Chris Simms’ Quarterback Countdown: Tom Brady No. 10
June 16th, 2021
Former Bucs QB Chris Simms
Joe isn’t fully clear what Chris Simms’ criteria is as he counts down the NFL’s best quarterbacks to guide us through the final weeks of the offseason.
This much is clear: The former Bucs quarterback believes Brady is a better, tougher quarterback at the age of 43 than he was playing for the Belicheats.
In his podcast “Unbuttoned,” Simms debuted his No. 10 quarterback, also known as park-violating, home-invading, NFLPA-ignoring, down-forgetting, handshake-stiffing, jet-ski-losing, biscuit-baking, tequila-shooting, smartphone-phobic, waffle-grilling, trophy-throwing, roller-coaster-scared, numbers-rules-peeved, Bucs-Super-Bowl-winning quarterback, Brady.
Simms’ co-host Ahmed Fareed reminded Simms that he had Brady ranked No. 15 last year. And Simms replied that Brady found youth and actually improved in Tampa but was not vintage Brady through much of the season.
“Through 10 weeks he wasn’t great all the time,” Simms said of Brady. “We saw a different Tom Brady last year. We saw a different one. Anyone who has been listening to me knows what I am talking about.
“Brady’s arm strength has never been the question. The last few years in New England, you know my complaints about him. Unwillingness to stand there in the pocket. Take hits and do things in order to throw the ball down the field.”
Simms gives Brady credit for growing a pair in 2020 behind the Bucs’ offensive line.
“Now he had great, great pass protection last year,” Simms said. “And he of course had weapons and everything else. To me, that’s where he redefined himself.
“That’s why they won the Super Bowl. Because he was willing to stand there in the pocket and push the ball down the field.”
In other words, the no-risk-it-no-biscuit mentally of Super Bowl-winning coach Bucco Bruce Arians began to rub off.
“His arm is still a big-time arm,” Simms said. “And they became a dangerous football team when he started to go, ‘You know? I will stand back here and pat the ball an extra time and throw the ball to, a 40-yard rifle to [Mike] Evans. Or hit [Scotty] Miller on a deep go-route. Or Gronk down the middle.’
“And that’s when they became a Super Bowl contender.”
In Simms’ mind, Brady and the Bucs flipped a switch — that they never shut off — in the second half against the Dixie Chicks in Atlanta.
“They were losing 17-0 at half,” Simms said. “And they were never the same offense after that. And [Brady] caught on fire.
“He’s the greatest leader in the history of the sport. They believed even when things weren’t going well last year because of one guy.
“He played tougher.”
Simms puts a lot of weight into athletic ability and toughness in quarterbacks.
Brady will never be known as a tremendous athlete as far as mobility or running. And he isn’t a guy that can take a beating like Ben Roethlisberger or Cam Newton.
But Brady wins. In Joe’s mind, that’s all that counts.
June 16th, 2021 at 7:13 am
Playing high level football for over 20 years doesn’t count as having toughness? Sheesh!
June 16th, 2021 at 7:24 am
Honestly, I don’t know it is high enough. It is mostly because he doesn’t have the mobility to make something out of nothing, when the O line fails to do their job and block. And frankly, if Brady has to throw the ball away on one play, I trust he can find a way to get us the first down on the two others. He actually sounds like he thinks Brady is taking more risk and playing better in that regard than he did in NE the last year or so there, And yes, Chris is a Buc fan but not the guy that is going to give Brady his full due.
June 16th, 2021 at 7:32 am
Not only do I think it – so does Simms.
He’s the greatest leader in the history of the sport.
Really is there any doubt.
June 16th, 2021 at 7:35 am
I don’t know if this is just common sense or irony but sims grading Tom higher because he doesn’t take unnecessary hits by staying in the pocket. Didn’t Simms nearly die for taking an unnecessary hit? I wonder in his damaged little TBI RIDDLED brain does he believe himself superior to Tom because of that? I for one am glad that the goat doesnt stay in the pocket and take unnecessary hits, that’s a huge reason he has been able to play this long. Chris you will never be as great as your father!!! And let’s not forget wasn’t he one of the commentators last year saying the Bucs wouldn’t go anywhere in our division??? Sims you suck!!
June 16th, 2021 at 7:47 am
At this point Sims is going trying to go the Kellerman, Parker, Sharpe route to garner attention. He claims Brady stood in the pocket longer this past year than in 2019. Well , in 2019 he had a bunch of receivers who couldn’t get open in a blizzard. Why would you stand in the pocket and get hit for that. These guys do this for clicks surely. Nobody could be that stupid. 10th best? Laughable.
June 16th, 2021 at 7:56 am
Easier to stand in there when you have big nasties up front and a plethora of quality hands to catch anything you chuck up there.
June 16th, 2021 at 8:03 am
I’ll start listening to Simm’s rankings of quarterbacks when he starts counting batted balls at the LOS and comparing those to his pathetic short tenure as a failed NFL quarterback.
June 16th, 2021 at 8:09 am
Totally agree about that Falcons game being the turning point. From that second half on, this offense was unstoppable. I think the O-line really turned it on and our running game was crazy efficient in the playoff push.
June 16th, 2021 at 8:16 am
The placement is either click bait or obviously terrible football analysis at the position allegedly his most knowledgeable. It should significantly reduce your opinion of Simms’ analysis. It’s not about being a “fan” or “hater”, it’s not even a point of legitimate argument. Analyzing QB play is the source of much of his credibility among football fans. I’m sure it’s more lucrative to pump out hot takes, but then it’s hard to take anything produced as objectively serious. It immediately draws away from an (imo) insightful position that we improved offensively as Tom became comfortable/successful taking deep shots as opposed to “taking over the offense” as has become the popular narrative. Because I can’t say if that opinion is driven by the same contrarian click bait revenue strategy or his honest assessment. If he really thinks Tom Brady is the 10th best NFL QB, by any measure, obviously he’d be clueless to judge more complex topics.
June 16th, 2021 at 8:20 am
Ben’s 39 and at best can be called ambulatory at this point in his career. In his last game, he looked like a poorly programmed automaton.
Maybe taking care of your body on the field is a secret that escapes 40 year old Simms.
In any case, if i have to win a game tomorrow, I’ve got two choices. One is TB and the other had a TB defense hand it to him during his last game.
June 16th, 2021 at 8:28 am
There is not one QB in the modern era that has been able to accomplish what Tom Brady has accomplished to this point. Not even the great Peyton Manning or Joe Montana could practically carry their teams into the playoffs almost every season. Not to mention how many times he’s just been to the Super Bowl much less win them. If Tom takes the Bucs back to the Super Bowl this season, Canton should just go ahead and enshrine him before he retires. I don’t know what else these guys use to measure greatness but is it really arm strength or the ability to run with the ball? I think not and Tom’s career supports that theory to the fullest.
June 16th, 2021 at 8:35 am
What is Simms problem ?
Seems like he has love / hate relationship with bucs.
The winningest player in all 4 major sports just came to the losing franchise in all 4 major sports and took them to a championship in year one
And he is ranked 10. And was ranked 15 this past year
Shame on simms.
June 16th, 2021 at 8:38 am
Like Kentucky Buc mentioned, it’s part of Sims’ act. Sims, Sharpe, and Kellerman know Brady is the GOAT, but they know that to stay relevant they have to play the part of professional hater. It’s like professional wrestling, they need a gimmick to stay employed.
June 16th, 2021 at 8:42 am
The sickening part is Simms giving reasons for Brady improving other than the fact that his receivers could actually get open in 2020. As far as the toughness thing goes I’ll take Michael Strahans opinion over Simms. You know, someone who actually played against him.
June 16th, 2021 at 9:00 am
I can’t find much to argue with Simms’ analysis…….when you take a top 10 QB & match him up with a top 5 offense & top 5 defense….you have a winning combination.
June 16th, 2021 at 9:03 am
Brady is an anomoly…..which is what guys like Simms struggle with when it comes to analyzing his game. They are looking for traditional signs of breaking down at the position…..uneasiness in the pocket, fall off in arm strength, injuries, etc. I believe that approach of analysis is historically accurate…..and one day will be the case, but for now, Brady is playing at a high level. This comes on a season where he wasn’t 100% healthy yet showed no signs of concern about his injury.
Also, these guys act like there’s only a few QBs that can will their teams to victory. If that’s the case, why did Mahomes get shut out from the endzone in the SB? Why did Rodgers fall short of even making it there? I said this with Winston many times, winning is the only stat that counts and Brady wins at an ultra high level consistently….no matter where he goes.
June 16th, 2021 at 9:11 am
We’re talking about the guy who has another guy’s initials on his leg.
June 16th, 2021 at 9:13 am
Losing a spleen must cloud your judgment.
June 16th, 2021 at 9:15 am
One more thing about Sims: I very strongly suspect he was acting as Kyle Shanahan’s stooge in spreading that false rumor that the 49ers were going to take Mac Jones. If you trace the genesis of that rumor, it all started with Sims. Shanahan didn’t want the Jets to reconsider taking Zach Wilson, so he had his friend Sims spread the rumor that the 49ers were in love with Mac Jones. It was preposterous, but Sims helped start the rumor and gave it traction.
That’s all you need to know about Sims. A professional journalist would never compromise his trust with the public by playing the part of a stooge… but then Sims isn’t professional.
June 16th, 2021 at 9:17 am
If I was predicting for 2021, it would be top five. Tom is still looking extremely sharp but with OTA this year. He got 40 TD and 4,600 yards in the historical year of 2020. We’re not talking career Brady. He doesn’t have anything outside the pocket? Fourth in least sacks allowed. It’s all good. Brady thrives on the underdog sh!t so he’ll take 10.
June 16th, 2021 at 9:17 am
Ridiculous to not have Brady in the top 3
June 16th, 2021 at 9:27 am
The game against Atlanta was the turning point, and it was something that I mentioned this morning in another thread. The second half of that game was when the Tampa Bay offense suddenly morphed into Brady’s New England offense. You saw receivers in motion, and short to intermediate passes that forced the defenses into defending the first two levels of the field. Defenses compressed, setting Tampa Bay up for longer pass plays.
Sims knows that, he’s being disingenuous so that people like us talk about him.
June 16th, 2021 at 9:35 am
Chris Simms: “Unwillingness to stand there in the pocket. Take hits and do things in order to throw the ball down the field.”
♦️This is coming from the guy who “stood there” and lost a spleen for his trouble.
♦️Where I come from , a qb gets credit for avoiding hits, not taking them.
♦️The last QB who was focused on getting the ball downfield netted the Bucs 1 winning season in 5.
Go home Simms…. You’re drunk.
June 16th, 2021 at 9:54 am
Put Brady on Greenbay. Buffalo. New Orleans. Kansas City……instant favorites to win Superbowl. Just to name a few. GO BUCS
June 16th, 2021 at 9:57 am
Swampbuc
Good one! 😂
June 16th, 2021 at 10:01 am
“Unwillingness to stand there in the pocket”
That is funny.Brady gets the the ball out super fast and if his good line doesn’t show up he places the ball perfectly in the dirt.
June 16th, 2021 at 10:02 am
For a 40 plus year old QB to be considered a top 10 QB with zero mobility is AMAZING and a testament to the player. Bucs have NEVER had a QB who would be considered top 10 at their position.
I wouldn’t take this as a slight at all.
June 16th, 2021 at 10:06 am
Simms just lost me as a reader of any future articles.
Dumbest take of the year so far by any talking head.
Bye Chris.
June 16th, 2021 at 10:23 am
Sorry Chris but mr 7 rings at 10 means you dead wrong. Even before Brady came to Tampa everyone knows he’s the best QB in the game right now. Yes better than mahomie n Lamar. Those guys are good but they ain’t got 7 rings. I know mahomie has 1. Still ain’t 7.
June 16th, 2021 at 10:29 am
Talking heads looking for headlines.
A few problems.
Brady didn’t change, he changed a team. A team that had seen defeat pulled from the jaws of victory for years.
Atlanta wasn’t so much a turning point as a coming together, a getting on the same page. Brady finally figured out what riches he had and how to get them from the box.
To me, the Stupor Bowl settled how far a mobile QB can go, a QB’s best asset is still accuracy tied to decision making. Brady is tops on that.
June 16th, 2021 at 10:39 am
TB is better right now at his age than Simms or his old man ever hoped to be.
June 16th, 2021 at 10:53 am
Where Chris Simms would rate on the list of QB raters? My guess would be at or near the bottom.
June 16th, 2021 at 10:54 am
*Where would Chris Simms rate*
June 16th, 2021 at 11:10 am
Tom Brady: 10 Superbowl appearances and 7 titles.
Chris Simms: n/a
Mic drop.
June 16th, 2021 at 11:17 am
Simms still is wearing Brady derangement glasses and seeing something else other then the ACTUAL RESULTS.
After MahomeBoy it is Brady.
Even though Brady is 2-0 in Post season against MahomeBoy lol
Sorry A Rodgers, you come after the 7 Ring GOAT.
Every other QB is playing for 4th place
GO BIG BAD AZZ WORLD CHAMPION BRADY LED BUCS!!!!!
June 16th, 2021 at 11:18 am
Gofor2:
Brady leads Simms in Super Bowl victories 7-0.
However Simms leads Brady in “Spleens lost” 1-0.
June 16th, 2021 at 12:15 pm
Aww, Simms is still pissed about his damn spleen.
Plus The abuse Gruden heaped on him
He should be pissed that he didnt inherit any of his old man’s QB skills.
Brady is the best QB in the game today.
And last year
And Ever! Never been anyone better.
Simms is an empty head, playing Ed MacMahan for Mike Florio
June 16th, 2021 at 12:38 pm
Simms is a classic example of a horse shiff media turd.
June 16th, 2021 at 3:08 pm
Take a beating like Cam Newton? Please. Cam is a shell of himself from taking a beating. Brady has a lot more years under his belt and is in better physical health then Cam.
On Mahomes, what happens when he can’t scramble as much? Same thing as Vic and all the other gadget scramblers. Cam – same thing.
June 16th, 2021 at 4:15 pm
May I am following nfl quite lately (from about 2008-09) since coming in US from other country but I had to goole to see achievements of Chris Simms
June 16th, 2021 at 5:08 pm
Brady proves every time that physical prowess should not be the litmus test for QB’s. ie: Mahomes, Jackson, et al. Tom’s high intelligence and superior decision making (oh. And also a never die WINNING attitude) prove he is the G.O.A.T. And will always be!!!
June 16th, 2021 at 5:32 pm
Man, I like Chris Simms, but between his receiver rankings and now putting Brady at only ten for quarterbacks, I may have to start lumping him in with the idiots at PFF. Only Mahomes, Rodgers, and Wilson have any legitimate claim of being better than Brady at this time. C’mon Chris, you are better than this dude.
June 16th, 2021 at 5:35 pm
I’d put him somewhere between 4 and 7.
June 16th, 2021 at 6:13 pm
As coach BA said of Kyle Trask we pick a QB to throw the ball not run THE ball ! TB leads the team,makes good decisions (most of the time)plays at a discount
so the team can afford other good players,40 TDs,4600 passing yards,8 straight wins,SB WIINNER! and he’s barely top 10? Simms is jealous
June 17th, 2021 at 1:52 am
Simms acts like a jealous loser
June 17th, 2021 at 9:06 am
All I can say to Chris Simms, if Brady ranks 10th. Where the hell did you rank? GO BUCS!
June 17th, 2021 at 10:11 am
Chris Simms baffles me.
Football is a connected ecosystem.
All parts of a team work together.
I would expect a former player such as Simms to understand this, but it is obvious from his expert analysis that he does not.
That explains why he was a 3rd round bust of a pick for the Bucs.
When you draft in the 3rd round you need that pick to hit and be a starter, like Dean, Godwin, Ronde, Dwight Smith, Donnie Abraham, etc… for your team to be good. Routinely busting in the 3rd round usually means your team is no good.
Sadly, Simms was no 3rd round pick like Ronde or Godwin. Simms < Glennon.
Simms was a bust.
The Bucs have a great offensive line. Wirfs, Jensen and Marpet are some of the best in the business at their respective positions.
Evan’s, Godwin, AB, and Gronk are weapons a defense must respect.
Our running game has to be respected with ROJO and Super Lenny running behind a great offensive line.
Tom Brady is the GOAT. If you show blitz he will check into the right play more often than not.
Our offense with how good the weapons are, the OLINE and GOAT will cause the defense to be in base and thinking and reading.
The kind of defense that will give the Bucs offense a tough matchup is one that can rush 4 and drop 7. The front 4 must be wild dogs that put fear into an offense.
The Bucs defense has that with our front 4. The 49ers, when healthy, have that with their front 4.
Two of the Super Bowl favorites in the Chiefs and Packers don’t have that kind of DLINE.
That’s why those defenses did not give the Bucs a problem in the playoffs.
Whoever lined up on Wirfs was dominated. Marpet and Jensen were beasts as well. Those things allow the offense to help on the backside.
Unless a defense has a Shaq, JPP, Suh and Vea front four the Buc’s team offense
will dictate to the other team’s defense.
Because of all of that, the Bucs offense will be more productive this season with continued continuity by retaining all of their starters.
Because of that, Brady will have a great season.
June 17th, 2021 at 11:03 am
Brady proved again he is number one WHEN IT MATTERS MOST. Simms is not a bright guy.