Phil Simms is angry. He is upset that Steve Young dared to question the "mental toughness" of his son, Chris Simms.
Some background: Phil Simms is a big-time football analyst at CBS, and was once a Super Bowl-winning QB with the NY Giants. Steve Young is a football commentator with ESPN, and was once a Super Bowl-winning QB with the San Francisco 49ers. And Chris Simms is the current starting QB of the 7-3 Tampa Bay Bucs.
Here is the story from the USA Today:
CBS sportscaster Phil Simms blasted ESPN's Steve Young on Monday as a football dilettante who shouldn't question the physical or mental toughness of his son Chris Simms, quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.The war of words between the former Super Bowl MVPs erupted after Young, appearing on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown, questioned whether Chris Simms had the "mental toughness" to handle the "information overload" of the NFL after growing up in a "laissez-faire" atmosphere."
"When you follow football one day a week it's hard to know much what is going on," Simms said about Young.
Usually in this sort of situation, there is a good guy and a bad guy. You know, someone must have stepped over the line, been intentionally antagonistic, etc.
But I just don't see that in this case. I don't think either of them is the bad guy.
Phil Simms is merely sticking up for his son. That's exactly what any decent father would do. Sure, he may have gone overboard a bit, and been a bit too defensive, but that just goes to show how emotionally-invested he is in his son's career. So, I lose no respect for Phil Simms.
And Steve Young was just doing his job. He's a football analyst for ESPN, after all. He's also a former QB. Of course he is going to offer his opinions, some of them critical, on the starting QBs of various NFL teams. His comments were simply his own informed opinion of a particular NFL quarterback.
Article comments
1 - Matthew T. Sussman
If I recall correctly, Little Simms was criticized as far back as his days at Texas. Farther still, he was blasted by the media for being an inconsistent embryo.
2 - Phillip Winn
One day an embyro, the next day a fetus. He deserved the criticism!
3 - RJ
You might note that, while I semi-dissed Chris Simms in this post, I did pick the Bucs to beat the Bears on my NFL Picks post...
4 - Dale
Please note ... Chris Simms could never win tough games at Texas. Looks good against easy teams but when was tough ... lost big time. Young was right.
5 - WJ
Please note Chris Simms is 2-0 since Mr. Young's comments and the Buccaneers are making quite a drive toward the playoffs.
6 - Susan Lindelien
PHIL SIMMS MAY HAVE BEEN A GOOD QB..BUT HIS COMMENTATING IS TO BE LESS DESIRABLE..HE SEEMS TO HAVE HIS MIND MADE UP BEFORE THE GAME..LIKE SOME OF THE OTHER COMMENTATORS..THEY ALL SEEM TO HAVE THERE FAVORITES...I THINK THAT IS VERY WRONG...THEY NEED TO BE LESS BIAS ABOUT TEAMS THEY ARE COMMENTATING...