Last time out, I promised a look at a pair of young stars on offense, but as I started writing the article, I quickly realized that I really only wanted to talk about one guy in particular. So the other fella will have to wait, today we’re focusing on a new face in a new place…
A collective gasp swept across the state of Alabama when early reports began to trickle out that dynamic athlete Blake Sims had taken the field with the quarterbacks to kick off spring practice. It wasn’t the first time Sims had practiced in that spot since arriving in Tuscaloosa, but there was a prevailing sense that this would be the semester the coaching staff got serious about finding a permanent home for him on the field. And no one thought that home was going to be at quarterback. So when word got out, confusion quickly turned into an excitement that was palpable. (As if there wasn’t already enough excitement surrounding the QB spot as it was.)
Despite constantly pledging their allegiance to slow-footed, game-managing, fabulously coiffed “pro style” quarterbacks for the past 10 years or so, I think nearly every Tide fan is a closet spread-aholic who dreams of having a Denard Robinson or Tebow or, gasp, Cam Newton under center (or 5 yards back from there). So you can understand the collective quiver that went down so many legs at the prospect of The Other Sims in competition at quarterback.
Unfortunately for some, the facts of the matter don’t add up to the flights of fancy it may have inspired.
At his initial spring press conference, Nick Saban explicitly referred to Sims’ participation at QB as an “insurance policy.” Saban prefers to keep 4 scholarship QBs on the roster but had only 3 (AJ McCarron, Phillip Sims, and early enrollee Phillip Ely) heading into spring. So depth was already not good, and the situation was compounded with the looming threat of the loser of McCarron/P.Sims transferring (if dude’s on message boards are aware of it, you know the coaches are). I assume everyone here is smart enough to do the math, but I’ll go ahead and spell it out: If that worst case scenario were to come to pass, it would leave the Tide with only 2 scholarship QBs.
In short, they were, as Saban described it, in need of insurance. And, only a year removed from playing quarterback at Gainesville (Ga) High, Sims fit the bill.
Furthermore, Saban would not rule out the possibility of Sims practicing at other positions before spring was over. Whether that was merely Saban expressing optimism regarding the development of the other quarterbacks, or a thinly-veiled challenge to Sims himself, who knows. But the statement did carry with it the suggestion that the “Sims at QB” dream could end just as abruptly as it began.
But how has Sims actually been performing at QB? The word I’ve heard from those fortunate enough to observe practice is “shaky.” That’s not to be unexpected from a guy who’s spent a year off from playing the position (and wasn’t all that highly-regarded for his throwing ability to begin with). But he’ll obviously need to step it up if he hopes to have a future at quarterback beyond this spring. This week of practice will be crucial for Sims, as the coaching staff begins installing the offensive schemes. If you can’t grasp the mental game, you can’t play for Saban.
And it would be a real shame if Sims fails at QB and this spring experiment goes nowhere. At the rate Saban brings in fresh talent, a player really can’t afford to waste time like that. You’ll get passed over in a hurry, as so many before him have found out. I’d hate it if Sims were to end up like BJ Scott, another talented athlete who struggled to find his position at Alabama (and by the time he did, it was too late).
For the time being, I’ll be keeping an eye on his progress here at CFBZ.
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