Simeon Rice Unloads on Shanahan, Broncos

[dragondawg]

By JOSINA ANDERSON, Denver Sports Insider

DENVER - To see former Denver Broncos defensive end Simeon Rice in the locker room is to think he’s reserved and is without much to say.


To actually talk to him is to learn quite different...especially when it comes to his abrupt departure from Denver.

Rice is about as candid as interviewees come, and my conversation with Rice didn’t disappoint. Rice didn’t fumble on his impressions about Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan or the defense he, in essence, paid to leave behind.

“I told them they can keep their money,” Rice said.

“I got enough money. It’s all about the love for the game for me.”

Rice, 33, reportedly gave up a portion of his $2.15 million signing in exchange for being released from the team.

“I’m not about to be affiliated with no bull**** like that. I told them they can keep their money. I signed off. I’m like ‘keep your money, that’s blood money.’ I’ve never come to the point in my career…of accepting some ****ing check I’m not working for,” said Rice.

Rice who had off-season shoulder surgery, agreed to terms with the Broncos on September 3, 2007, but right off the bat Rice says he felt like, “I was an out cast. I wasn’t part of that team.”

According to Rice, Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan initially made him feel great about his decision to come to Denver.

“He told me when he sat me down in there…I was going to be a starter. That’s the only reason why I came to Denver. This man sat me down, and told me this. I told [Shanahan] about my situation in St. Louis. [The Rams] wanted me to come in and be a third down pass rusher.”

Rice didn’t want that scenario in Denver. And Rice says he made Shanahan aware of this.

“I just need a team I’m going to be committed to, and I will take it to the next level. [Shanahan] was like ‘oh no, Sim that’s not what we want you to do. We just want you to come in get healthy and then we will work you in.’ They never did that,” Rice said.

Despite missing much of the pre-season preparation, Rice says he was initially prepared to hang in there.

“I came out there with no camp. I didn’t b**** about it. I was going to take mine like a man. I just laced it up.”

In six games with Denver, the Broncos started Rice once. His stat line says he had 8 total tackles, 5 solo, 3 assisted, and no sacks.

Over time, the Broncos reportedly became frustrated with Rice’s lack of production, and his increasing tendency to vocalize his feelings about the deteriorating situation with the club.

But when Rice looks back on the situation now he feels the Broncos never lived up to their word to allow him to prove the type of player he believes he is, despite his shoulder injury.

“He lied to me in my face [about the fact that he would be a consistent starter], and to be honest I couldn’t get past that. I know coaches lie to you in this league. I understand all that. But I play with so much integrity. I put my heart and soul in what I do.”

“I’m going to tell you I sat there and I listened to this man tell me something, sell me on this pipe dream. I believed what he said that things were going to change, and they never did. Matter of fact, they got worse.”

Rice recalled another conversation he had with Shanahan after his first game against the Buffalo Bills which was apparently a sign of more frustrations to come.

“I sat with Shanahan, and he is sitting there telling me looking through my defense at what I am doing in the first game, and he’s like ‘look at how you work for this team.’ I said ‘dude that is mediocre football.’ I told him that. I said ‘man that’s mediocre.’ He’s like, ‘Well, Simeon this helps the team out-batting that ball. I’m like that’s all you want me to do?” Rice said.

“I said, ‘man I will be patient, but I can’t tell you how long my patience is going to last.’”

Simeon’s patience certainly didn’t grow as he was relegated to scout team work. Rice admits, though, he even suggested the idea to Shanahan to maintain the field reps he’s accustomed to.

“I said ‘I’m going to go to scout team just to get my rhythm.’ Then he tells me ‘I’m not going to play you until you dominate scout team.’ Ain’t no f-ing thing as dominating scout team. Are you kidding me?” Rice said.

Apparently, the three time Pro-Bowler who helped lead the Tampa Buccaneers to a Super Bowl victory in 2002, and whose 121 sacks currently ranks him 2nd among active players, thought Shanahan’s suggestion about dominating scout team was below his reputation.

“I’m like ‘dude what do you think I am going to do, be a buffoon out there. This is ridiculous.’”

“It was a joke.”

“There were some days I wasn’t even practicing.”

When Rice was asked if the Broncos limited his play because they realized perhaps he wasn’t recovering from his shoulder surgery like they anticipated, Rice dismissed the notion immediately.

“They say ‘it’s your shoulder, it’s your shoulder.’”

“It’s my shoulder! Let me determine how I am. I was always a cat that would go 100%, but they never got the chance to see that.”

Rice says he was miffed by the fact the Broncos would start John Engelberger over him.

“You got me a bonafide Hall of Famer…a Pro Bowler…and you say I’m going to play my brand name in this league over whoever the hell they played.”

Rice made it clear he wasn’t speaking about Elvis Dumervil whose 12.5 sacks lead the Broncos this past season.

“Elvis is a good player. Not him. John Engelberger. Are you kidding me? Come on now. If you would have put me and Elvis out there and let it ride it would have been a hell of a year, defensively. But they didn’t allow that brilliance to be on the field at the same time.”

Rice is not surprised now that the Broncos are re-shuffling their defensive coaching line-up, starting with the “resignation” of assistant head coach/defense Jim Bates.

“That team don’t have a criteria of what a defense is,” opined Rice.

“Against the Colts they played four defensive ends on that d-line. They have no commitment to what they’re doing. How are you going to play Sam Adams one week, and not Adams, the next. I have been the best in this league. You’re going to put me in, then take me out. For what?”

In the end, Rice says he learned from the situation.

“It was a lesson to be learned. I’m not pissed at the organization. I am pissed that Shanahan lied to me. That kind of bothered me,” said Rice.

But Rice’s feelings are not all bitter towards the Broncos head coach.

“He did me a favor by allowing me to leave. I appreciate that. If you are on the nucleus of that team he does try and take care of the guys he knows, like Champ Bailey.”

“I wish he did know me like that. Then he would have loved me.”

Three days after being waived by the Broncos November 9th, the Indianapolis Colts picked him up. The move reunited Rice with his old coach Tony Dungy.

Rice played two games for the Colts, and did not start in either. Rice recorded 1 tackle and 1 sack for the Colts.

In late November Rice was released again.

I asked Rice why the situation didn’t work with the Colts either.

“Man, I was just there for a second. That’s not even enough time. I don’t know what to say about that.”

Simeon Rice says he hopes to play in the NFL again.

In the meantime, he says he is producing a pilot for a television show entitled “Fallen” in the cities of Phoenix and Chicago.

“It is about a player’s fall from grace…me.” “It will be shot 24/7,” explained Rice. Rice is hoping the pilot gets picked up by Spike T.V. or HBO, just to name a few.

Hopefully the story line and his real life career end on a triumphant note.

http://www.myfoxcolorado.com/myfox/p...Y&pageId=6.2.1

[Dukes]

Talk about a has been who's been drinking too much of his own coolaid.

[TallyBronco]

I asked Rice why the situation didn’t work with the Colts either.

“Man, I was just there for a second. That’s not even enough time. I don’t know what to say about that.”

This man is pathologically incapable of being honest with himself about how slow and weak his game has become. The rest is just petulant feelings of entitlement.

[Hogan11]

The venomous spew of a has been.........yawn.

[Stuck In Texas]

It sounds like he expected to be the starter just because he is Simeon Rice. Obviously he doesn't have it anymore since the Colts had even less use for him than the Broncos.

Simeon, here's a little tip. If you can't even crack the starting lineup in the Broncos' defense - It's time to hang them up.

[~Crash~]

Originally Posted by Hogan11

The venomous spew of a has been.........yawn.

You blame him I blame the hack that wrote this ....

[PRBronco]

He forgot to mention that he's a washed up a-hole, or maybe he said that after I stopped reading.

[bpc]

This is what happens when you sellout to MERCS like Adams and Rice. It was a recipe for disaster.

The difference between picking up veterans and the successfulness of it? NE picks up workers, guys that don't bi!ch and complain, rather look in the mirror and check their ego. We go out and embrace egotism and allow it to spread and cater to it.

[Meck77]

Originally Posted by 56crash

You blame him I blame the hack that wrote this ....

Funny I read it and immediately thought to myself "John Lynch you stood up for this guy? Shanny you hired this guy?" Mr. Bowlen you sat idle while all this junk was brought into Denver and cut the checks?"

As information leaks out little by little it's surprising we even won 7 games.

[Ratboy]

Hahaha! I've never seen someone b**** and moan more than Rice did in this article.

Atleast we got back 2.15 million, woot!

[rovolution]

Rice will never play another down in the National Football League.

[~Crash~]

Originally Posted by Ratboy

Hahaha! I've never seen someone b**** and moan more than Rice did in this article.

Atleast we got back 2.15 million, woot!

Please tell me you could not get past 2 or 3 lines in ?

[~Crash~]

Originally Posted by rovolution

Rice will never play another down in the National Football League.

thats all fine but please tell me the guy that wrote this will never try to write something of sports . I sugest water polo .

[Broncojef]

Originally Posted by bpc

This is what happens when you sellout to MERCS like Adams and Rice. It was a recipe for disaster.

The difference between picking up veterans and the successfulness of it? NE picks up workers, guys that don't bi!ch and complain, rather look in the mirror and check their ego. We go out and embrace egotism and allow it to spread and cater to it.

Winning breeds the successful worker mentality I guess...Moss had every bit as much of an ego as Simeon ever did. If we had won 16 games Rice would be singing Shanny's praises. I still don't know what our defensive goal was this year with or without Rice. I still think Rice and Warren could have contributed if there was a semi-logical gameplan of any type in place this year.

[rugbythug]

I'm Simeon Rice b****- Now show me your titties!!!

[Drek]

“That team don’t have a criteria of what a defense is,” opined Rice.

Despite everything else he said this part is pretty much dead on. I don't think he came to the conclusion correctly, but its still true.

[Wes Mantooth]

Guess if you can figure out how I feel about Simeon Rice

http://www.sportznutz.com/columns/sp...ves/042704.htm

[yerner]

yeah, i liked it because it gave some insight to what happened with Rice. Sure, its one-sided but there is always some truth in there.

[DomCasual]

So, he's above playing hard on scout team.

He's taking shots at his teammates.

Um, good riddance?

[kmartin575]

Originally Posted by rovolution

Rice will never play another down in the National Football League.

And Shanahan will never win a super bowl again. It's obvious he is losing it.

[Popps]

“Elvis is a good player. Not him. John Engelberger. Are you kidding me? Come on now.

Well, he got one thing right.

Look, no one complained about bringing that ****-bag in more than I did.

That said, it's just another situation that Shanahan couldn't handle correctly... and before you say, "BUT IT WAS RICE'S FAULT".... I realize that. I also realize that Shanahan shouldn't have brought him in if he couldn't deal with his personality. He made the choice to bring a disruptive player into the fold, and then decided to just let the situation fester.

"Hot 97" challenged Mike's authority and was met with the usual response.. the door. Well, that's great, but it only hurt the team and that entire situation is on the GM, Mike Shanahan. (Even if that's not what is title may say.)

[DHallblows]

Originally Posted by Popps

“Elvis is a good player. Not him. John Engelberger. Are you kidding me? Come on now.

Well, he got one thing right.

Are you suggesting that John isn't a good player?

[CHANGSTER]

I didn't even realize the Colts cut him. Had a look at their depth chart, I recognized 1 name.

[(Jae)]

[backup qb]

loud mouth head case