Tampa Bay Buccaneers 06/10/2008 11:12 AMThe Tampa Tribune reports QB Chris Simms wants you to know that it's not about the city or the fans or the team's owners. His ongoing absence from "voluntary" offseason workouts, it's about just one thing - the head coach. Though he respects his knowledge and deeply appreciates all that he's done for him as a player, the beleaguered Bucs quarterback said Monday that his relationship with Bucs coach Jon Gruden has been deteriorating for months and is now at a point where it is irreparably broken. "It is totally broken," Simms said by phone from his New Jersey home, where he will be today when another round of workouts begin at One Buc Place. "And it kills me to say that, because the Bucs have been great to me; the fans have been great to me; I love being in Tampa; my family loves being in Tampa. "It's an awesome sports town, a town that loves football. But the relationship between me and Coach Gruden - it's broken. It just is. And I don't see any way it's going to get better again."Read more
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 06/10/2008 11:08 AMThe Denver Post reports the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday were closing in on reaching a settlement with the former QB Jake Plummer for $3.5 million, according to two NFL sources. The Bucs were initially seeking approximately $7 million in prorated signing bonus from Plummer, arguing that by retiring, the quarterback did not fulfill his contract agreement. In the middle of this dispute was the Broncos. Plummer and the Broncos renegotiated their contract on March 2005, a deal that was transferred two years later to the Bucs in a trade for a conditional draft pick.Read more
Chicago Bears 06/10/2008 11:04 AMBigCProfootball.com reports contract negotiations between the Chicago Bears and representatives for Tulane rookie second-round draft pick RB Matt Forte are said to be in the early stages, but with the release of RB Cedric Benson on Monday look for talks to intensify.Read more
Dallas Cowboys 06/10/2008 11:00 AMThe Dallas Morning News reports WR Terrell Owens is now subject to increased screenings for performance-enhancing drugs after the veteran receiver did not make himself available for a recent NFL-administered random test. As a result, Owens has been placed in the NFL's "reasonable cause" testing program, sources said, though Owens said he has never failed a test in his 12-year career and passed his most recent test. Owens said the league did not have an up-to-date cellphone number for him, leading to the miscommunication. While it is not uncommon for players to switch cellphone numbers or have multiple cellphones, changes in off-season phone numbers and addresses must be reported to the steroid program advisor.Read more
