Gruden and Allen constantly. His hate for Gruden oozes through the radio speaker whenever he speaks about him.

9:03pm, June 10, 2008

cewilly

This guy is a loser. If his last name was Smith he would be out of the NFL by now. When he committed to Tennessee out of HS he turned tail and ran to Texas when Tenn recruited another QB to compete with him. At Texas they booed him off the field and he lost his job to Major Applewhite because he couldn't win the big game (sound familiar). He praised the Buc medical staff in his interview on 620 while saying he was not healthy to play last year, but it was the medical staff who cleared him to practice and play. Who do we believe? He told Pewter report he was 100% last year. I don't see Simms offering to return his signing bonus for being MIA the last two years. Having your spleen damaged doesn't make you a tough guy, confronting your enemy (Gruden) and looking him in the eye while honoring your contract (See Alstott) makes you one.

9:04pm, June 10, 2008

wood1982

After reading the previous 4 entries, I clearly see that some fans have nothing but envy towards professional athletes. You guys lamented about the signing of Jeremy Stephens last week, saying that we should focus on high character guys. Now you have 2 high character guys in Jeff Garcia and Chris Simms, in back to back weeks say that the front office (Gruden/Allen) has been less than "level" with them relative to their careers. In spite of the obvious fact that these claims ring true, you guys seem angry at the athletes. We as fans always ask our players to be team guys, but we don't mind when the team handles it's matters as a "business". In Simms' case, when he finally speaks and decides to handle his "business" and look out for what is best for his career, you get comments from jealous fans like "take your ball and go home"...If he had spoken out like others in the past (Keyshawn) he would be labeled as disruptive. He finally speaks out when he's backed against the wall and you get "why didn't he say something sooner?"...and you wonder why the average athlete doesn't pay the least bit of attention to much of what comes out of most fans mouths. It's because in the final analysis, you guys are never satisfied no matter how these athletes handle anything. You guys are the pathetic ones. Keep drinking the Gruden kool-aid despite warnings from Keyshawn, McCardell, Jurevicius, Lynch, Alstott, Rice, Garcia, & Simms. They're all wrong, and the Lil' General right! Yep...keep drinking the kool-aid!

9:16pm, June 10, 2008

Horse

If we take away any emotions on this subject, it's easy to say that Chris Simms got the best of this deal ,or did he? He did lose his spleen. But the Bucs really gave him compensation for it via a signing bonus and keeping him on the team even though it was obvious to some that his football career was over in 2006.
Good luck to you Chris and i mean that in a nice way..
Go Bucs

9:56pm, June 10, 2008

ptrap

saw gruden at camp trying to work with him one on one after practice- didnt look like the evil gruden chrissy makes him out to be- another lousy player that is trying to voice frustrations thru the media! allen and gruden should be applauded to allow the guy to sit on his butt and still pay him more than any of us will make in a lifetime! spoiled punk!

10:26pm, June 10, 2008

muvlodge

The only thing that is clear here is that poster wood1982 is either a player or works for 620. Look people get sat on the bench all the time. So the guy is the bottom of the barrell on the depth chart...get over it!!! He also needs do deal with the fact that he is gonna be cut here real soon and he can go ride pine somewhere else. I was really a Simms fan until I watched him have every 3rd ball batted down at the line of scrimmage or look like a deer in headlights as he was getting creamed taken down for a sack that could have been avoided by simply throwing the freaking ball out of bounds. He single handedly ruined our season in 2006. After he blew it when he threw 7 int's in 4 games, as a fan it sucks to come to the rest of the games that season. He should have been cut on the spot, but we had too much invested in him. Please FO....put him out his misery....take him out back and set him free...please.....but yes I was a Simms fan but am now embarrassed to say that.

10:31pm, June 10, 2008

PlunerinSwabbie

Wood1982 sounds like Steve Dummy and the rest of the Dummies that work there. The Bucs really should look for another station to work with. Are there any good sports stations in Tampa. WDAE is not the real deal!

10:43pm, June 10, 2008

1sparkybuc

Garcia and Simms were happy with their contracts last year. This year, they're not. They should have considered that possibility before they agreed to it. Circumstances change. The length of the contract does not. Both players have been and will be compensated for their services according to the terms they agreed to. They have no valid reason to complain. The Bucs have lived up to their end of the bargain. They haven't done anything that is out of step with 31 other NFL franchises. They all work the same way.

10:48pm, June 10, 2008

bucfan47

bucfever40 - Nice write up. Orlando - My man, Simms was saying he was healthy, not that he wasn't healthy.

cewilly - You are off base on your comments toward Simms. The truth about him coming to Tenn. is that he was not told the truth. The University (while recruiting him) did not disclose to him that they were pursuing another QB at the time and felt awkward towards talking with them, thus leading to him eventually signing with Texas. Nothing wrong with that...It's a big decision for any QB to make coming out of college, and U.T. simply did not handle his situation professionally. Period.

And wood1982 - Not sure what you're getting at with the kool-aid warnings, other than to make suggestions that the players you mentioned above act like Gruden is not a good coach. None of those players have said that about Gruden, and Simms is not mentioned one word about Gruden as a coach, simply stated he is not happy about how he was treated.

Let me remind everyone that Gruden never drafted Simms, and given that fact, gave Simms an opportunity to play and eventually start for the Bucs.

It was Simms who decided to remain in Tampa by signing a contract. And we all know the story from there. Orlando I'm going to use this as an example just for you. Simms is a prime example of no one being guaranteed anything in the NFL.

It must be earned and Simms was unable to perform at the level we needed before or after the injury. That's my opinion anyway.

But Woody, what are you saying about Gruden? Are you saying these guys are Gruden haters or something? I've simply not heard that from any of these guys other than McCardell, who to this day feels he was not treated fairly. By that he means of course, not paid the money he wanted at the time.

But if you remember correctly, last year Gruden actually extended an offer for Keyshawn to re-join the Bucs before our playoff run. If the relationship was so bad, why did he think about returning? Why did he personally state on ESPN that he respects Gruden as a coach.

Gruden did not want to cut Lynch. The move was done "as we all know" because Lynch did not pass a physical. He also failed another physical for the Colts as well.

Never heard Garcia rip Gruden as they have an outstanding relationship and respect for one another. I'd advise you to read Gruden's book for help there. I'm sure you will...

Anyway, bottom line here, that's totally not correct.

10:58pm, June 10, 2008

wood1982

I see a very sad sub-culture of surprisingly dim "Buc" fans residing in this domain. I think I'll hang around if for nothing else than to bring some type of balance to this Gruden apology site. Let me clear a couple of things; I don't work for 620. I'm a regular fan just like you guys. There isn't any one of you out there that has a more vested love for the team than I do. I just have a much different view than you posters in this tank. If you don't sense your jealousy, then it's a moot point. You guys love debating over someone else's career. For all we know most of you could be a bunch of over-paid, underachieving slackers and hacks. Who knows, huh? Whether you make minimum wage, $50K per year, $100K, or whatever your income is, you could be just collecting a check just like you claim Simms is. It's all relative. You guys always bring up money, but it's not the player's fault that their industry commands those type of salaries. Oh, by the way, I'm not a player either. I'm just an observer who hears you beef about how much an athlete makes, and then you go pay to see a movie where an actor made $25 million for a movie role, or buy a ticket to a concert by an artist that makes $30 million a year, and yet not a whimper. Let an athlete make that kind of money and you complain like little $%@!+#s...Hence, you are envious! Now then, if you want to debate the semantics of what Gruden said vs. what players have said about him, you are missing the essential point. I've read so many times from you guys "where there's smoke there's fire" just as recently as the J Stephens case (asserting that with multiple offenses, he must be guilty of rape) If that's your logic, then be consistent! Why not the same sentiment when you have MULTIPLE players, past and present, saying that Gruden is dishonest in his dealings. You guys use situational reasoning when it comes to this guy. Was the Super Bowl worth you guys denouncing common sense? I could debate you all day long if you say he's a better than average coach, but we can save that for another day! A lot of you guys seem to have light bulbs over your heads, but they won't shed any light unless you screw them in!!!

11:40pm, June 10, 2008

PlunderinSwabbie

Where are all The Cardell's, Keyshan's headed now. Their close to the end. I truly believe we have the makings of a young exciting team (Adams, Tanard Jackson, Piscatelli, Sears, Joseph, Haye, Fain and Trueblood) mixed with some great veteran players. As far as money is concerned: no problem with how much they make. It's all about production. As much as I like Chris Simms he just didn't bring home the bacon. I have no problem with Gruden and Allen wanting their players to produce. Garcia did a great job but is he our future. i pray that McCown can deliver if not we need to invest in the future quickly.

12:06am, June 11, 2008

cremdonado

I figure I'd throw my two cents into the viper pit. We all like the same team,yet many of us appear to be filled with anger and hate toward our fellow fans.. Its a game fellas-one that we all watch and few have played at this level. Its easy to be mad at a guy who's making big money and complaining,but its all relative.We all struggle to support our families,some of us harder than others. I've made my opinion clear on how I feel about both Simms and Sizzler-don't like these players and I never will.Simms isn't right for this system-PERIOD.Garsizzler is a journeyman who's inability to stick with a team for a long period is a sign of problems. Look at when he was in Philly.He did well for them,yet he was let go.He didn't want to be a back up,he wanted to be the lead dog-but its too late to start now.He has reached his twilight in the NFL,he shouldn't be paid like a guy who has 4 good years left.He has the possibility of doing what he did last year but nothing more. He is not the future,he is the now. And by now-i mean until his back problems sideline him again.Paying him more money is a disservice to other players,guys who show up and produce and "do their job".Lets spend that 3.5 mil we got from Plummers butt and give it to some young players who will be our core.I hope Luke is realizing his strength in this situation.If he steps it up and TAKES the starting job from Sizzler,no one will remember garsizzler even existed.I am hoping for it.As for the hate and anger fest in the comments crew,relax-its only football.If we only paid this much attention to politics,or our families-it would be energy well spent.

12:40am, June 11, 2008

bucfan47

Crem - Just remember, Garcia done some things last year with our WR core (1 Deep threat) that most QB's would have struggled with honestly. As much as you may not like him, he's great for our team NOW.

I'll totally agree with you that he's not the future, but we can win with him NOW just like we won it all in 2002 behind Johnson.

I want McCown to be the starter just like many of you. But he's reaching a point in his career to where by default, he's running out of opportunity. That's just how it works.

IMO, if he doesn't show he's starter ready (and the sad part is barring injury he may not get a shot to prove it) he may not be a Buccaneer next year. If he remains a Buc, something tells me that Josh Johnson possesses a higher possibility of having more upside than McCown.

Remember, the hardest part about the WCO is decision making. It's not arm strength like some of you have pointed out. It certainly helps to have arm strength, but fellas, none of the QB's in the NFL have jello arms. They can all throw.

When and where (accuracy) they throw it means more in our offense. Just watch our games last season. Garcia have 4 picks and 2 of the 4 were catchable balls. He played amazing last year, and with more talent around him and more speed, his numbers will be much better.

I'm excited about one more year behind Garcia. He's a great leader. And crem...come on now, the reason Garcia was not retained in Philly had nothing to do with them not wanting him. They have McNabb and he's their starter when healthy. Simple as that.

They realized Garcia was good enough to start in this league and were not prepared to pay him starter money to be a backup to McNabb. That's not a knock on Garcia now....

You guys just need to seriously overlook some of our QB's past. Just because they have not got a great shake with other teams, doesn't mean they are not good QB's. I've heard you guys slam Garcia for being a floater, you bam on Griese for not being a good QB, yet both QB's have shown they can execute OUR offense. Isn't that all that matters? Who cares what Griese done in Chicago. It's the Bears. Their WR core stinks and O-line was horrible last year. But why does it even matter? Do guys have to perform and be on ESPN every Sunday night to be good?

And no knock on McCown? Yet he's been in the league for 5 seasons and hasn't shown the ability to beat out a 38 year old QB and looks like he could be #3 behind 33-yr old Griese come training camp. But still he gets the love? Is it because he's really the future? Really? Or is it that most guys in this forum are between the ages of 18 - 30 and really want to see someone young take over. Someone that don't appear to be "OLD" or "On their last leg?" Everyone ripped Gradkowski and he stayed for 2 years...What's next?

How about get behind our QB now, Jeff Garcia. And let's hope he stays injury free, and our team can finally jell on offense and hope that McCown impresses enough in training camp to earn the backup spot. That would be a great start for any fan.

8:58am, June 11, 2008

tjones

hope this year proves you big d--k gruden haters wrong

10:58am, June 11, 2008

bucfan47

tjones - Last year proved them wong Jones. Bringing the team out of cap hell proved them wrong....Winning a SuperBowl proved them wrong...should I go on?

Our team is headed in the right direction, whether some fans want to realize it or not. And we're doing it the right way.

11:10am, June 11, 2008

drt1066

More sour grapes for Steve Deumig to use to bash Gruden. Let's see - Keyshawn Johnson, Kennan McCardell all losers. I like Chris Simms personally. Anyone who can play while exsanguinating internally is one tough warrior. But the kid can't play West Coast quarterback so he blames everyone but himself.
Mike Alstott doesn't like Gruden. I am a big Alstott fan, but the coach is the one who picks the starters and the plays - not the players. Even Alstott has sour grapes.

11:48am, June 11, 2008

surferdudes

Mean ol Gruddy said the boo boo was in my head, but I said no mean ol the boo boo is in my tummy, now I can't play for mean ol Gruddy again. Hey tin man, maybe you should see the wizard, and see if he can give you a spleen, heart, or brains, but what I think you need the most is a set of nads. What you really need to do is say you're sorry to anyone who was ever really held hostage.

12:01pm, June 11, 2008

huh?

I just don't understand how he was treated badly last season when the Bucs paid him $5m knowing full well he wasn't going to be fit to play this season. That seems to me like they treated him well considering he was playing like utter sh** even before he got injured two years ago

12:22pm, June 11, 2008

DLS5492

What do you call Chris Simms when he is in a basement? A whine cellar!
Go Bucs!!!!!

2:36pm, June 11, 2008

Horse

I don't get it about Gruden? Who is bashing him? I haven't read this "Gruden Bashing" in pewterreport.com that a few of you keep bringing up. Maybe the radio and newspaper people do it, but i haven't seen much of it here.
Oh yes, I am one of the young guys who think Garcia is to old. I'm 62 and proud of it. Farve knew when it was time to leave the game. This is Garcia's last year as his production is going down, not maintaining, nor rising. Our weakest leak to the playoffs if we have an injury at QB, not at WR.
Go Bucs

2:58pm, June 11, 2008

clairvoyantent1

cremdonado - great point

wood1982 - a piece of advice. Never claim to be the smartest guy in the room, because that's the quickest way to determine who the "dimmest" one is.
I'm 30 years old and have been a Bucs fan for as long as I can remember. Without question, the smartest Bucs fans I've ever come across are Pewter Report subscribers. While members such as Bucfan47 and I may never agree on the validity of Luke McCown as the future starter of the Bucs, I can never dispute the validity of his and most of the other members' arguments that are presented on the topics posted in this forum.
Having said that - I feel you are dead wrong on this matter. It isn't envy that's being as a counter-argument against Garcia's and Simm's claims - it's pure common sense.
Let's use Simm's as an example. you claim he's being treated unfairly and that essentially the Bucs are to blame. I'd like to wager that the actual truth is a little different...
Simms comes out of the 2006 season seriously injured with some pundits curious as to whether a player can even play again after suffering an injury as serious as his. Yet, the Bucs are in a pickle when it comes to starting QB's. So the Bucs take a huge gamble and offer the kid 5 million dollars over two years. A kid who just had his spleen removed and was coming off a 1 TD, 7 interception start that put the team into an 0-3 hole.
Simms knew no other team in the league would come close to offering him that kind of money over two years based on his injury status and recent performance. He also knew the jam the Bucs were in at QB (there was no Garcia at this point, McCown was coming off an ACL injury, Griese was in Chicago). His agent looked him dead in the eyes and said, "Kid, this is a no-brainer."
Simms took a gamble. He took the money and figured he'd have time to rehab and then he'd simply get his starting gig back and all would be well. He could have left and gone to another team right then and there. But he took that gamble and signed that contract with his own pen.
Now the Bucs, silly as this may seem, decided they wanted to win more than 4 games last year. i know, i know, crazy. So, get this, they signed quality competition at the most important position on the field - enter Garcia, Plummer, a ready McCown, and this year - Griese and Johnson.
All of a sudden, Simm's gamble wasn't looking so good. So, essentially, he tells the Bucs that while it was nice of them to stick to their end of the contract last year, he'd really like to leave now without them getting anything in return.
That doesn't work. So Simm's goes to his agent, the same one that urged him to sign the contract. The agent pulls out the standard agent handbook, turns to the page labeled "Last resorts" - and the next thing you know Simm's is in the media talking about "how cruelly and unjustly he's being treated" in the hopes of stirring up the sentiments of fans so the front office is forced to cave in (you'll notice Garcia's agent has the same handbook).
It's the same typical story repeated dozens of times across the league every year. Trust me, I work in the film industry in LA and deal with agents quite frequently - the agent handbook is very similar in all industries of life.
The point wood1982 - the folks on this forum aren't envious - they're smart enough to see through the typical pandering and tactics of players who complain about situations they put themselves in of their own free will. Maybe if you spend a little more time learning from them rather than blasting them, you'll be able to do the same as well.
I'm a Simm's fan - always have been. I wish him the best. But I'm not blind to his tactics. I'm disappointed in him. I thought he was above that.

3:47pm, June 11, 2008

bucfan47

Clair - Nice words man...I agree. Simms situation was very unfortunate. I was pulling for him the same way I'm pulling for McCown at this very moment. Probably more-so after his injury to see him bounce back and have the opportunity to play football again.

The truth is Simms in all reality might have the right to be disappointed, but I'm sure the Bucs front office is disappointed Simms' injury happened when it did and unfortunately for him, we couldn't wait around for him to figure out whether he could once again, run the offense.

Coaches and GM's are paid folks to win games. If an injury happens, like Simms, it's unfortunate, but the train rolls on.

Simms was not done wrong in this situation, was paid well IMO, and walks away healthy and ready to play football. Everyone wins here. The Bucs gain a roster spot, and hopefully Simms will get an opportunity to showcase his skills during the pre-season before he's released or traded.

That's it in a nutshell when it comes to this topic. I'm sure he's upset because he's a player, and players want to play.

4:32pm, June 11, 2008

orlandobucsfan

Bucfan47: Hey, read my post again. I said "Last year, Simms told PR he was fine, the doctors said he was fine, and now he says he wasn't." otherwise, I agee with your post (once again).

Wood92: Man, you don't know any of us. We fans have a right to praise or criticize anyone we like. If you continue to read these boards, you'll see we often disagree with each otehr. I and most everyone else here have continually reframed from personal attacks on this board, and you, sir/madam stepped ovver the line...and I'll leave it at that sine clair said it better than me.

I am able to get 620 and can tell you that Sileo has a very different view than the Dog. The Do is absolutely unlistenable when he talks about Gruden and when any caller says anything good about Gruden, Dog accuses him/her of "worshipping the ground Gruden walks on." Gruden may not be able to handle some players with the best of grace, but not many head coaches are known for same...not many that last long anyway.

8:57pm, June 11, 2008

orlandobucsfan

Sorry about the typos gang...I lost a contact lense today.

8:59pm, June 11, 2008

PlunderinSwabbie

I listened to Sirius Radio today and what a breath of fresh air. I'm in Denver and had a chance to also listen to their sports talk, again what a breath of fresh air. They actually talk about sports and have great interviews.

WDAE needs to get their sportscasters to become more knowledgeable but they continue to focus on finding people that did something wrong and focus on them. It must be all about ratings. Weve got Steve Dummy and then at 9 we have the two guys attacking people about morality while at the same time referring to pictures about young girls bodies in great detail. I believe these are married men. I'm not trying to judge but WHAT A DOUBLE STANDARD!You know some us may find that behavior offensive! When Sileo is focused on football and baseball he is effective. He is clueless about golf. One for Dummy when he can take time away from whatever!
All the Buc fans should ban the station until they improve their product. I've just about had it. They all continually run down the Bucs. Last year they were gloom and doom until we were kicking butt, then they casually jumped on the band wagon and acted as though they were Bucs all along. Same with the Rays. Too bad we don't have it all on tape! I would have had more respect for them if they just said they blew it.

9:33pm, June 11, 2008

Horse

Again! Who in the pewterreport.com is bashing Gruden?
As far as i can tell most of us are loyal Bucs and if we have a difference of opinion we say so. I just don't see this bashing (just aa couple now that realize that it iappears to be about ego).
You go bucfan47, orlandobucfan, cremdonado, mostlarge
Go Bucs

9:58pm, June 11, 2008

wood1982

After reading the latest replies to my posts, the 1st thing that popped into my head is how sensitive you guys are to criticism about your comments, yet you spend a great deal of your time doing the very same to the players. You have that right. So do I. Here's why I say some of the things that I do. I hear guys mention "agent's handbook", to suggest that there is a standard MO to leverage teams. Well, let me ask you about the GM's handbook. You know the one where if a player is getting close to some incentives, they suddenly need to be rested, hmmm . Or how about this one..."Your production is starting to slip, so we're gonna have to let you go with 2 years left on your deal!" That stuff happens on both sides, but I rarely hear it brought up unless it's in reference to the players and how ungrateful they are. You gotta call it on both sides. CLAIRV1 made his case about Simms being greedy and using the "woe is me" card relative to his current situation. Well, while your recount of the chronology is accurate, you still seem to miss the fact that the deal that was signed had potential wins and losses for both sides. The Bucs risked paying a guy who possibly would never play another down, however, by signing him they bought the right to maintain control of him as a commodity in the event that he bounced back a had some type of value. They are big boys and they signed that deal "with their own pen" too! Simms was afforded the opportunity to rehab and try to get his career back on track. These facts are clear. Where the beef comes in for me is how Chuck deals with his players. Contrary to popular fan belief, no TRUE athlete wants to sit and collect a check. They want a fair shot to compete. If Gruden didn't think Simms brought that possibility to the table then let him go about his business BEFORE signing him. If you commit to trying to make it work, then do that genuinely. Don't pretend like the guy is faking an injury when he is clearly not 100%. Now I've heard some of you say Simms contradicted himself by saying he was 100% healthy. Well, to be quite honest, that's the responsibility of the team to make that call. From the reports that have surfaced, they never followed up on the possible post injury effects of such a serious setback. Yet the coach had the nerve to imply that it was "all in his head". That is the cornerstone of Simms' beef with Gruden, not the contract. In the cut-throat business of pro sports, no reasonable person expects you to break out the violin for a guys who stands to make a few million a year, however, again, that is relative to their industry. And, judging from how thin some skins are in this forum, you'd have a beef if it were you too!

11:11pm, June 11, 2008

orlandobucsfan

None of us knows what goes on behind the scene with these negotiations. The best reference with respect to all Buccaneer news as well as player contracts is PewterReports. They have reminded us many times that Bruce Allen handles the contract decisions...not Jon Gruden. Additionally, every reliable source that I've accessed indicated that the Glaziers mandated that Simms be signed to the contract after his injury. True, Gruden wanted to cut him when he wasn't performing well...I can give you examples of every other team doing exactly the same thing...year after year. So tell me how you know that Gruden DIDN'T want to, as you put it "let Simms go about his business BEFORE signing him."?

I don't think Gruden's the greatest coach who ever lived, and I don't worship the ground he walks on as the Bid Dog would assert. But, c"mon, this "how the coach treats his players" is blown way out of proportion and do you care THAT much about that issue? If you really research this issue by checking other NFL cities" fishwraps, you'll find former players criticizing coaches for how they were treated all the time. You're right, the NFL is a business, but we judge a coach"s success on how many super bowls and games they won, not whether or not they were nice to the players.


And stop drinking the Big Dog Kool-aide!........ Just kidding.

1:14am, June 12, 2008

Horse

wood1982, there is a reason the Bucs and other NFL Teams are holding on to millions instead of committing to them to players. It's called the economy. Ticket sales are down, box seat sales are down, coporate box seats are down, corporate advertising locally is down, and finally tv advertising is also down. If i was the Bucs, I'd be careful how i would spend my money too.
Go Bucs

9:23am, June 12, 2008

Che

Wood, what do you do for a living? Where I work, you get rewarded when you preform highly and fired when you don't produce the expected results. Give me 2 million dollars and I would take care of it in a way that would insure that I would never HAVE to work again.

I have no sympathy for anyone who gets paid 2 million dollars to do nothing and then complains about how terrible his boss is because he is mean to him.

Simms was performing terribly before he was injured and was rewarded by the team last year essentially because he was injured so severely. If he were healthy throughout the 2006 season, he would have been benched with the way he was playing. What would he have been worth then?

This is just the nature of business. I have a hard time feeling sorry for Chris Simms' awful situation of being talked down to by his boss for making 2 million dollars; especially considering the nature of our economy - with people losing their homes and not able to put gas in their cars. These are people who go to work 60 hours a week and have to put up with all kinds of crap from their bosses just to make ends meet.

Take a step back and realize that these NFL people are in the upper 5%. Your countrymen are the ones who really have something to be angry about....

If you want to practice sanctimony, start there.

1:21pm, June 12, 2008

orlandobucsfan

10 Reasons the Bucs Should Release Chris Simms Now:
#10 - Left-handers make better baseball pitchers than NFL QBs.
#9 - Simms was right: The Bucs were gonna trade Chris to Denver on draft day for a 7th round pick, but the deal fell through when Denver wanted the $7 mil back for Plummer.
#8 - The Tampa Tribune keeps referring to Chris as "Phil" Simms, but Gruden said: "I know Phil Simms, and you're no Phil Simms!"
#7 - The NFL won't let Chris use a lift truck so he can throw over defensive linemen.
#6 - Chris missed the OTAs because he couldn't figure out if OTA meant "Only True Athletes" or "Outta Touch Already"
#5 - Gruden thinks that if he releases Simms, he still has 10 or 12 QBs left on the roster.
#4 - The Bucs have 100 players on the roster and they desparately need Simms "#12 small" jersey for one of the little KR guys.
#3 - Phil Simms tried to impersonate Chris after the injury to keep him on the roster, but Gruden found out Phil can't throw left-handed either.
#2 - Chris can't seem to re-learn the playbook after his long layoff...thinking that "combo tre jet smoke Z Y trigger blue niner A" is a pass play...geez!
#1 - Gruden forgot Chris was even on the team until Chris said: "I'm not being treated fairly."

BONUS: Michael Clayton keeps saying to Gruden: "You don't REALLY expect me to catch a ball with a left-handed spin on it do you?!"

2:26pm, June 12, 2008

eflores

orlandobucsfan,

That was good. in particular the part about Clayton. Too funny!

I talked to him one day at International mall.He is a nice guy very mild mannered. I don't think Gruden is a people person nor do I think he can be in his line of business. If youre out their Michael were all looking for you to light it up like we know you can.

12:47am, June 13, 2008

orlandobucsfan

eflores: Thanks for the kind words. I'm with you on Clayton. He says all the right things and I think he'll bounce back to his previous form this year.

8:23pm, June 13, 2008