Tag: Chris Simms

Chris Simms: Caleb Williams is in a class of his own

USC fans who saw Chris Simms talk about Caleb Williams loved it. If you haven’t seen it, you’ll enjoy it.

Chris Simms was part of the Pro Football Talk interview of Caleb Williams at the NFL combine not that long ago. We covered that interview and PFT’s love of Caleb Williams.

It’s clear that Chris Simms is a big fan of Caleb Williams. You will therefore love this video, in which Simms elaborates more on why he thinks Caleb will succeed in the NFL. USC fans should get a lot of enjoyment from this.

We’re all waiting — along with Chris Simms — for the Chicago Bears to trade Justin Fields or make the decision to keep him. The Bears have to make that choice before we know where Caleb Williams will begin his NFL career. The Bears had said a few weeks ago that they would try to deal Fields before the start of NFL free agency. The clock is ticking. There is a sense from some in the NFL community that the trade market for Fields is cold, and that the Bears aren’t getting anything close to the return they expected or hoped for. If that is true, the Bears could reconsider their plans, if indeed they previously wanted to deal Fields. We will see what happens with Caleb Williams.

For now, enjoy Chris Simms discussing the USC superstar:

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2024 NFL draft: Chris Simms comes in with the latest Drake Maye slander

“Drake Maye has a ton of awesome traits, but is still a bit of a project.” Simms ranks Maye 6th among the quarterbacks.

Every year, some in the media world seem to pick one quarterback prospect to nitpick. This year, it’s North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye.

That’s how you know it’s draft season. Maye and LSU’s Jayden Daniels are in contention to likely be the No. 2 overall pick behind Caleb Williams (USC). There’s a chance Maye or Daniels go No. 1, but it’s a slim chance.

At last week’s NFL combine, there was a strong buzz that Maye was behind only Williams. At the end of the combine, the pendulum swung back in Daniels’s favor when Rich Eisen revealed things he’d heard last week in Indianapolis from various defensive coordinators.

Former NFL player Merril Hoge weighed in on Maye, saying he didn’t believe he was a first-round pick.

Former NFL quarterback Chris Simms of NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk has weighed in with his quarterback rankings, and they are interesting.

To Simms’ credit, he’s usually a bit unconventional when he ranks players. Seeing different perspectives and opinions is always good, and Simms provides those.

Without further ado, here are his top six quarterbacks for the 2024 NFL draft.

Here’s a tweet from Simms on his ranking on Maye:

“Drake Maye has a ton of awesome traits, but is still a bit of a project,” Simms said.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. He could be right on Maye. Many could be right on Maye. But calling him a talented project seems like a bit much. While Caleb Williams is the unquestioned No. 1, no passer in this draft has the combination of Maye’s size, arm strength, and tools. He’s had good tape at North Carolina. There has been bad, too.

Two players Maye is often compared to are Josh Allen and Justin Herbert. Those comparisons are unfair for obvious reasons, but you can see why they are made. All have similar size, arm strength and terrific athleticism. They can make every throw on the field but entered the draft with questions.

Allen and Herbert turned out OK.

There is still a long way until the NFL draft. Washington fans should be thankful for having a front office led by Adam Peters that will make the best decision for the franchise. Sure, it may not work, but the process is correct for once. And credit the Commanders for building a coaching staff that is quarterback-centric, featuring offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, assistant head coach Brian Johnson, quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard and assistant quarterback coach David Blough. All four were college starters, and Kingsbury and Blough have NFL playing experience.

If you want to hear Simms discuss the quarterbacks, it’s available on his podcast at this link.

Buckle up. There’s still a long way to go until April 27 in Detroit.

Chris Simms’ 2024 NFL Draft QB rankings are here, and Drake Maye is pretty low

Chris Simms’ annual NFL Draft QB rankings are here.

Chris Simms — himself a former NFL QB — has an annual tradition: he ranks the quarterbacks heading into the NFL Draft every year.

The fun part is that his list usually stirs up a lot of chatter on social media — back in 2021 he had Zach Wilson ahead of Trevor Lawrence (oops), but in 2020 he had Joe Burrow head of Justin Herbert, Jordan Love and Tua Tagovalioa (pretty good!). You get the idea.

This time around? He’s gone with Caleb Williams at No. 1, Jayden Daniels in Tier 2, then Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr. and J.J. McCarthy.

Where’s Drake Maye, the top pick in our latest NFL mock draft from Christian D’Andrea? Sixth!

What say you?

Make sure to check out the latest NFL mock draft from ourchris simmsChristian D’Andrea, and the full first-round order for the draft in April.

Chris Simms ‘a little shocked’ Commanders gave Dan Quinn a second chance so quickly

Former NFL quarterback criticizes Dan Quinn hire.

Chris Simms is not a big fan of the Commanders hiring Dan Quinn as head coach.

The Pro Football Talk host and former Tampa Bay Bucs quarterback provided J.P. Finlay of NBC Sports Washington a couple of minutes to discuss the Commanders’ two major offseason moves.

Simms told Finlay: “I am a big fan of Adam Peters, obviously. I mean, he learned a little football in New England, goes to San Francisco, a part of some great regimes there. Not only did he have some of those things in place, but he got to see Kyle (Shanahan) and John Lynch do it at a team that’s kind of been at the pinnacle of football here, or at least close to it the last four or five years.”

“I’d be lying to you if I tell you I’m super-excited about the Dan Quinn hire. The first thing is I am not a big fan of hiring people within the division. ‘Oh, we’re going to hire a guy that just worked with one of our archrivals.’

“That, to me, is an ‘advantage Cowboys’ in that department. You know, Dan has done a really good job on the defensive side of the ball with the Dallas Cowboys. But you know, all in all, I am a little shocked that he has gotten a second chance this quickly.”

“I mean, barely above .500 with the Falcons. I thought the best thing they did with that football team was having Kyle Shanahan as the offensive coordinator. It kind of fell apart after that, right?”

“He’s a defensive coach, they had a 28-3 lead. Shanahan gets blamed for some reason. Dan Quinn, who coached the defense, was supposed to stop that.”

“From the things I know and the people out there it feels certainly that Ben Johnson was choice one. It feels like Mike Macdonald was choice number two, and then it got to Dan Quinn, right?”

“But listen, I know this isn’t personal; it’s a tough thing about my job. I’m trying to be honest and give you that. Yeah, it doesn’t mean it won’t work. It  doesn’t mean maybe I am wrong about what I am sayin’, right?”

“Dan Quinn has shown me he evolved a little bit defensively from Atlanta to Dallas. Now maybe he will show me he has evolved a little bit as a head coach.”

 

Chris Simms believes Nick Mullens should start after bye

One former quarterback believed that Mullens should be the starter coming out of the bye week

The Josh Dobbs story has been one of the more unlikely ones in the NFL this season. But that story may be coming to an end when the Minnesota Vikings return from their bye week. Dobbs and the Vikings have lost two straight after a five-game win streak, and Dobbs has struggled mightily in each. At least one analyst believes Nick Mullens should be at the helm when the Vikings next take the field.

During a segment on Pro Football Talk with Mike Florio, analyst and former NFL quarterback Chris Simms expressed that he believes Nick Mullens should be the guy — if healthy — for the Vikings moving forward.

Simms points out that, while the Dobbs story has been a great one, now that teams have some film on him and have seen what he’s capable of, the flaws are starting to show themselves. He goes on to say there’s a reason Dobbs is a backup and has been with multiple teams in his career.

Mullens has been designated to return to the team after spending time on IR with a concussion. The team could also turn to rookie Jaren Hall, who was initially planned to take over for Kirk Cousins after his Achilles injury, but left his first game early with a concussion of his own.

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Chris Simms was rightfully blasted for suggesting NFL defenders should headhunt Jalen Hurts

What on Earth is Chris Simms talking about?

The Philadelphia Eagles “tush push” has turned into one of the most controversial play calls in some time, to the point where it’s already getting a new moniker in the “Brotherly Shove” because of how well Philly runs it.

If you’re not familiar with the play, it’s the Eagles’ signature goal-line quarterback sneak where Jalen Hurts lunges forward for the touchdown while a Philadelphia blocker gives him a shove in the back to ensure the forward momentum.

Hence, the “tush push” or “Brotherly Shove,” or whatever nickname suits your fancy.

As you can see below, the team ran it successfully against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football this week on 4th-and-goal.

Well, NBC Sports’ Chris Simms, no stranger to controversy, chimed in from the side of the aisle who do not feel that the unique quarterback sneak should be legal because of the alleged advantage that the runner gets with a favorable block in the back.

Simms went as far on-air to suggest that opposing teams should try to, metaphorically speaking, “kill the quarterback” to stop the “tush push.”

“If I was a defensive coach, I’d be going, ‘Go headhunting on the quarterback here. Go ahead. Let ’em have it. Dive over. Go crazy. Try to kill the quarterback.’ That’s what I would do,” Simms said.

He quickly pulled back on his rhetoric (amid backtracking from co-host Mike Florio) by saying he didn’t actually mean they should literally kill the quarterback on a “tush push,” as opposed to “[making] him pay” and “think twice about doing it.”

But still… what on Earth, dude?

Metaphor or not, it’s still a ridiculously ugly look for Simms to advocate for anyone to specifically target another player because how they try to score a touchdown.

If you want to stop the “tush push,” maybe scheme up a way to stop it like a normal NFL defensive coordinator would instead of trying to put the quarterback on injured reserve for goodness sake.

NFL fans rightfully let Simms have it for this absurd take.

Former NFL QB: Commanders have ‘potential to be scary’ with Sam Howell at quarterback

More love for Sam Howell and Washington’s offensive potential.

Former NFL quarterback Chris Simms, who now works for NBC Sports, admittedly wasn’t too high on Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell earlier this offseason.

It wasn’t that Simms didn’t think Howell could play, but he had questions. Fair enough. When he ranked the NFL’s top 40 quarterbacks, he ranked Howell No. 39 and acknowledged Howell could make him look silly.

Earlier this week on Pro Football Talk, Simms and Mike Florio were reviewing the Week 1 NFL preseason slate when their attention turned to the Commanders’ game against the Browns.

Howell, who was nine of 12 with 77 yards and a touchdown, was a popular topic to discuss for Simms.

He came away impressed.

“Played well in the first outing of the year,” Simms said. “Looked good, looked comfortable.”

More from Simms.

“This is what I like about Howell. One, he’s got a good natural feel for the game. Where to move in the pocket. ‘Oh, wait, this guy might be open; I’m going to hold the ball for a half-second longer to get the 20-yard completion.’ And then what you heard the players talk about. Look at that, even the movement in the pocket there. Those are the things I really like about him. He’s a natural that way.”

Simms believes Washington’s offense has the potential to be very good with Howell under center.

“And then what you heard the guys talk about, he can throw the ball down the field. And with the weapons they have and [OC Eric] Bieniemy calling that offense, we know they want to throw the ball down the field. So that’s where it was a positive for sure………He looked really good for his first outing. Looked very comfortable. And that offense has got some potential to be scary if he can really get a grasp of it and take advantage of what Bieniemy coaches there.”

Simms and Florio praised Bieniemy as the perfect offensive coordinator to develop Howell. Simms also said how much he loves Washington’s receivers, running backs and tight ends, and believes the offensive line has improved.

Two areas of concern for Simms were Howell’s “slow release” and “not a lot of different arm angles.”

Clearly, Simms spoke before this happened during Wednesday’s practice with the Ravens.

 

NFL fans slammed Chris Simms for downplaying Deshaun Watson’s sexual misconduct lawsuits

Chris Simms got some serious criticism for this.

NBC football commentator Chris Simms got plenty of criticism for the way he discussed Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson’s disturbing past allegations.

Ahead of Thursday night’s kickoff to the NFL preseason between the Browns and the New York Jets, Simms discussed Watson’s upcoming season and how he might play in his second year with the franchise.

Of course, Watson’s NFL career cannot be discussed without mentioning his outrageously troubling scandal that saw 20-plus women come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct or assault.

MORE: Year 1 of the Deshaun Watson trade was a failure for the Browns

The Browns trading for Watson had plenty of understandable outcry, and it dominated any headlines that followed the quarterback last season as he served an 11-game suspension for what the NFL described as “predatory behavior.”

Well, Watson’s 2023 season has now kicked off with Simms describing the quarterback’s history of allegations as “some issues.”

Some issues? Some issues?! There just comes a point where you can actively see the water-carrying for Watson here, one that keeps NFL fans from having to deal with the fact that an alleged sexual predator is on their television.

Simms really should be aware that this just completely misses the mark with how sports media figures should discuss Watson’s past, especially when it’s still so fresh on the minds of so many who follow the NFL.

As you’d imagine, plenty of people took issue with how Simms talked about Watson’s continuously shameful history of allegations.

Aaron Rodgers checks in at No. 8 on Chris Simms’ top-40 list

Where do you rank Aaron Rodgers among quarterbacks?

One of the highlights of each NFL offseason is the top 40 quarterbacks list from NBC Sports’ Chris Simms. Needless to say, this year’s version is much more appealing to Jets’ fans than last year’s.

Last year’s edition saw the Jets enter with Zach Wilson, who Simms ranked as the 22nd-best quarterback in the league. Now, the Jets have a top-ten quarterback in the eyes of Simms, as Aaron Rodgers checks in at No. 8 on the list. In other shocking news, Wilson didn’t even crack the top 40 this time around. Surprise, surprise.

As of this writing, Simms has revealed up to No. 5 on the list, that being Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson. The other quarterbacks ahead of Rodgers to this point are the Eagles’ Jalen Hurts and the Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence. By process of elimination from looking at the list, we can venture the top four quarterbacks, in some order, are Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow.

In any event, after last season’s fiasco, having a quarterback anywhere near the top of any ranking is a pleasant welcome for Jets fans.

Chris Simms still thinks highly of Browns QB Deshaun Watson

As Chris Simms counts down to number one of his quarterback rankings he has the #Browns passer in the top 10 of his list.

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NBC Sports NFL analyst Chris Simms has begun his annual top 40 quarterback rankings as training camp draws closer. Some are unsure where to rank Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson after the struggles he had in the final six games returning from suspension last season. Simms believes that his struggles were from rust and not diminished skills and that he will bounce back.

The Browns should be inclined to believe that Simms is correct, and after a full offseason without a looming suspension, Cleveland is hopeful that Watson will make them legitimate contenders. He has already shown off some impressive throws in OTAs, and with a mandatory minicamp coming up soon in Berea, it seems that the talented signal-caller is on the rise.

If the Browns want to compete seriously for a title in 2023, they will need Watson to prove Simms correct and play at a superstar-caliber level over the course of Cleveland’s grueling 17-game schedule.

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