[vincesanity82]

Bucs quarterback Chris Simms might be among the final roster cuts in Tampa.

The problem seems to be the lingering effects of Simms' splenectomy. But coach Jon Gruden would never admit that, because to do so would set the stage for a grievance if/when Simms is released.

Simms had participated in only six snaps in the preseason, but will play more in the finale on Thursday night. Cynics might suspect that Gruden is merely using the guy he already plans to release to chew up reps in the final meaningless game, allowing him to avoid exposing to injury the pass-throwers who will be on the regular-season depth chart.

Why do we think that Gruden likely will cut Simms? Because Gruden actually has said -- apparently with a straight face -- that he might keep four quarterbacks on the final 53-man roster.

"We're going to try to keep our best players, so I won't say we wouldn't do that," Gruden said, according to the St. Petersburg Times. "We're going to keep our best players, and certainly we've got some good quarterbacks."

"The troublesome part has not been so much his injuries, it's been the performance of three other guys, too," Gruden said. "We're going to weigh all of that, and we're not going to let a good quarterback just get out of here. We have a lot of respect for him. He struggled in his last four starts. I think he had nine interceptions in his last four starts and lost them all."

Hey, Coach, if Simms struggled in his last four starts, why in the hell did you give him a two-year, $7 million contract in the offseason? And might his struggles have something to do with the fact that your 2006 offensive line has consisted of matadors, turnstiles, and windmills?

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[Lefty Noob]

From what I'm hearing, it's all but a done deal. This will be his last game with the Bucs, but I doubt very seriously he'll be out of work for long.

[azrael492]

Was there ever a doubt that he was on his way out of Tampa. With all the QBs on their roster, he should have seen it coming.

[vincesanity82]

So what did we learn today class, thats right, when you play your hardest for your team when the games on the line and your spleen bursts, you get released from the team..