Phil Simms

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Phil Simms
Date of birth	November 3, 1955
Place of birth	Louisville, Kentucky
Position(s)	Quarterback
College	Morehead State
NFL Draft	1979 / Round 1/ Pick 7
Pro Bowls	2
Statistics	Pro Football Reference DatabaseFootball
Team(s)
1979-1993	New York Giants

Phillip Martin Simms (born November 3, 1955, in Lebanon, Kentucky) is a former quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League and currently a television sportscaster for the CBS network. He is also the father of Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Chris Simms.

[edit] Early Life and NFL Career

Simms grew up in Louisville and started his NFL career when drafted out of Morehead State University, in the first round of the 1979 NFL Draft, by the New York Giants.

Before the 1979 NFL Draft, Bill Walsh, who was the new coach of the San Francisco 49ers, flew to Morehead State with Assistant Coach Sam Wyche to workout Simms. Walsh was so impressed with the young quarterback that he planned to draft Phil in the 3rd round. But on Draft Day, the New York Giants made Simms their first round pick. When Simms' name was announced by commissioner Pete Rozelle, his selection was booed loudly by Giants fans, something he would get used to in his early Giant years.

Simms won his first four starts of his rookie year. He later had some growing pains but still led the team to a 6-4 record as a starter, throwing for 1,743 yards and 13 touchdown passes and was named to the NFL-All Rookie Team. According to his 1981 Topps card, he was runner-up in 1979 for Rookie of the Year, losing out to future teammate, Ottis Anderson.

His next four years were marred by injuries. During the 1980 NFL season, Simms separated his shoulder against the Washington Redskins in Week 13 and was out for the remaining games. Simms suffered a torn knee ligament in a preseason game against the New York Jets, preventing him from playing the entire 1982 NFL season. During the 6th game of the Giants' 1983 Season, Simms came in to replace struggling starter Scott Brunner against the Philadelphia Eagles. On his second drive, Simms suffered a season-ending injury when the thumb on his throwing hand hit a player's helmet on his follow-through. The injury was reported as a dislocation, but according to the Dick Schaap book, "Simms to McConkey", the injury was much more severe, with the thumb literally hanging off after impact, with the bone sticking out through the skin.

In 1984, after many seasons plagued by injuries and a less than stellar offensive supporting cast, Simms finally emerged as a team offensive leader. He passed for 4,044 yards(2nd most in NFC) and 22 touchdown passes and led the Giants to a playoff berth. The next year, he passed for 3,829 yards and 22 touchdown passes and led the Giants to 10 victories, the most for a Giants team since 1963. In a game against the Cincinnati Bengals during the 1985 season, Simms passed for 513 yards, which is the 5th most passing yards in a single game in NFL History. In 1986, he passed for 3,487 yards and 21 touchdown passes in a memorable season for the Giants as they won 14 games. 1 of those 14 wins came at a Giants-Vikings game, in a game that Simms says was his favorite game. He completed a key fourth down pass late in the game to set up a game-winning field goal that gave the Giants a 22-20 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

Many consider Simms' performance in Super Bowl XXI, when the Giants met the Denver Broncos, to be the best ever played by a quarterback. Although the Giants had a legendary defense, their offense was matched by John Elway and the Broncos. Despite that, Simms went 22 for 25 for 268 yards, setting a Super Bowl record for accuracy and passer rating with a rating of 150.9. In addition, he threw 3 touchdown passes. His record for passer rating was not just a Super Bowl record, it was also an NFL postseason record.

Two of the most famous plays from the game were the flea flicker to Phil McConkey, and the touchdown pass caught by McConkey off of the fingertips of Giants tight end, Mark Bavaro. The Giants defeated the Broncos 39-20, and Simms was named MVP. He is credited for being the first to use the phrase "I'm going to Disneyland!"/"I'm going to Walt Disney World Resort!" following a championship victory. (Disney produces two versions of each TV commercial.)

Simms performed well in the strike-shortened 1987 NFL season, finishing with the 2nd highest quarterback rating in the NFC. In 1990 he had one of his finest seasons, leading the NFC with the highest quarterback rating(92.7). But his season was cut short due to a broken foot suffered in the 14th game against the Giants' eventual Super Bowl opponent, the Buffalo Bills. While this injury may have prevented a Pro Bowl selection that season, Simms was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1985 and 1993. In 1985 he earned the honor of Pro Bowl MVP. Simms was unable to participate in the 1993 Pro Bowl, due to lingering injuries. He had started all 16 games that season, being one of only seven quarterbacks to do so. He underwent shoulder surgery after the 1993 NFL Season to repair a torn labrum. The surgery was successful, and team doctor Russell F. Warren's prognosis for recovery was excellent, expecting Simms to be ready in time for training camp. But later during that offseason following a 1993 Pro Bowl season, Simms was released by the Giants. He subsequently decided to retire.

Phil Simms was part of two Super Bowl championship teams. In his 14 seasons with the Giants, Simms completed 2,576 out of 4,647 passes for 33,462 yards and 199 touchdowns. He added 349 carries for 1,252 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns on the ground. Simms owns many of the New York Giants passing records, along with Kerry Collins. Sports Illustrated considered him to be the "Most Underrated Quarterback in NFL History" in their August 27th, 2001 issue entitled, "The Most Overrated and Underrated".

[edit] Retirement and Announcing Career

After his retirement as a player in 1994, Simms went on to join NBC's lead broadcast crew, teaming with Dick Enberg and Paul Maguire on that network's coverage of Super Bowl XXX and Super Bowl XXXII. In 1998 he moved to CBS, teaming first with Greg Gumbel and currently with Jim Nantz on the lead broadcast team. He is a legend in the minds of Giants fans, and his jersey #11 has been retired by the team. Since he has been retired for more than 5 years, he is eligible for selection into the Pro Football Hall of Fame; he has yet to be inducted, however.

Prior to the 2006 election campaign, some bloggers suggested that Simms seek the Republican nomination for U.S. Senator from New Jersey, comparing his appeal to former New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley. The entry of Thomas Kean, Jr. to the 2006 senate race ended this speculation.

Phil is married to Diana, and they have three children: Chris Simms, Deirdre and Matthew.