I restrain from starting threads. But, this write up entertained me, so much, I feel compelled to share.
Chris Simms walked up to Roy Williams during pregame warmups of a 2003 match between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys.
“Chris literally came up to me,” said Williams, the iconic OU football hero, “and said, ‘You hurt my draft status.’ I damn near cussed him out.”
Simms and Williams will be forever linked.
The blitzing Williams flying through the air with two minutes left in the fourth quarter of the 2001 OU-Texas game, clubbing Simms and causing the ball to float into the air, where Sooner linebacker Teddy Lehman caught it for a defensive touchdown. OU then finished off a 14-3 victory over the Longhorns.
And that’s what Simms meant, after he fell to the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft.
Williams message to Simms: “‘You hurt your own draft status, because you couldn’t win big games.’ I found that funny.”
Williams and Simms still are dueling.
Simms tweeted out criticism of TCU making the playoff. And Williams used his College Football Hall of Fame interview Monday to take umbrage. Even staged a mini-twitter war with Simms.
Simms: “TCU in the CFP? The Big 12 sucks, and I played in the Big 12. I know what the résumés are, but the middle class of the SEC would win the Big 12.”
Williams: “Get that hate out your heart. TCU football did there (their) thing this year. Bashing a conference you didn’t do ish (****) in.”
Simms: “Conference was way better back in our day. All you have to do is look at nfl draft and see big twelve is not that talented. I did lead the big twelve in passer rating three straight years too. I also did not eat myself out of the nfl!!”
Williams: “The guy that said I hurt his draft stock because of the Superman play. Also the League didn’t want a player like me hurting other players any longer they force me out. The NFL made rules because of me. Stripping me from the way I played. I left on my own.”
Lots to unpack there.
Simms’ opinions on the Big 12 have some merit. The Big 12 is a far cry from its status of 20 years ago. The NFL talent in the Big 12 has been diminished.
Of course, Simms is nonsensical that the middle class of the Southeastern Conference would win the Big 12. Let’s see. This year, that would be Ole Miss, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky. Sorry, those teams aren’t beating TCU or Kansas State. It was all Alabama could do to beat Simms’ own Longhorns 20-19 back in September.
As for Simms’ assertion that he led the Big 12 in passer rating for three years? Uh, no. In 2000, OU’s Josh Heupel and Texas’ Major Applewhite ranked 1-2. Simms didn’t play enough to qualify, though his rating of 144.3 was higher than Heupel’s. But in 2001, Texas Tech’s Kliff Kingsbury was tops in the Big 12, followed by Simms. And in 2002, Simms led.
So he led the league once, and if you want to suspend eligibility rules, you could say twice.
And Simms took a potshot at Williams, saying he ate himself out of the NFL.
Here’s the lowdown on Williams’ pro football career. The No. 8 overall pick in the 2002 draft, Williams played seven years with the Cowboys and two with the Bengals. He was a great player. A 2003 all-pro selection and a five-time Pro Bowler.
Williams played in the NFL the way he played with the Sooners – with rampant physicality. A safety who played near the line of scrimmage, like a linebacker, Williams roughed up would-be receivers as they tried to get off the line.
Some have labeled Williams as a dirty player, claiming the horse-collar tackle was outlawed because of Williams. Maybe so, but it was legal when he used it. Soon enough, the rules changed that forbid defensive backs from much contact more than five yards beyond the line of scrimmage, and Williams’ effectiveness waned.
He retired in 2011 but still had contract offers.
Williams wins any war of words with Simms, who now is an NFL analyst for NBC. Williams will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday night in Las Vegas, he had the better NFL career, and of course, the Sooners got the better of Simms’ Longhorns when they played.
And Williams was asked Monday about Simms and the OU-Texas play that drew Williams the nickname “Superman.”
“He said that TCU didn’t deserve to be in the CFP,” Williams said. “He said an SEC school should have been in. I kind of went at him, but I told him, you need to get the hate out of your heart.
“TCU, they had a phenomenal season. Basically, you bashing a conference that you didn’t do s*** in, how can you do that? But whatever. Chris, TCU deserves to be in. Just because y’all didn’t win anything when you were there, don’t hate.”
Before the Simms detour, Williams seemed quite emotional at the Hall of Fame honor.
“It honestly hasn’t even hit me that I’m in the Hall,” Williams said. “I’m still taken aback. I’m going to wait for Ashton Kutcher to come out and say ‘you’re punk’d or something.”
Williams said he didn’t play to win awards.
“I just wanted to hit people and laugh,” Williams said. “I guess it paid off for me. This is such an honor and blessing.”
An honor and blessing that came in part because a certain play made Williams famous, and Simms still is learning that you don’t pull on Superman’s cape.
Tramel's ScissorTales: Roy Williams, Chris Simms duel again 21 years after Superman play
Chris Simms walked up to Roy Williams during pregame warmups of a 2003 match between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys.
www.oklahoman.com
Chris Simms walked up to Roy Williams during pregame warmups of a 2003 match between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys.
“Chris literally came up to me,” said Williams, the iconic OU football hero, “and said, ‘You hurt my draft status.’ I damn near cussed him out.”
Simms and Williams will be forever linked.
The blitzing Williams flying through the air with two minutes left in the fourth quarter of the 2001 OU-Texas game, clubbing Simms and causing the ball to float into the air, where Sooner linebacker Teddy Lehman caught it for a defensive touchdown. OU then finished off a 14-3 victory over the Longhorns.
And that’s what Simms meant, after he fell to the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft.
Williams message to Simms: “‘You hurt your own draft status, because you couldn’t win big games.’ I found that funny.”
Williams and Simms still are dueling.
Simms tweeted out criticism of TCU making the playoff. And Williams used his College Football Hall of Fame interview Monday to take umbrage. Even staged a mini-twitter war with Simms.
Simms: “TCU in the CFP? The Big 12 sucks, and I played in the Big 12. I know what the résumés are, but the middle class of the SEC would win the Big 12.”
Williams: “Get that hate out your heart. TCU football did there (their) thing this year. Bashing a conference you didn’t do ish (****) in.”
Simms: “Conference was way better back in our day. All you have to do is look at nfl draft and see big twelve is not that talented. I did lead the big twelve in passer rating three straight years too. I also did not eat myself out of the nfl!!”
Williams: “The guy that said I hurt his draft stock because of the Superman play. Also the League didn’t want a player like me hurting other players any longer they force me out. The NFL made rules because of me. Stripping me from the way I played. I left on my own.”
Lots to unpack there.
Simms’ opinions on the Big 12 have some merit. The Big 12 is a far cry from its status of 20 years ago. The NFL talent in the Big 12 has been diminished.
Of course, Simms is nonsensical that the middle class of the Southeastern Conference would win the Big 12. Let’s see. This year, that would be Ole Miss, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky. Sorry, those teams aren’t beating TCU or Kansas State. It was all Alabama could do to beat Simms’ own Longhorns 20-19 back in September.
As for Simms’ assertion that he led the Big 12 in passer rating for three years? Uh, no. In 2000, OU’s Josh Heupel and Texas’ Major Applewhite ranked 1-2. Simms didn’t play enough to qualify, though his rating of 144.3 was higher than Heupel’s. But in 2001, Texas Tech’s Kliff Kingsbury was tops in the Big 12, followed by Simms. And in 2002, Simms led.
So he led the league once, and if you want to suspend eligibility rules, you could say twice.
And Simms took a potshot at Williams, saying he ate himself out of the NFL.
Here’s the lowdown on Williams’ pro football career. The No. 8 overall pick in the 2002 draft, Williams played seven years with the Cowboys and two with the Bengals. He was a great player. A 2003 all-pro selection and a five-time Pro Bowler.
Williams played in the NFL the way he played with the Sooners – with rampant physicality. A safety who played near the line of scrimmage, like a linebacker, Williams roughed up would-be receivers as they tried to get off the line.
Some have labeled Williams as a dirty player, claiming the horse-collar tackle was outlawed because of Williams. Maybe so, but it was legal when he used it. Soon enough, the rules changed that forbid defensive backs from much contact more than five yards beyond the line of scrimmage, and Williams’ effectiveness waned.
He retired in 2011 but still had contract offers.
Williams wins any war of words with Simms, who now is an NFL analyst for NBC. Williams will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday night in Las Vegas, he had the better NFL career, and of course, the Sooners got the better of Simms’ Longhorns when they played.
And Williams was asked Monday about Simms and the OU-Texas play that drew Williams the nickname “Superman.”
“He said that TCU didn’t deserve to be in the CFP,” Williams said. “He said an SEC school should have been in. I kind of went at him, but I told him, you need to get the hate out of your heart.
“TCU, they had a phenomenal season. Basically, you bashing a conference that you didn’t do s*** in, how can you do that? But whatever. Chris, TCU deserves to be in. Just because y’all didn’t win anything when you were there, don’t hate.”
Before the Simms detour, Williams seemed quite emotional at the Hall of Fame honor.
“It honestly hasn’t even hit me that I’m in the Hall,” Williams said. “I’m still taken aback. I’m going to wait for Ashton Kutcher to come out and say ‘you’re punk’d or something.”
Williams said he didn’t play to win awards.
“I just wanted to hit people and laugh,” Williams said. “I guess it paid off for me. This is such an honor and blessing.”
An honor and blessing that came in part because a certain play made Williams famous, and Simms still is learning that you don’t pull on Superman’s cape.
