How dumb can Jerome Simpson be?
Time after time, Simpson had been deemed too raw to play on Sundays.
Well, this Sunday, the 2008 second-round pick will likely suit up for the first time in 2009.
By no means is it guaranteed that Simpson will actually be active this Sunday against San Diego, but the Bengals made some moves Wednesday that would give you that impression.
First the Bengals re-signed defensive tackle Shaun Smith and cut wide receiver Maurice Purify.
Before I get back to Simpson, I would like to comment that I am happy that the Bengals re-signed Smith who vowed to turn his life around when the team signed him Dec. 9. Sadly, he was released Dec. 12.
Now back to receiver, Cincinnati fans are baffled that Simpson has been unable to grasp the playbook while characters without strong academic backgrounds like Chris Henry and Chad Ochocinco were able to make solid contributions their rookie seasons.
“There are a lot of things I’ve just brushed aside. A lot of things they say, you can’t control it. I used to get caught up into all the negative things said about Jerome Simpson,” Simpson told Bengals.com. “Now I’m just going to go out there now and hopefully prove those naysayers wrong.”
Before this post is turned into a complete slap in the face of Mr. Simpson. Let me be clear, I don’t think he is entirely to blame for his absence. I mean, how hard can it be to run a vertical route or a slant?
Unless Simpson is an idiot like Homer Simpson or an athlete that can’t catch like Featherstone of the Texas State Fightin’ Armadillos, then you have to blame the coaches for not allowing him to play.
To be perfectly honest, watching Simpson during the 2008 preseason I had flashbacks to when Chad Ochocinco was a rookie (not sure if I should call him Johnson when referring to him in the past tense). He appeared to have great hands and was on the same page with signal caller Ryan Fitzpatrick. In fact, in his second preseason game Simpson caught five passes for 114 yards including one play that went for 44 yards. Chad Ochocinco’s long this season is 28 yards.
Anyways, I am excited to see Simpson out there this Sunday (if he actually plays) and I will leave you with this quote from the epic film “Necessary Roughness.”
[Featherstone is unable to catch any pass thrown to him]
Coach Gennero (played by Hector Elizondo): Keep your eyes on the ball, son.
Coach Wig (played by Robert Loggia): I’d rather he kept his hands on the ball.
Simpson also has a pair of quick YouTube videos that are worth a look.
