Tampa Bay QB Simms in critical condition

[Canadian'eh!]

Tampa Bay QB Simms in critical condition

STEVE LYTTLE
slyttle@charlotteobserver.com
<!-- begin body-content --> Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Chris Simms was taken by ambulance to a Tampa hospital Sunday afternoon and is listed in critical condition, according to reports by several news sources.
There is no indication as to the cause of Simms' medical problems.
He was hospitalized a short time after the Buccaneers' last-minute 26-24 NFL loss to the Carolina Panthers.
Simms appeared to experience medical problems during the game. He was hit hard several times by Panthers defensive players and was taken out of the game in the third quarter. Announcers said Simms had suffered from dehydration in the 90-degree-plus heat and high humidity in Tampa.
But Simms, a former University of Texas quarterback whose father, Phil, also played in the NFL, returned to the game this afternoon and led Tampa Bay on a fourth-quarter scoring drive. Observers reported that he left the field on his own power after the game.
Simms was not available for interviews after the game, as he was being attended by trainers and doctors.
At his postgame press conference, Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden said of Simms: "He got hit early and he hurt his ribs. We don't know the extent of that, but he played hard today. He played tough and he showed a lot of grit. He really did. It is a credit to him.
"He is hurting right now, there is no question. He left the game. I don't know that it was because of his ribs, dehydration or both. He is a very sore and tired man right now, and I am proud of how he hung in there against a very good run defense.''
Simms, 6-4 and 220 pounds, is in his fourth season with Tampa Bay.
He was a standout at Ramapo (N.J.) High School and was named USA Today's National Offensive Player of the Year in 1998. He played four years at the University of Texas, although he never really earned the full-time starting job. Amid criticism from fans, Simms shared playing time with Major Applewhite.
He was a third-round draft choice in 2003 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Simms played a key role last season in the Buccaneers' run to the NFC South Division championship. He completed 61 percent of his passes for 2,035 yards, with 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
<!-- end body-content -->

[evol4276]

dear god i hope the kid's alright

[Canadian'eh!]

http://blogs.tampabay.com/bucs/

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/sports/football/nfl/carolina_panthers/15599873.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

[Canadian'eh!]

7:15 pm | Tampa QB Simms in critical condition

STEVE LYTTLE
slyttle@charlotteobserver.com

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Chris Simms was taken by ambulance to a Tampa hospital Sunday afternoon and is listed in critical condition, according to reports by several news sources.

There is no indication as to the cause of Simms' medical problems.

He was hospitalized a short time after the Buccaneers' last-minute 26-24 NFL loss to the Carolina Panthers.

Simms appeared to experience medical problems during the game. He was hit hard several times by Panthers defensive players and was taken out of the game in the third quarter. Announcers said Simms had suffered from dehydration in the 90-degree-plus heat and high humidity in Tampa.

But Simms, a former Texas University quarterback whose father, Phil, also played in the NFL, returned to the game this afternoon and led Tampa Bay on a fourth-quarter scoring drive. Observers reported that he left the field on his own power after the game.

Simms was not available for interviews after the game, as he was being attended by trainers and doctors.

At his postgame press conference, Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden said of Simms: "He got hit early and he hurt his ribs. We don't know the extent of that, but he played hard today. He played tough and he showed a lot of grit. He really did. It is a credit to him.

"He is hurting right now, there is no question. He left the game. I don't know that it was because of his ribs, dehydration or both. He is a very sore and tired man right now, and I am proud of how he hung in there against a very good run defense.''

Pat Yasinkas, an Observer writer covering today's Panthers-Tampa Bay game, said he was told this evening that Simms' family had been called to St. Joseph's Hospital, where the stricken player had been taken.

[Risin]

I'll pray for him and his family.

:(

[RockStar36]

Wow, I really hope he is alright.

[LABillsFan]

Here's to him being OK and recovering soon

[TacklingDummy]

In critical Condition. Wow, what happened?

[Devin]

:pray:

[Canadian'eh!]

Peter King on the pregame said that the owner of the Bucs just told him he's NOT in critical condition but won't give any details.....

[TacklingDummy]

Opps didnt see thread, merge please or delete.

[Goobylal]

Hope he's okay.

[don137]

I was flipping to the Panthers Bucs game during commercials of the Bills game. Simms looked out of it when he went out of the game. He went down to one knee for a little while. Did not see the play that preceded that. He got up on his own power. About 10 minutes later he came jogging back onto the field, warmed up on the sidelines and then re-entered the game like nothing happened.

[shelby]

:pray:

[MTBillsFan]

Hopefully he'll get well soon.

[Michael82]

:pray:

[ICE74129]

Opps didnt see thread, merge please or delete. Now if they would just do that with all of your posts...

[shelby]

:club:

[TacklingDummy]

Can you stay on topic for once? If you can't then STFU.

Quit trying to thread Hijack like you always do.

Now back to Simms.

[shelby]

The ignore feature is your friend. Feel free to use it.

[TigerJ]

This is the first I heard anything. I hope he's OK.

[ICE74129]

Can you stay on topic for once? If you can't then STFU.

Quit trying to thread Hijack like you always do.

Now back to Simms.

:crazy:

[Goobylal]

Simms had an emergency splenectomy. He's going to be fine from what I've read. But he'll likely miss a month at least.

[shelby]

Poor kid.

[chubluv]

I hope he will be OK. He's a good kid. :pray:

[BSXIII]

They just said on Sunday Night Football that he is in the hospital with an undisclosed condition. but the report that he is in critical condition is erroneous.

[ICE74129]

Simms had an emergency splenectomy. He's going to be fine from what I've read. But he'll likely miss a month at least. Where did you get that? If its his spleen he is out more than a month thats for sure. In fact for his safety, he should go on IR and no I am not kidding. You can lose your spleen but it jacks up your body for quite some time.

[ICE74129]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2601555

there ya go. The kid needs to go on IR. No reason to risk further issues this season. They are 0-3 and aren't going to make the playoffs being in that big of a hole.

[BILLSROCK1212]

his spleen has been removed wow that i tough and now unless the sign jay Fiedler which is impossible cas he had shoulder surgery thursday Bruce Gradkowski is their starter actually Jeff George is out there a possible Holcomb trade
and another possibility is Rich Gannon Jon Gruden was trying to get him out of retirement so maybe he will return and then again Brian Moorman can always be their QB

anyway get better Chris and fast

[X-Era]

Tampa Bay QB Simms in critical condition

STEVE LYTTLE
slyttle@charlotteobserver.com
<!-- begin body-content --> Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Chris Simms was taken by ambulance to a Tampa hospital Sunday afternoon and is listed in critical condition, according to reports by several news sources.
There is no indication as to the cause of Simms' medical problems.
He was hospitalized a short time after the Buccaneers' last-minute 26-24 NFL loss to the Carolina Panthers.
Simms appeared to experience medical problems during the game. He was hit hard several times by Panthers defensive players and was taken out of the game in the third quarter. Announcers said Simms had suffered from dehydration in the 90-degree-plus heat and high humidity in Tampa.
But Simms, a former University of Texas quarterback whose father, Phil, also played in the NFL, returned to the game this afternoon and led Tampa Bay on a fourth-quarter scoring drive. Observers reported that he left the field on his own power after the game.
Simms was not available for interviews after the game, as he was being attended by trainers and doctors.
At his postgame press conference, Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden said of Simms: "He got hit early and he hurt his ribs. We don't know the extent of that, but he played hard today. He played tough and he showed a lot of grit. He really did. It is a credit to him.
"He is hurting right now, there is no question. He left the game. I don't know that it was because of his ribs, dehydration or both. He is a very sore and tired man right now, and I am proud of how he hung in there against a very good run defense.''
Simms, 6-4 and 220 pounds, is in his fourth season with Tampa Bay.
He was a standout at Ramapo (N.J.) High School and was named USA Today's National Offensive Player of the Year in 1998. He played four years at the University of Texas, although he never really earned the full-time starting job. Amid criticism from fans, Simms shared playing time with Major Applewhite.
He was a third-round draft choice in 2003 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Simms played a key role last season in the Buccaneers' run to the NFC South Division championship. He completed 61 percent of his passes for 2,035 yards, with 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
<!-- end body-content -->

Peter King spoke with his mom, he had his spleen removed and needed a blood transfusion but he is OUT of danger. Likeloy to be in the hospital for several more days.

[SpillerThrills]

just heard on NBC that he had his splean removed and had a blood transfusion...... his mom said that he should be fine but will probably stay in the hospital for a few days.... good news to hear that he's gonna be fine...

[ICE74129]

his spleen has been removed wow that i tough and now unless the sign jay Fiedler which is impossible cas he had shoulder surgery thursday Bruce Gradkowski is their starter actually Jeff George is out there a possible Holcomb trade
and another possibility is Rich Gannon Jon Gruden was trying to get him out of retirement so maybe he will return and then again Brian Moorman can always be their QB

anyway get better Chris and fast

Trade holcomb NOW!

[LABillsFan]

Rest and recover Chris.

[YardRat]

Here's to a smooth and complete recovery :beers:

[Ickybaluky]

Of course, this is all redeye's doing.

I hope you are happy, now.

[Jeff1220]

I hope he turns out okay. Here's some info on his procedure (for those of us who aren't doctors):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spleen

The spleen is a ductless, vertebrate gland that is closely associated with the circulatory system, where it functions in the destruction of old red blood cells in holding a reservoir of blood. It is regarded as one of the centres of activity of the reticuloendothelial system. Until recently, the purpose of the spleen was not known. It is increasingly recognized that its absence leads to a predisposition to certain infections.


The spleen, similar in structure to a large lymph node, has historically held rather a mythical role but current knowledge of its purpose includes the destruction of old red blood cells and platelets and the detection and fight against certain bacteria. The spleen is enlarged in a variety of conditions such as malaria, glandular fever and most commonly in "cancers" of the lymphatics such as lymphomas or the leukaemia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splenectomy

It is removed under the following circumstances:
1. When very large such that it becomes destructive to platelets/red cells
2. For diagnosing certain lymphomas
3. When platelets are destroyed in the spleen as a result of an auto-immune process (see also idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura)
4. When the spleen bleeds following physical trauma
5. Following spontaneous rupture
6. For long-term treatment of congenital erythropoietic porphyria (CEP) if severe hemolytic anemia develops[1]
The classical cause of traumatic damage to the spleen is a motorcycle accident where one end of the handlebars strikes the abdomen.


Because splenectomy causes an increased risk of overwhelming sepsis due to encapsulated organisms (such as S. pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae) the patient should be immunized, if possible, prior to removal of the spleen; see asplenia for advice.[2][3] Failure to do so later puts the patient at risk of Overwhelming post splenectomy infection (OPSI), a potentially rapidly fatal septicaemia. These bacteria often cause a sore throat under normal circumstances but after splenectomy, when infecting bacteria cannot be adequately opsonized, the infection becomes more severe.

Following splenectomy, the platelet count may rise to high levels in blood leading to an increased risk of clot formation.