How Can Simms Be 'Blindsided' By CBS' Romo Hire?
By: Mike Fisher
FRISCO (105.3 The Fan) - Tony Romo is now part of the CBS family, bumping Phil Simms from the position at the head of the table. And Simms' actual family is upset about it.
"You can't sit there as a normal person who's evaluated this and seen it happen before and go, 'They handled it like professionals,'" Chris Simms said via his podcast, noted on Bleacher Report. "It's been out there rumored for two weeks. I had to tell my dad first before CBS or anybody because I found out from an NFL insider.
"I forwarded the text message that I was sent and it basically said, 'Hey, listen, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Romo's being offered your dad's job on CBS. That sucks, I'm sorry.' And my dad was in Barbados, and I had to forward the text message to him to let him know."
It certainly does "suck'' to lose a job — though actually, Simms is being demoted from his post as the lead color analyst for CBS, not fired. And Chris, a University of Texas product and like his famous dad a former NFL quarterback, is right to be supportive of his father.
But …
*Hiring and firing is part of the deal, in football and in media. At some point, Phil Simms took somebody else's job as a Giants QB. And then took somebody's job as a network analyst.
"That's just not what you do to a good, hard-working employee that's been for 20 years been kind of the face of your football station,'' Chris said, and indeed, while it has been a 20-year run, Simms' critics have long pondered how he's lasted so long.
*Chris said his dad is "not complaining.'' Which is true, to this point. But why should he complain publicly when he's enjoying Barbados, remains employed by the network and has his son to do the public complaining for him?
*Chris claims CBS blindsided Phil Simms with the change. CBS denies that allegations, saying it notified Simms appropriately. But then there is this:
Given the fact that the Romo-to-CBS concept has been written about in this space since November, and has been re-reported nationally for more than a month … how can Phil have been "blindsided''? If he had no sense the hiring of Romo was in the works, he qualifies as the least-plugged-in media-credential holder of all-time.
And maybe that's the worst indictment of Phil Simms of all.