SI article on Simms from HS.
SI.com - Writers - The Bonus: Friday night lights shine bright at N.J.'s Don Bosco - Friday September 15, 2006 1:33PM
"Matt's starting to step up," one player said. "He's getting aggressive out there."
Matt is Matt Simms, son of Super Bowl winner Phil and brother of Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting quarterback Chris. Wearing the number 2, just as his brother has since his days at nearby Ramapo High, the youngest Simms, who throws right-handed like his father, was beginning to get into a groove.
"No one works harder than Matt," said Toal, who was the defensive coordinator for Chris Simms' Ramapo teams. "He's a film rat. Loves to take film home, watch it with his dad, watch it with our coaches here. He knows it isn't just a three-month season. It's a 12-month attitude that he has, and it's a credit to the work he has done that he readies himself for the season. Look at him throwing the ball around. He's always throwing. The technique is good because he uses his legs. He can throw for days."
And now, under the lights, with the eyes of a national audience on him, Simms was gathering himself and leading his team back despite playing with a banged-up shoulder that he injured on the first play of the game.
The defense had kept Bosco in the game as the team worked in freshmen in its season opener. A Simms touchdown pass to Orry Michael cut the St. Joe's lead to 21-14 early in the second half. Then, trailing 28-21 with 8:48 remaining, Simms was looking to rally.
With the St. Joe's crowd chanting "Chris is better!" Simms bore down and focused on winning the game.
All in the family
"I live a normal life just like any other 17-year-old," Matt said after practice one day. "It's just that sometimes people come up to me and act like they've known me my whole life."
Over the summer, Chris, who is nine years older than Matt, had his own thoughts on the family's legacy. "He has it tougher than I did because I just had one person, our father, to live up to," Chris said. "Matthew has two names, but he's done great. It hurts me to say it, but he's better [at this stage]. Physically he's stronger, and he gets to throw it a lot more than I did in high school. He plays in a tougher league against the Catholic schools, and throws the ball much more than I did. He's prepared for college."
Within the family there is support, but there is also competition.
"We have little competitions in everything," Matt said. "But especially video games. FIFA was big for us during the World Cup. It's good, you know, to see how you compare."
With Matt being thrust into the public eye, instant analysis of his every move is frequently a subject on message boards. With Bosco having lost in the state final the last two years, it has become a popular topic to discuss whether Matt can stand in the pocket and lead the team all the way this season.
"It's a shame how he's treated," said Saint Peter's Prep coach Rich Hansen. "He came within one touchdown last year of setting the Bergen County record [for TD passes in a season], and then he loses to us in the state championship, so all the abuse comes in again. A kid who works that hard and is such a great competitor deserves better than that."
No knows that better than Toal's son, Brian. "It can be tough playing in the area, especially when you are one of the big names," said Brian, who is a junior linebacker at Boston College and earned Gatorade New Jersey State Player of the Year honors as a senior at Bosco in 2002. "People will bust your chops for a fumble or losing yards. Kids have to realize that there's more to life than that. You have to make sure that football is not everything."
Matt could have followed his brother's path to Ramapo High, where Chris won a state title before taking his golden arm to Texas, but he decided to go his own way.
"Matthew came to me one day and said that he was going to take the Catholic school entrance exam," said Phil Simms, who sat in the stands of the auxiliary bleachers during the St. Joe's game, far away from any cameras. "That was different, but fine by me."
Matt took a similar tack when he orally committed to Louisville, where Phil was born on a tobacco farm and still has family.
"I just wanted to make the decision early because I didn't want the choice hanging over me during the season," Matt said. "I didn't want coaches calling me to try and get me to commit or hear the chants during the Bergen [Catholic] game."
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