Chris Simms had his spleen removed after the Bucs’ loss to the Panthers. Let me repeat: Chris Simms had his spleen removed. Talk about gutsy – the guy hasn’t played that great this season, but he finished a football game with a spleen so bad that had to be removed. That’s simply mind boggling to me. I don’t know about you, but I’m rooting for this kid now. He’ll probably miss most of the season, but I’m sure he’ll get another chance to start in this league, whether it be with the Bucs or another team. Bruce Gradkowski will take over at QB for Tampa Bay…Frank Gore missed much of the second half with a strained abdomen, but may be available for Week 4. Michael Robinson carried the load (5 carries, 29 yards, 2 TD) in Gore’s absence…According to the AP, Vernon Davis is going to miss four weeks with a cracked bone in his leg. Look for Eric Johnson to step in and provide good production during that span…So much for Najeh Davenport stealing goal-line touches from Willie Parker. Davenport was active for the game, but didn’t get a carry…Corey Dillon left the Sunday night game with an arm injury. He seems to be getting nicked up quite a bit, which is good news for Laurence Maroney owners. The Pats weren’t able to run against Denver, but the Broncos have one of the best rush defenses in the league…According to ESPN, Darrell Jackson could be used as trade bait before the deadline because the team is bored with his contract complaints. Apparently, he wrote “I need DB [Deion Branch] money” on his cleats before Seattle’s game against the Giants. D-Jax is the team’s best receiver but has had trouble staying healthy. Still, it would be surprising to see a Super Bowl contender trade away a WR of his caliber…Skeletor has apparently decided that Tatum Bell is his featured back (for now). Tatum Bell received 27 carries compared to just four for Mike Bell. If this holds, fantasy owners who had the guts (or bad information) to draft him in the fourth or fifth round are going to get great value for that pick…With his job in jeopardy, Jake Plummer responded with a good game against the Pats, throwing for 256 yards and 2 TD. He was just 15/30 from the field and the two TDs came on nicely thrown bombs to Javon Walker, so Plummer will need to increase his accuracy to get the Denver press off his back. Walker had just three catches on the day, but finished with 130 yards and two scores. The Broncos need to get him the ball more consistently to give him more opportunities to make big plays. He looks to be completely back from the knee injury he suffered last season.