NFL veteran quarterbacks Chris Simms and Tim Rattay are headed to Kansas City Monday evening and expected to workout for the Chiefs sometime on Tuesday…

Both Simms and Rattay were rumored to be at the top of the list in New England for the Patriots to step onto their roster for the injured Tom Brady.  But Chiefs sources say both quarterbacks left Foxboro without being offered a deal.  It sounds like the Patriots must have something else working behind the scenes.

Let’s go, Chiefs. We’ve got to sign Simms here. Rattay is 31 with limited upside. It’s not rocket science.

Meanwhile, free-agent quarterback Chris Simms is scheduled to arrive in New England Monday morning for a workout and a physical, Schefter reports. If all goes well, Simms could be a Patriot by the end of the day. Kansas City and Tennessee, each of whom had quarterbacks suffer significant injuries on Sunday, also have contacted Simms.

One would think Kansas City would be Simms’ best chance for locking up a long-term starting job, but is it? Think about it…if he goes to New England and puts together a helluva season with all those weapons they have, he’d suddenly be a hot commodity heading into next offseason. On the other hand, maybe he’s looking for a longer deal and guaranteed money. We might be his best option if that is the case. It’s getting very interesting…

If the Chiefs are also looking for a quarterback–and we should be, dammit!–the Pats might have first pick. Sucks…

(hat tip: Reiss’s Pieces)

Well, we already had one insane, angry outburst by a commenter. He’s probably shooting up a Wendy’s right now. Issues. By the way, going on a Michael “Kramer” Richardsesque rant on the site and the Addicts–its staff and commenters–will get you banned. I know a lot of you are upset about our Chiefs, but you can vent and still be respectful of your fellow fans (and almost all of you do–thanks!)

Was my score prediction wrong? Absolutely. I have no problem admitting that. I mean, how was I supposed to predict that Tom Brady would finally get hurt after 128 consecutive starts? Especially when I misplaced my magic crystal ball recently? Regardless, the Chiefs damn near took the defending AFC Champs down.

Why didn’t they? The same reason I said the Chiefs would get blown out, and the same reason I still think they will go 4-12 again. That reason: quarterback play. Brodie Croyle has a good arm and he’s a good kid. But I’m not sure he could make it through a 16-minute season, let alone a 16-game season. He’s never going to be a dependable starting QB. This isn’t even about talent, it’s about durability. Like Samuel L. Jackson, the kids call Brodie Croyle “Mr. Glass.” He’s just brittle. I’m not trying to be mean, but there’s no other way to put it. Maybe it should be Brokie (KCMizzou!)?

Meanwhile, Damon Huard is a waste of time. He may give us a better chance to win right now than Croyle or Thigpen, but not by much. I have never seen a more timid, flat-footed QB in my life. He simply does not like to get hit and does not get rid of the ball. It’s “two Mississippi” and tuck with that guy. His progressions are non-existent as well. Way to totally telegraph that pass to Dwayne Bowe, who was smothered by tight double coverage.

I’m being hard on Huard, but here’s the point: we are wasting our time with these two quarterbacks. Damon Huard is a 35-year-old back-up who’s made it painfully clear that he would rather hold a clipboard and get paid than get hit. As for Brodie Croyle, like Woody Allen said, “80 percent of success is showing up.” He is never going to hold up to the physical pounding an NFL QB is subjected to. He is officially an injury-prone QB. Besides, he hasn’t been worth a damn when he’s healthy.

This is exactly why I was preaching that we should add another developmental QB this summer. Don’t even try to bring up Tyler Thigpen–you know better than to go Thiggy Smalls on me. Now we have to bring in another guy, preferably Chris Simms. If we don’t bring someone in at this point and hedge what, at best, is a risky bet on Brodie, we are ginormous morons.

Our quarterbacks cost us this game. They will continue to cost us and hold back our progress until we find a long-term solution. King Carl and the Preacher better get their asses looking for Option B, and do it like yesterday.

More on the game to come…

“They released me,” Simms said in a text message Saturday.

Simms played in three preseason games, completing 19-of-30 passes for 155 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. But he performed well enough to prove to other teams he is fully recovered from the effects of abdominal surgery that forced him to miss nearly all of the past two seasons.

The Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers are expected to have the most interest in signing Simms, who becomes a free agent.

The Cowboys’ backup quarterback is 40-year-old Brad Johnson, Simms’ teammate with the Bucs. The Packers have no experienced quarterback behind starter Aaron Rodgers.

“I really don’t know what’s going to happen,” Simms said. “I’m just going to wait and see.”

You’d have to think that if we were interested, that we’d be a more intriguing option than either the Cowboys or Packers. This is no knock on Croyle, but at this point I think Aaron Rodgers and Tony Romo are more entrenched as thier respective team’s starters. Coming to Kansas City might be Simm’s best shot at earn a starting gig by the end of the season. That is, if we are interested. Again, we should be.

Simms wants out of Tampa Bay. Gruden’s got five quarterbacks and Simms still is No. 5 on his list. Heck, Gruden would probably go out and pick up another quarterback from somewhere else before he keeps Simms.

Nothing has changed between Gruden and Simms, despite a strong showing by the quarterback in Saturday night’s preseason opener. The Bucs still want to unload Simms, who hasn’t played in a regular-season game in 2006 and they’ll continue to showcase him every chance they get.

Look for Simms to get extensive playing time in Sunday night’s second preseason game against New England. The Bucs want to show the rest of the league that Simms is healthy and try to drive up his trade value.

Keep an eye on how the Chiefs‘ quarterbacks play Saturday night, and then to how Simms performs a day later. That should tell us whether we are going to be interested or not.

Anyway, the real news here for Chiefs fans is that the Bucs have a jillion QBs. Why is that news? Because the Chiefs don’t have a good back-up option at quarterback. Tyler Thigpen is short, and he’s a better athlete than quarterback. As for Damon Huard, it became clear to me last season that he prefers holding a clipboard to getting shellacked. Plus, neither player has impressed anyone up in River Falls. The Chiefs need a back-up quarterback, preferably one who has some long-term potential should Brodie Croyle fail.

(more…)

Since the Bucs now have seven quarterbacks and Chris Simms is reportedly healthy and throwing well, who else thinks the Chiefs should consider trading for him? After all, we didn’t draft a quarterback to compete with Brodie Croyle, and Damon Huard looked finished at the end of last season. How much could a trade possibly cost when everybody knows the Bucs have to unload a couple QBs? I mean, they have to. And he might even get cut, which would be even better for us.

This and my 3-4 idea might not happen, but both make some sense to me. Anyway, had to give you something to chat about on my way out the door.

Tell us what you think of Simms in Red and Gold?