By KIT STIER
The (Westchester, N.Y.) Journal News

NEW YORK - Chris Simms and Dan Klecko are sons of unique distinction. Simms, a quarterback, and Klecko, a defensive tackle, are both expected to be selected in the NFL draft this weekend. If both are taken, it will mark the first time that sons of fathers who rose to football fame in New York will have been chosen in the same draft.

"This is like Christmas when he was 2 years old," said Joe Klecko, the former Jets sack specialist and Dan's father. "This is an exciting part of his life that I get to live. It's a great feeling."

It isn't uncommon for sons to follow their fathers into the violent world of professional football. There had been, according to Hall of Fame records, 125 father-son combinations to play in the NFL through the 2001 season.

There have been four cases in which a father and two of his sons played in the NFL.

But Simms-Simms and Klecko-Klecko stand out in their uniqueness.

Simms is a quarterback who might be first-round caliber. He plays the same position as his famous father, Phil, who led the Giants to the championship in Super Bowl XXI and was his team's first-round draft choice in 1979 out of Morehead State.

Klecko is a defensive tackle and plays the same position as his father, Joe, who was a member of the Jets' famous "Sack Exchange" of the 1980s. Joe Klecko was a sixth-round draft choice out of Temple in 1977 and his son, also an Owl, is expected to be taken in about the same round.

Both sons attended high school in New Jersey.

The similarities end there.

While Chris Simms was highly recruited and wound up playing a glamour position in the spotlight at a major-college program, the University of Texas, Klecko wasn't highly courted as a high school player.

"Chris has been under the most pressure of any kid I've ever been around, including Ricky Williams as he was going for the Heisman Trophy," Texas coach Mack Brown said. "He was held to a different standard. Part of it was that he was from New York. He was listed by some as the No. 1 quarterback in the country."

Phil Simms has, for the most part, remained quiet about his son's prospects for the future.

"I talked to Phil two or three times when Chris was in school here and we didn't talk about Chris much," Brown said. "Phil didn't want to be in the way. He didn't want to be in our way, the kid's way. He's a great father and he's a very private person."

Phil Simms, a commentator for CBS football telecasts, didn't have many opportunities to see Chris play in college due to scheduling conflicts. Yet the father passed recently when he had a chance to attend a private, pre-draft workout for his son conducted by Giants coach Jim Fassel.

"He hasn't said anything about him," Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi said. "But let's face it, he's a father. This is a hard thing. You know how tough it is. He's trying to let the kid be a kid. He has been a terrific father to him, but it's harder for him because of who he is. But really, it's no different than you or me."

The sons became friendly when they worked out together prior to the scouting combine.

"He's one of the nicest kids I've ever met," Dan Klecko said. "We'd tease each other saying, 'Is that Joe Klecko's son? Is that Phil Simms' son?'

"He has a pretty big shadow cast over him, too, and he uses it as a help rather than a hindrance. You can't let it hinder you or it will kill you. What you want to do is use it to your advantage. I try to use every little tidbit. It started in high school: all the comparisons, all the pressure. I really learned not to worry about it."

Joe Klecko has had a tremendous influence on his son.

"I noticed his hand techniques; they were very good," said Blair Thomas, the former Jets running back who is an assistant coach at Temple.

The Kleckos are positive about Dan's chances to be drafted and make it in the NFL.

"Danny is a sound player because he's a good student," Joe Klecko said. "Thank God his father played the game. I was a student of the game; it's not like I was just out there. There are a lot of guys who don't think what you are saying is worthwhile. He listens."

Fran Ganter, the running-backs coach at Penn State, said he should have paid closer attention to the well-trained Dan Klecko in high school.

"I'm still taking the business over Klecko because he was in my area to scout," Ganter said. "They won't let me forget how good he's going to be."

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