RIP Phil Simms

First, let me say that as a New England Patriots fan, I hate all of the network broadcast teams. They fall into two categories for me; the New York Guys and the Beat Guys. The Beat Guys are second- or third-teamers for their network who have gotten used to calling games for the Bills or 49ers. They might as well be beat reporters for the other team. Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts are the perfect Beat Guys. They've called a lot of Dolphins games and almost can't help themselves when they spend the whole game speaking in glowing terms about the players on a team getting beaten by double digits by the Patriots. The New York guys live in or around NYC and in some cases, like Phil Simms, played for one of the New York franchises. Simms and Jim Nantz are the quintessential New York Guys. They can't help but enjoy themselves when the Patriots are losing and get obviously peeved when New England is winning.

So, yeah, I hated - and mocked - Phil Simms. 

He's a New York Guy.



I am going to miss him though. He became an essential part of my Sundays. Like anyone who manages to stick around for any period of time, Simms became a cartoon version of himself but his presence, along with his straight man, Nantz, signaled that the game they were calling was a certifiable BIG GAME. If they were calling the game, it was important. Broncos-Patriots. Steelers-Patriots. Yeah. You knew it was going to be Nantz and Simms.

That Simms would say something stupid was part of the deal but it had reached the point where it was something we expected and looked forward to. Simms wasn't unintentionally funny; he was unintentionally hilarious! 

But okay, I'm not here to bury Phil Simms. Hearing the news that Tony Romo would replace Simms on CBS' #1 NFL broadcast team actually reminded me of one of my fondest pigskin memories of Simms.

It was Tim Tebow's 15 minutes of fame; the playoff game between the Broncos and the Steelers. It's overtime and Tebow drops back to pass and as he's winding up, I could hear Simms, sotto voce say, "He's got him." Simms had picked up Demaryius Thomas breaking in on a 15-yard deep crosser. (That a wide receiver would be running free in the middle of the Steelers' defense should come as no surprise to any New England Patriots' fan, of course.) Tebow threw one of the best passes of his brief NFL career hitting Thomas in stride and he just keep running until he was in the end zone with the game-winning score.

He's got him.

In that moment Phil Simms let his authentic self out; he was a quarterback again. He wasn't performing, he wasn't playing the part of Phil Simms; he was Phil Simms, reading the defense, Tebow's eyes, tapping into the mental muscle memory of a thousand reps from his playing days.

He's got him.

It was a cool moment.

I'm going to miss him.