Phil and Chris simms

Chris, you did coach for a bit with the Pats in 2012 as a quality-control coach and part-time scouting assistant. What was your title?



Chris Simms: B—- boy (laughs). New England makes you do two jobs for the price of half of one (laughs). But it was a great experience. I don’t think there is a harder place to start in the business and that is what other coaches who are friends of mine say to me. They say, “Chris, you started at the worst place possible.” My wife always knew I would be an NFL player but I don’t think she knew how encompassing it would be to be an NFL coach. I dated her in high school and we were on and off through college and my first year in the NFL. We got married right after my second year in the league.



Chris, having once worked for the Patriots, how do you see this Deflategate story?



Chis Simms: The biggest rule follower I was ever around was Bill Belichick. If he got word there were people betting five dollars on the NBA Finals, there would be an email to everyone in the building on how that is against the collective bargaining agreement. We were going to have a Masters Pool and he put the kibosh on that. He was very much into making sure the employees and players knew the rules of the NFL. I would be shocked if he knew anything about this. To me this is not a Bill Belichick/New England thing. I think it is a quarterback/ball boy thing and I think that this is where we are going with it.

So, Chris, even if I take you at your word on Belichick, how do you explain his reputation as a rules bender. Why is that case?

Chris Simms: Look, we all know about Spygate. But they are also the most successful organization in the NFL so everyone is trying to find a reason [to beat them] and [Belichick] is not exactly the most charismatic guy in the world. He doesn’t give himself the benefit of the doubt . I look at Spygate two ways: First, I don’t think they were the only team in the NFL filming signals. They did it to get back at the Jets because they felt the Jets had done it. There is also a side of me that thinks Spygate was brilliant because I don’t think it was in the rulebook at that time as far as saying you can’t do it.

Phil Simms: [Belichick] knows the rules great, he knows them like a lawyer. The word genius is thrown around way too much. So how do you declare a genius? By IQ?. Well, I’m sure his IQ is genius level. He knows the rules the way a lawyer knows which questions to ask in a courtroom. Also, if I was a betting man, I would bet a lot of money he did not know about the footballs. Look, if you are a quarterback in the NFL, you can tell the difference between 9.9 and 10 [psi]. It is in your hand. That is your life, that football.

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Phil Simms: ... I was the first salary cap casualty in 1994. ... I was 38. They brought me in and told me they were going to release me. I was like, “Are you sh—– me?” Dan Reeves brought me into his office and I could see that he was really nervous. I was like, “Wow, what is going on here?” They caught me by surprise. I didn’t know what to do. I told them I had offers from other teams and they basically said good for you, we are not going with you.

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