Breakouts '06: Bucs QB Chris Simms
 

Breakouts '06: Bucs QB Chris Simms

July 17, 2006 - Sportingnews.com
Spotlight: Bucs QB Chris Simms


Once again, colleague Dan Pompei and I match breakout for breakout.

With fantasy football being so ingrained in how we perceive the modern NFL, the stat sheet stuffers behind center seem to always demand more attention than those QBs who just win.

If Phil Simms was an active Giant, he wouldn't be a good fantasy QB. Who cares? He showed a lot of heart on the field, culminating in the savviest of Super Bowl MVP performances.

Let me stop you: I'm not about to compare Chris Simms to his father. But Chris is off to a good start in becoming a successful, winning QB in his own right.

I was tired hearing about how Simms couldn't beat Oklahoma in college -- now that Vince Young has delivered a title to Texas, maybe we can move on with what the younger Simms is doing now.

When another notable NFL QB son, Brian Griese, went on the shelf for the Bucs in October of '05, Simms took over as the starter. He went a modest 6-4, but that was enough to get them into the playoffs, and his 81.4 passer rating was decent for a first-time first-stringer.

Jon Gruden has a pretty good young offense built around Simms, with second-year running back Cadillac Williams and third-year receiver Michael Clayton. Then there's Joey Galloway, who reemerged as a big-play threat by working very well with Simms.

Simms' growth this season won't be seen in his stats. I see him on a current track similar to Drew Brees, where he can win games with a good defense and a rushing attack providing support.

Working with a passing guru such as Gruden, expect Simms to play to his strengths without trying to do too much. That's exactly the kind of QB -- Brad Johnson -- with which Gruden won a Super Bowl.

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