Simms Is Forgotten Man At Bucs' 'Chalk Talk' A year after declaring Jeff Garcia his starting quarterback, Jon Gruden effectively confirmed Chris Simms is now officially an afterthought. Gruden, General Manager Bruce Allen, middle linebacker Barrett Ruud, wide receiver Maurice Stovall and rookie cornerback Aqib Talib attended Friday's annual Bucs "Chalk Talk" luncheon, hosted by the Tampa Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by The Tampa Tribune. "One of the things that is great about this area is you can be excited about football in the middle of June," Allen said before the Bucs were greeted by an enthusiastic turnout of business and community leaders. Simms, who hasn't taken a regular-season snap since losing his spleen as a result of a 2006 injury, was highly critical of Gruden earlier this week and said he would welcome a trade or an outright release. "I realize his advisers wanted him to do a P.R. stunt," Allen said of Simms' remarks to the local media. "I don't think it portrays Chris in the right light. There's no one who doesn't like Chris Simms. That's not the Chris I've talked to on the phone ... it's not the feelings he and I talked about." When Gruden was asked about Tampa Bay's quarterback depth chart, he never mentioned Simms. "We made the announcement last year that Garcia was our quarterback," Gruden said, "and Jeff's a Pro Bowl quarterback. We have no quarterback controversy - Jeff will be our starter. Brian Griese has done a great job managing the offense in the last three weeks and Luke McCown has shown tremendous promise. We're excited about the three quarterbacks, and we have a young guy, Josh Johnson, a fifth-round draft choice, who is in the laboratory with great athletic ability." Despite expressing frustration with his contract status, Garcia continued to participate in Tampa Bay's offseason workouts. Earnest Graham, whose rugged running helped the Bucs to the NFC South title after Cadillac Williams suffered a season-ending knee injury, declined to attend the club's voluntary sessions. "I assume everything will work out with Earnest," Allen said. "He's one fine young man, and he did help this football team quite a bit." The Bucs will stage a three-day mandatory minicamp beginning Tuesday before players and coaches break for five weeks. "This team has a great work ethic at this point," Gruden said. "We do have some contractual issues that will get themselves sorted out by the time training camp opens. We will be a good football team, I can promise you that." Allen reaffirmed the franchise's commitment to holding training camp in Orlando and said the Bucs will experiment with an air-conditioned tent this summer that can be utilized for practices when lightning affects the Lake Buena Vista area. Gruden and Allen said they marvel at the diligence Carnell Williams has displayed in his quest to return from a torn patellar tendon suffered in Week 4 at Carolina. "What makes the difference in the NFL is your competitive drive, and his competitive drive was never injured," Allen said. "Carnell's going to prove a point to everyone who doubted him." Allen said recently retired fullback Mike Alstott, "will always be identified with our franchise. He's always welcome, and we have some good plans for him this upcoming season." Stovall entertained the crowd with a long monologue about the rigors of two-a-day training camp practices in searing Florida heat. Talib then provided additional comic relief after players were asked what kind of vehicle they drove. Stovall and Ruud can both be found behind the wheel of a Cadillac Escalade. "I haven't signed yet, but I did buy a car," Talib said. "A Mercedes-Benz S550." "You'd better get signed real quick," quipped Gruden, sitting a few feet away on the dais. "Slow down, brother. Cool it, man. Just cool it. Good God almighty. What is it, a Mercedes what? "Same as yours, Coach," Talib said as the audience roared Ira Kaufman, The Tampa Tribune 14 June 2008