Simms grateful for healthy shot at Denver QB job

DENVER -- Affable, humble and genuinely thankful to be wearing a Denver Broncos jersey, Chris Simms is the Anti-Cutler.

Jay Cutler couldn't get out of Denver fast enough after his well-chronicled feud with Broncos owner Pat Bowlen and new coach Josh McDaniels.

Quite the opposite for Simms, who can be forgiven for using the cliché "just happy to be here." He really considers himself lucky to be preparing for his seventh season as an NFL quarterback.

Chris Simms can put aside thoughts of another career now. (AP)

Nearly three years ago, Simms was hemorrhaging blood at a life-threatening rate after gutting his way through an NFL game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Let's see Cutler drive his team to a go-ahead field goal with a ruptured spleen.

After an emergency postgame splenectomy on Sept. 24, 2006, Simms' career was in jeopardy at age 26. He recovered from the initial operation only to learn there was a residual impact on his body.

His hip hurt. His back ached. His shoulder was sore. The curious case of a young QB aging before his time.

"Things were hurting just because I had parts of my body that were just not functioning right, and I had muscles that were basically turned off, not working at all," Simms said as the Broncos closed training camp. "Now I feel like a spring chicken, like I'm 24 again."

A starter for Tampa Bay at the time of his injury, Simms has taken six regular-season snaps since then -- all coming with Tennessee on the final series of 2008.

Simms has a chance to regain his status as an NFL starter thanks in part to the messy breakup between Cutler and the Broncos. Though he opened training camp as the backup to Kyle Orton, there's an opportunity that would not have existed if Cutler was still around.

"I was the starting quarterback for a playoff team the year before I got hurt," Simms said. "Injuries are part of the position. I saw my dad go through it his first three years in the NFL. You've just got to keep battling and know that your time's going to come."

Simms, the son of former New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms, could find himself thrust into the spotlight if Orton struggles with a new offensive system and the pressure of replacing Cutler.

From the time he threw three interceptions in the preseason opener, Orton opened the door to the possibility that there could be a quarterback controversy in Denver.

Simms, naturally, is having none of it. "It's all B.S. It really is," he said.

Simms learned long ago not to concern himself with what is written and said in the media. As a teenager, he would read and hear the sometimes harsh criticism of his father.

"He got crushed a lot, and he used to get the local newspaper, so we'd see it when it said, 'Phil sucks' the next day on the cover of the New York Post," the younger Simms said. "That's when I made my mind up that I was never going to read that stuff when I played."

Ironically enough, Phil Simms is now a well-respected NFL analyst for CBS Sports, and Chris is one of the most media-friendly players on Denver's roster.

Because of his accommodating nature, Simms already is a media favorite in Denver; Orton plays things closer to the vest with reporters. The No. 1 quarterback job, of course, is not a personality contest, and McDaniels is going to play the guy who performs best on the field.

Physically, Simms has the attributes to be a starter. At 6-feet-4 and 230 pounds, he has good vision and a strong left arm, but he tends to hesitate at times in the pocket. Mentally, he doesn't get down on himself as much as he used to before his injury in 2006.

"I've always loved football, but maybe now I've got a new appreciation for it," he said. "I'm more grateful to be out here and enjoying it instead of putting pressure on myself. Making a mistake [in the past], I'd sit there and ponder on it for 30 minutes. Now, it's like, 'Ah, I made a mistake. Damn. Let's go to the next play.'"

Healthy and happy, it's safe to say Simms would be happy to remain as Orton's backup if it means the Broncos are winning games. Phil Simms won two Super Bowl rings with the Giants, and Chris would like to contribute to the family collection.

"The Mannings [Eli and Peyton] got two now and the Simms got two," Chris Simms said. "I'd like to hold up my share and start pulling in one every now and then."

Whether it is Orton or Simms guiding the offense, the Broncos will be hard-pressed to make the playoffs, let alone compete for a championship. But based on his recent history, it's easy to believe Simms when he says he's simply happy to have the opportunity.

"A year and a half ago, I was starting to wonder about a second career. I really was," he said. "I thought I might never be the same. I didn't feel the same. I couldn't throw the same. Finally things started to click, and thank God I didn't have to think about that."