The answer seems to include head coach Jon Gruden. Simms says that Gruden wasn’t compassionate enough after Simms suffered a serious injury when he ruptured his spleen during a game in 2006. Simms has said that his relationship with Gruden is forever ruined.

Although Simms is far from a superstar quarterback, he’s long been a player viewed to have a lot of potential. The son of Phil Simms had his best season in 2005 when he finished with 2,035 yards and ten touchdowns in 11 games. After his ruptured spleen, Simms hasn’t been able to play since.

While it’s possible that a team may trade for him, the more likely option is Simms being released. If he is released, Simms could likely sign somewhere as the team’s backup quarterback. The Oakland Raiders have been named as a possible destination, as the Raiders still need a solid quarterback to backup JaMarcus Russell.

Chris Simms and Jon Gruden

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Post from: Expert Fantasy

This is a very important moment for McFadden because a lot of league experts openly wondered whether the Raiders would be able to sign McFadden. Last season, the Raiders couldn’t agree to a contract with JaMarcus Russell and Russell was forced to holdout into the season. That cost Russell basically his entire rookie year and slowed any development that would have occurred.

Now with McFadden in the fold for the entire training camp, he has a great shot of becoming the team’s starter. As a starter, McFadden’s fantasy football stock would rise immensely. He’d go from a fourth round to a late second to early third round pick. After seeing what Adrian Peterson did last year for the Minnesota Vikings, it’d be hard to overlook McFadden this year.

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Can Matt Ryan be the savior?

2. Miami Dolphins
Bill Parcels will eventually turn the Miami Dolphins around but it won’t be in 2008. On the offensive side of the field, the Dolphins don’t have many playmakers. On defense, the Dolphins’ best player, Jason Taylor, is unhappy. The Dolphins will be lucky to win five games in 2008.

3. Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions offense underperformed last season and now they look to be even less talented on that side of the field. Defensively, the Lions won’t be better than an average unit. In 2007, it looked like the Lions could surprise. Now it looks like the Lions are headed back to the bottom.

4. Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders actually have a bright future, but 2008 promises to be a struggle. JaMarcus Russell will the be quarterback and he’ll undoubtedly struggle early in his NFL career. However, once Russell figures it out and rookie Darren McFadden comes into his own, the Raiders should be able to turn it around — in 2009.

5. San Francisco 49ers
A few NFL experts are picking the San Francisco 49ers as a sleeper pick for the 2008 season. I remain skeptical. Alex Smith at quarterback hasn’t shown much. His wide receivers aren’t too impressive. Frank Gore is good but the 2007 season proved the Niners need more than Gore to win games.

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Tuiasosopo hasn’t had much of an impact on the football field in his professional career. He was drafted by the Raiders in the second round of the 2001 NFL draft but has only thrown 88 passes in his career for two touchdowns.

While there isn’t much of a fantasy impact with the Tuiasosopo signing at face value, it’s actually good news for Russell. The Raiders are now obviously banking on Russell to have a big year. Russell, who was the first overall pick of the 2007 NFL draft, will likely be the starter all season long as long as he stays healthy. Russell and Raiders rookie Darren McFadden are the future of the franchise.

Neither Walter nor Tuiasosopo should be able to push Russell for snaps. Even if Russell struggles, the Raiders will likely let him learn on the job. Even if Tuiasosopo is named as the team’s backup quarterback, he shouldn’t be drafted in any fantasy football draft.

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Post from: Expert Fantasy