Hart Surgery: A Eulogy For Chris Simms

By: Micah Hart

I want to hate him. Every inch of my bones as a Texas fan tells me to hate him, to curse the day he signed with Texas. He has come to the plate so many times, men in scoring position, so many times, and so many times he has struck out. I hated him for Oklahoma last year. I hated him for Colorado last year. I want to hate him for Oklahoma this year. Another game played, another missed opportunity. Texas has become second fiddle- McMahon to Oklahoma’s Carson. And I want to blame Simms for what befell on the gridiron battlefield Saturday. But I can’t.Oh sure, I can blame him some. His “A” game, so often reserved for the Baylors and Rices of the world, was once again missing. His cannon arm was again short on ammunition, his throws a little too short, a little too long, a little too much of the time. Yet, the interceptions were not what they were a year ago. There were no picks to make you say “Simms!” like so many other times. As much
as you want to, you cannot blame this game squarely on Simms.

The true blame, of course, belongs to the Texas football coaching staff. Watching Texas play in big games is like watching the movie Titanic- you already know the ending before the game even starts. Simms has been handcuffed in both of the two most recent losses to Oklahoma by the most conservative play calling since England gave Germany the Sudetenland.

As has been said now by many, Texas seems to play “not to lose” in big games. Whereas you can count on Oklahoma pulling out a bunch of new wrinkles, it seems the Longhorns have a playbook roughly the size of your average Super Tecmo Bowl team. The coaching was unimaginative, uninventive, uninspiring. It cost Texas this game. It has cost the team others. And it may be what has given Simms his
legacy.

Make no mistake- this season is not over. There are big games left, still revenge to be had. Next week is Kansas State, a team Texas has not beaten since it joined the Big 12. There is Nebraska, a team that embarrassed Texas in the 1999 Big 12 Championship. There is always Texas A&M. And Simms could beat them all. Handily. And it will make no difference.

The final gun at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday sealed Simms’ fate. Signing Day 1998 is a faded memory, out the window of missed opportunities. Simms was the most heralded recruit in UT history, and now may leave as its most reviled player. Want a bright side? His battle with fan-favorite Major Applewhite made the water cooler the place to be. Other than that, it is hard to find much more
positive to say, at least about his performance on the field. Simms played great against the lesser teams, but that’s like saying Michael Jackson might have fared well on “American Idol.”

This is Chris Simms’ lasting impression. It is hard to imagine a more likeable kid. No one disputes that. At the same time, it is hard to imagine a bigger disappointment. He was handed the keys to the kingdom, but the castle sank into the swamp. Whether you agree or disagree that the losses in big games are his fault, one thing is clear. He never raised the level of his game, never had a positive defining moment in his four years on the Forty Acres. Did that have to do with the coaching? Most definitely. But unfortunately for him, the context of his career will fade with time. His numbers will not. He will be remembered as a choker. Fair or not, that is how he’ll be remembered.

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Micah Hart is an original contributor to the CSR, and works in sports media in Atlanta. Micah can be reached at micahbhart@yahoo.com. He reminds you to Hook 'em Horns.

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