Not for Chris Simms.

As the one-time Bucs golden boy packed up and walked off Disney property, you had to wonder whether this training camp had become the saddest place on the planet where all his goals and aspirations came to die.

If Simms were starring in one of those Disney summer movies, the title would be: "Honey, I Shrunk the Quarterback." Or maybe we should just say his chances of regaining the starting job just went "Splatatouille."

The only NFL quarterback whose stock has fallen further in the past few weeks is Michael Vick. You know it's bad when the best thing we can say about Simms during training camp is this: "Well, at least he didn't electrocute any animals."

It has reached a point where Bucs Coach Jon Gruden has grown weary of even addressing the touchy subject. When a reporter asked him about Simms' sinking status a couple of days ago, Gruden snapped: "I'm tired of talking about it!"

Simms had his spleen removed last season, and now, incredibly, there is talk he may have his job removed this season. Many Bucs observers think Simms isn't even good enough to make the team and might be cut in the next few days.

When asked whether Simms' job is in jeopardy, Gruden doesn't exactly deny it.

"Everybody — coaches and players — are in jeopardy if the performance isn't better," the coach said.

Can you believe it? Isn't Simms the same player who a year ago in training camp seemed ready to become an NFL superstar? Remember that guy? He came with the complete package — the strong arm, the good looks, the quarterbacking bloodlines.

In training camp last year, Simms was doing TV commercials for the NFL and was on his way to becoming a league poster boy. He was the unquestioned starting quarterback of a Gruden offense many expected to start finally becoming more pyrotechnic than pedestrian.

I remember listening to ESPN football analyst Chris Mortensen raving about Simms on a national radio show during training camp last year. Mort said something like — and I'm paraphrasing — "I've been to a bunch of different camps already, and Chris Simms is by far the best quarterback I've seen. He's ready to have a breakout year."

Then there was this glowing report from Gruden at last year's training camp: "Chris is just unbelievable. He doesn't have any negatives, intangible-wise. It's really refreshing to be around."

And, so, we've gone from "unbelievable" and "refreshing" to . . . "I'm tired of talking about it!"

Offseason acquisition Jeff Garcia has become Gruden's new toy du jour at quarterback. Meanwhile, as toys go, Simms is like the one-armed rag doll sitting at the bottom of the Goodwill bin.

Obviously, he hasn't recovered from the emergency splenectomy last September when he was injured in a game against the Carolina Panthers. There have been some camp reports that he has been slowed by a sore arm. More worrisome is the possibility that he actually is afflicted by an injured psyche.

Let's be frank here: Chris Simms could have died on the field last year. He was bleeding internally for much of the game with the Panthers and had to be rushed to the hospital afterward for an emergency operation. When you suffer a potential life-threatening injury on the field, it has to affect you physically — and psychologically.

One newspaper — The St. Petersburg Times — has reported that the removal of the spleen has caused Simms to suffer from something called "irregular proprioception" — a malady where the victim has a problem sensing where his legs and arms are in relationship to his body. Bucs General Manager Bruce Allen has denied the report. Then again, Allen could be standing at the foot of the Himalayas and would deny the existence of Mount Everest if a newspaper reported it before the Bucs had a chance to put the information through the team spin cycle.

Nobody seems to know whether Simms has health issues or head issues, but what we do know is this: He definitely has issues. You don't have to be an astute observer of quarterbacking mechanics to realize something is seriously wrong. Even the untrained eye can see Simms' throwing motion has gone from Dan Marino to Danica Patrick.

How did this happen? Why did this happen?

When will he be back to normal?

"I don't know," Simms said. "I don't know if anybody knows."

Here's hoping Simms somehow gets his confidence and coordination back because off the field he is everything you want in a quarterback. His teammates love him. He comes over to the fans after practice and shakes every hand and signs every autograph. He even has a great rapport with cynical sports columnists.

Before he leaves here, will somebody please sprinkle some pixie dust on Chris Simms' left arm?