Sims Still in the Picture?
By John White
Our buddy, Stan Olson, at the Charlotte Observer tells us not to give up on bringing Barry Sims into the fold so soon. Okay, Stan.
He tells us that the Carolina Panthers and Sims will meet again after the draft when the team can more accurately assess their needs. Well, I didn’t know that. This is interesting to say the least.
The acquisitions the team has made up to this point have all been of the younger variety and Sims is now 33 years old so he doesn’t fit that mold. However, he is a big, physical guy. We all know how this team wants to be big and physical now, don’t we?
I’m sure John Fox would love to move Jordan Gross back to right tackle and pencil in Sims’ name at left tackle. That would, in all likelihood put Travelle Wharton in the middle at guard. Honestly, I could live with that in a big way.
Of course, we would want to keep our quarterback healthy and make our running game more reliable and more potent. What better way than to put together the biggest, baddest offensive line we’ve ever had? Don’t we want to be the big, bad bullies who go around taking lunch money from the smaller, weaker teams? Sure!
The potential for a problem comes with what we’ve seen in Oakland. They’ve had some quarterbacks running for their very lives behind an offensive line that Sims helped to anchor. Is this a reflection on Sims or the coaching staff?
My guess is that it may be both but the coaching staff in Oakland turns over so much you seem to need a score card to keep up with who is on the sidelines from week to week. And no player can perform well under those conditions.
If the issues in the Bay Area were in any way a result of Sims’ poor execution and lack of effort the problem will be magnified in Carolina. That will, afterall, be Jake Delhomme’s blind side we’re talking about.
It’s worth the gamble. If Sims comes at the right price, sign the dude. This will be a signing that would come long after the big spenders are out of cash so the market will have deflated by then. That makes the potential for striking a great deal all the more likely.
Bring him in. It can’t hurt anything. But I assure you the first big hit from Jake’s backside and the fans will be yelling what they yell in every city – “Bust!” Let’s hope that doesn’t happen. Instead, in a fairy tale ending, Sims will come to Charlotte and the offensive line will perform brilliantly and all will live happily ever after.