OL Rob Sims (official thread)

[osugrad21]

CPD

5/1

OHIO STATE
Sims leaves his pew, now can say 'Whew!'


Monday, May 01, 2006Doug Lesmerises
Plain Dealer Reporter
The sermon was winding down as Rob Sims' cell phone rang. The Ohio State offensive lineman sprang from his pew in Cleveland's Cornerstone Missionary Baptist church, then literally answered his prayers.
The Seattle Seahawks were on the other end, telling the graduate of Nordonia High that they were selecting him in the fourth round of the NFL draft Sunday.
"When I came back, the pastor was like, 'That must have been something good, because you usually don't walk out on my sermons,' " Sims said.
Sims got what he wanted, but Sunday was slower than expected for Ohio State, with Sims and fourth-round safety Nate Salley the only two Buckeyes joining the seven first-day selections from Saturday: first-rounders A.J. Hawk, Donte Whitner, Bobby Carpenter, Santonio Holmes and Nick Mangold and third-rounders Ashton Youboty and Anthony Schlegel.
Among the OSU prospects left undrafted were defensive end Mike Kudla from Highland High, kicker Josh Huston, Canton McKinley High defensive back Tyler Everett and defensive tackle Marcus Green.
Still, the nine picks were the second-most OSU players drafted in the past 30 years, trailing only the 14 picks from 2004. The five first-rounders taken Saturday broke the 1971 Buckeyes' record of four first-rounders.
After finishing fourth in the nation on the field last season, the Buckeyes tied for second in the draft, their nine picks matching Virginia Tech and trailing only the 11 from Southern California. National champion Texas had six players drafted.
Ohio State dominated the Big Ten, with conference co-champ Penn State next with six picks, followed by Wisconsin (five), Minnesota and Purdue (four each), Michigan, Michigan State and Northwestern (three each), Iowa and Indiana (two each) and Illinois (none).
Those are stats that can help Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel on the recruiting trail - especially if he's in the mood to note that OSU tripled Michigan.
"It's huge for us," Tressel said. "It shows our guys are coming here with lots of promise, and they're fulfilling their promise."

Salley, selected No. 121 overall by the Carolina Panthers, started hoping he was headed to the Browns, having played for Browns defensive backs coach Mel Tucker at OSU and hearing they had interest in a safety. Instead, he'll join former Buckeyes player Chris Gamble in the Carolina secondary.
"I have some family there, and Chris Gamble is like family," Salley said.
Sims, who thought he would go in either the third or fourth round, had a sleepless night after watching the draft all day Saturday. He caved in and tuned in after previously promising himself he would stay away from the TV to avoid torturing himself.
"It's really like watching yourself lose money," Sims said last week. "It's like, 'Oh, I got a chance to go here. No, they didn't take me, I just lost $100,000.' That's what it's like to me."
He wound up as pick No. 128, picked in the same round in which the Browns nabbed his father, defensive tackle Mickey Sims, in 1977. Rob Sims went four picks after Northwestern defensive tackle and former Cleveland Heights High star Barry Cofield was selected by the New York Giants.
"He was my training partner and my best friend," Sims said of Cofield. "People call us twins because they say we look alike. We grew up in the same church, so it was great for the whole church."
So Cofield got the call in church, too?
"No, he wasn't there," Sims laughed. "He was scared. He didn't want to talk to anybody. But after I got picked, he called me. I'm just glad it's over."

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

5/1/06

Hallelujah — Sims taken by Seahawks

After agonizing wait, OSU guard gets call during church service letting him know he has a job

Monday, May 01, 2006

Tim May
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

</IMG> JAMIE SABAU FOR THE DISPATCH Guard Rob Sims waves to the Ohio State crowd on Senior Day in Ohio Stadium.


Don’t try to sell Rob Sims on the notion that there’s no such thing as the power of prayer.

Sims was sitting in the middle of a worship service yesterday at Cornerstone Missionary Baptist Church in Cleveland when his cell phone vibrated.

It wasn’t a calling from above, but from the next level.

The Seattle Seahawks, fresh off a Super Bowl appearance, had just made Sims their fourthround pick as the second day of the NFL draft began.

It was a hallelujah moment, and the guard from Ohio State said he shared it with his fellow churchgoers.

"Everyone was happy, everybody wished me congratulations and good luck," Sims said. "It was great."

The 13 hours or so leading up to the call weren’t so fine, though. The NFL takes an intermission after the first three rounds of the seven-round draft. For those who were thinking they had at least third-round potential, it can be an agonizing lull.

"You don’t sleep, you start letting crazy thoughts creep into your head — ‘Maybe I’m not going to be drafted,’ " Sims said. "But then I started thinking, ‘I am still that guy who played for Ohio State the past four years.

I can still do my thing. I’m still Rob.’ "

Not only was Sims drafted; he was drafted in the same round as his father. Mickey Sims went to Cleveland in the fourth round as a defensive lineman out of South Carolina State in 1977.

"History definitely repeats itself; my dad and I talked about that," Sims said.

"But then he told me that he wanted me to play a lot longer than he did.

"He was in the league three seasons and then he sort of lost the desire to train like he should. That’s not going to be a problem with me. I see this as just the beginning, really."

Sims’ selection served as a footnote for Ohio State, as well. Five of the six offensive linemen who played extensively in the Fiesta Bowl national championship win over Miami — Sims started as a freshman at left tackle — have been drafted. The only one who wasn’t was Bryce Bishop.

Alex Stepanovich, Adrien Clarke and Shane Olivea were taken in the 2004 draft and all have started NFL games. The New York Jets made center Nick Mangold a first-round pick, 29 th overall, on Saturday.

"I’m proud of all of those guys," OSU offensive coordinator and line coach Jim Bollman said yesterday.

"I think for those guys, from day one getting to the league has been at least an underlying motivating factor, which is fine. I think everybody on our coaching staff tries to do as good a job as possible getting our players ready to play for us, and in turn getting them ready for some things at the next level."

What they all have in common is raw power, Bollman said.

"That is something that is pretty innate but also something you have to keep developing through hard work, and those guys all paid that price," he said.

Bollman thought Mangold was the premier center in college football this past season, and Mangold’s status was reflected in the draft. Though Minnesota center Greg Eslinger won the Rimington Award as the top player at the position, he didn’t go until the sixth round.

In Sims, Bollman sees plenty of potential, too.

"He has good quickness, and he has that power," he said. "If he keeps doing the work, he could be in the league for quite a while."
[email protected]

 

[osugrad21]

Link

5/1

Sims' prayers are answered

By Scott M. Johnson
Herald Writer

KIRKLAND - After spending a frustrating Saturday watching three rounds of the NFL draft go by, Ohio State offensive lineman Rob Sims turned to the power of prayer on Sunday morning.
And it worked.
Sims was at church when his cell phone vibrated. He slipped outside and soon heard the voice of Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren, whose team had selected Sims in the fourth round.
"The pastor was like: 'I knew you had to be getting up for something (important) if you were getting up during my sermon,'" Sims said. "It was great. ... I was telling everybody (before the service) that any minute now I might get picked. When we got the call, everybody saw me shoot up out of my seat, and everybody knew what the deal was."
Sims was one of four players picked by Seattle during Sunday's final four rounds. The Seahawks also nabbed USC fullback David Kirtman (fifth round), Wake Forest punter Ryan Plackemeier (seventh), and Auburn wide receiver Ben Obomanu (seventh) to wrap up their 2006 draft.
Sims, who is likely to play guard in the NFL, was probably the most relieved.
The son of a former NFL player, he was expecting to get drafted higher than his father, Mickey, who went in the fourth round of the 1977 draft. When Saturday's first three rounds went by without his name being called, Rob Sims turned to his father for support.
"He wanted me to be a little bit better than him, maybe get up into the second or third round," Rob Sims said. "But history repeats itself. He talked to me about what was going on. I'm excited, and he's happy, so everything is good."
By Sunday morning, Rob Sims looked toward a higher power than his father. He prayed in church shortly before getting the phone call. Sims said the pastor was delivering a sermon about making the most of an opportunity when his telephone buzzed.
"It was pretty fitting," Sims said.
Wrapping it up: Holmgren looks at the 2006 draft as more than just the six rookies. His summary of the draft included "third-round pick" Nate Burleson and "sixth-round pick" Mike Green - two veterans who were acquired for draft choices before the draft began.
"You stack that in with all the young guys we picked," Holmgren said, " (and) it was a good couple of days."
Team president Tim Ruskell summed up the draft as a success but admitted that the team was not able to address needs for depth at tight end and return man.
Overall, Ruskell was satisfied with the offseason. He said the additions of Burleson, Green, linebacker Julian Peterson, defensive tackle Russell Davis and offensive lineman Tom Ashworth, along with the six draft picks, have improved the team.
"We feel good about it," Ruskell said of the 12 weeks that have passed since the Super Bowl XL loss to Pittsburgh. "I think I can say I feel that we're an even better team than the one that lost the Super Bowl.
"If those guys that we brought in are what we think they are, and everything works out right - you've got to have a little luck, obviously - we can be a better team."
Does size matter? The Seahawks' draft included a punter (6-foot-3, 253-pound Plackemeier) who is listed as bigger than a defensive end (6- 1 1/2, 252-pound second-round pick Darryl Tapp). Seattle also passed on a bigger cornerback (6-3 Jimmy Williams) for a compact, steadier version (5-11 Kelly Jenkins) in Round 1.
Both served as further proof that Ruskell doesn't care much about a player's size.
"It's just not that important," the Seahawks' president said over the weekend. "I know there are plenty of teams that go by that strictly - 'he has to be this height, or has to be this weight, or has to run this fast.' If you don't do that, it opens up a whole new world because you can just look for football players that are productive. That's what we are going to do."
The Seahawks' defense has been particularly successful with smaller players as of late, most notably at defensive end (Grant Wistrom and Bryce Fisher) and linebacker (Lofa Tatupu).
Just call him Gus: Plackemeier has an interesting nickname that he earned as a freshman at Wake Forest.
After seeing his leg strength, one of the Demon Deacons' assistant coaches dubbed Plackemeier "Gus the Mule." The nickname came from a 1970s Disney movie called "Gus," about a donkey that kicked well enough to play football.
"It's not great, but it'll work," Plackemeier said of the nickname.
Apparently, Plackemeier has embraced the moniker. It is featured on his personal website, which can be found through Wake Forest University's site.
Helpful advice: Obomanu had to wait a long time to hear his name called, but at least the seventh-round pick had someone to turn to when it was all over.
Former Auburn teammate Junior Rosegreen, who went to training camp as a safety with the Seahawks last summer, was with Obomanu when he got drafted late Sunday afternoon.
"He told me I had a great opportunity to compete and go in there and play," Obomanu said. "The next thing he told me was to enjoy myself out there. It's going to be different. He's from Florida, and I'm from Alabama, so he told me it's going to be different than home."
Obomanu is one of four Seahawks selections who had never been to Seattle before this weekend. Kirtman went to high school in Mercer Island, while Plackemeier, a San Diego native, played in the Seattle Bowl as a freshman at Wake Forest in 2002.
Jennings, the first-round pick, visited Seattle for the first time on Sunday.
Future still in limbo: When asked Sunday about the status of his future, Holmgren responded: "This isn't the time to talk about that."
Holmgren has yet to extend his contract beyond the 2006 season, and he said earlier this spring that he was not certain whether he wanted to return in 2007.
Ruskell said over the weekend that talks have remained positive: "It's all good."
Quick slants: Kirtman is the fourth fullback in the past six years drafted by Seattle. The previous three - Auburn's Heath Evans (2001), Syracuse's Chris Davis (2003) and Iowa's Tony Jackson (2005) - failed to beat out veteran Mack Strong for the job. ... Obomanu said he was willing to return punts, but he never did it at Auburn. He's considered more of a possession receiver without top-end speed. ... Plackemeier is listed at 253, but he said he's shed a few pounds. He hopes to get to 240 by the end of training camp. ... Ruskell said the Seahawks expect to add around a dozen rookie free agents, who are expected to be announced today.

 

[TheStoicPaisano]

Big Rob and fellow Seahawk rookies. When did all these kickers and punters start getting fat?

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

For those who are not aware, Rob's father passed away unexpectedly this week.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Rob and his family.

 

[osugrad21]

RIP Mickey Sims

CPD

Mickey Sims, Metroparks ranger, former Cleveland Browns player


Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Wally Guenther
Plain Dealer Reporter
Macedonia- Mickey Sims, 51, who died Wednesday, was a former defensive tackle for the Cleveland Browns who became a Cleveland Met roparks ranger after his foot ball playing days were over.
Sims col lapsed and died of a heart attack while working a second job as a security guard on Cuyahoga Community College's Western Campus in Parma, his family said.
The 6-foot-5, 280-pound tackle was selected by the Browns in the fourth round of the 1977 NFL draft. He had been a Kodak All-American at South Carolina State.
Sims replaced an injured Jerry Sherk at the start of the 1977 season. He had 19 tackles that year and gained a reputation as a big playmaker, according to the Browns' media guide. When Sherk came back to the lineup, Sims returned to a backup role.
He was released by the Browns in 1980.
His son, Rob, was a freshman offensive lineman for the 2002 national champion Ohio State football team, and was drafted this spring by the Seattle Seahawks.
He left the Seahawks minicamp to be with his family this week.
Sims joined the Metroparks rangers in 1980 as an off-season job from football. He worked as a ranger for the past 27 years, and was promoted to sergeant in 1998. He took a second job with CCC about 10 years ago, his son said.
Though weighing an imposing 375 pounds in recent years, according to his son, he was known for his calm demeanor.
"Sims was a mentor to many [rangers], and a friend to all," said Gregory Loftus, chief of the Metroparks rangers

Other colleagues said Sims was greatly admired and a good supervisor for the rangers who reported to him in his division.
The Macedonia resident recently worked primarily in the Metroparks Brecksville reservation, but also saw duties in other Metroparks reservations.
Dianna Kall, a spokeswoman for the Metroparks, said that in Sims' honor a tree will be bought by the rangers through the Metroparks Legacy program and planted at the North Chagrin Reservation office.
Sims was born in Union, S.C. His father was a textile plant worker. His mother became a Pittsburgh Steelers fan when another South Carolina State graduate, Donnie Shell, became a Steelers safety. Shell was three years ahead of Sims.
Sims received a degree in physical education from South Carolina State.
He was a longtime deacon with the Cornerstone Missionary Baptist Church, 8915 Miles Park Ave., Cleveland.
Sims and his wife were married 26 years.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
[email protected], 216-999-4875
Robert A. "Mickey" Sims
1955 - 2006
Survivors: wife, Brenda; a son, Rob, of Macedonia; a daughter, Robyn, of Macedonia; six sisters; and two brothers
Services: 11 a.m. today, Mount Zion of Oakwood Village, 1 Mount Zion Circle, Oakwood
Arrangements: E.F. Boyd & Son Funeral Home and Crematory, 25900 Emery Road, Warrensville Heights.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Scout.com$

7/26/06

Sims has agreed to a 4 year deal with Seattle.

 

[Buckskin86]

Interior voice drives rookie lineman

DAVE BOLING; THE NEWS TRIBUNE
Published: July 31st, 2006 01:00 AM

CHENEY – Typically, after a good practice like Sunday morning’s, when he performed well in drills, Rob Sims would whip out his cell phone and provide a block-by-block recap of the action for his father, Robert “Mickey” Sims.
No one was more interested than Mickey, of course, and no one was more invested in Rob’s performance, since Mickey had spent much of his life grooming his son for this exact opportunity.

On June 7, when Rob Sims was in Seattle at a Seahawks minicamp, Sergeant Sims of the Cleveland Metroparks Ranger Department died of a heart attack at age 51.

He was eulogized as a humble, jovial and spiritual man whose prodigious size (6-foot-5, 350 pounds) and perpetual grin caused him to be called: “The Gentle Giant.”

Sunday afternoon, Rob Sims spoke of how much he missed those phone connections, but the lines of communication, he said, remain.

“I’m still hearing his words … every day,” Rob Sims said. “Every day.”

The words that passed from father to son were more specifically applicable than the customary “Do your best, buddy,” and “never give up.” Mickey Sims understood big-time football because he played for the Cleveland Browns in the 1970s.

Of his messages, the one most frequently emphasized was the need to stay hungry and motivated, because Mickey Sims conceded that he came to take the game for granted, and his career was truncated because of lax work habits.

“It was a huge point for him,” Sims said. “That’s why I try to go out every day and push as hard as I can. He always said he was good enough to play in the league longer, but he got a little cocky. He stressed that to me many, many times. He made sure I had the work ethic in me. And it was great having someone like him who knew what it was all about.”

Mickey Sims lived his advice, working two jobs much of the time.

“He worked for the parks and did security, too,” Rob Sims said. “We were trying to get him out of it; that’s what we were going to do if I made it here. I don’t think we were really hurting (for money) but he always wanted to do more.”

Rob Sims started on the offensive line for Ohio State for most of four seasons, then was drafted in the fourth round by the Seahawks. When coach Mike Holmgren called to welcome him to the team, Sims was in church with his family.

The sermon that Sunday: Catching a Dream.

In the first few days of his initial training camp, Sims has been impressed by the diligence of his fellow offensive linemen, how they study their meeting notes and prepare for the day’s challenges.

So, he watches tackle Walter Jones, whom he says is a blocking “textbook,” and he tries to catch on to the tricks of the veterans on the line, Robbie Tobeck and Chris Gray.

At the moment, Sims is listed at left guard behind Floyd “Pork Chop” Womack, but he looks comfortable and hardly out of place, acquitting himself well in blocking drills.

“I think he has a great attitude,” Holmgren said. “He’s physically strong enough; he moves well, he can pull, he can do all those things for a big guy.”

With a bench-press maximum of 515 pounds, Sims is already among the strongest of the Seahawks.

“He’s got skills and he works hard,” said line coach Bill Laveroni. “He’s got quick feet and power, and he’s smart enough that he’s going to learn the offense quickly.”

But there’s more to Sims than that, more depth, more substance, more of the inner resources that sometimes separate offensive linemen into a group distinct from their teammates.

“You know, he’s a solid man,” Laveroni said. “And that’s the kind of guy we want on our team.”

And that’s the kind of assessment that would make Mickey Sims proud.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/seahawks/story/5992059p-5266331c.html

 

[Buckskin86]

8/8/2006
By Mike Kahn - Seahawks Insider

CHENEY – Just mentioning the name Rob Sims drew a chuckle out of usually stoic all-world left tackle Walter Jones. There is something special about the relationship of the offensive linemen on the Seattle Seahawks, and the twinkle in Big Walt’s eye says they already have their eye on “the rook.”
“He’s a great guy with a lot of talent, and he’s doing what the coaches are asking of him,” Jones said. “That’s all you can do and try to learn the system, and he’s doing a great job of it. Right now he’s going through a lot of thinking and not a lot of playing. That’s going to come with time, and he’ll be fine.”

At 6-4 and 307 pounds with quick feet and a core with the strength to move buildings for a living, the fourth-round draft choice from Ohio State has already been slotted at left guard behind Floyd Womack in the rapidly developing second team line. Sims loves to chat and is glib with the one-liners, but beneath that wit and love for the game of football is another motivating factor that also has the guys on his side.

Sims suddenly lost his father Mickey to a heart attack on June 7, just six weeks after the family was seated in church when Rob got the call that he was drafted by the Seahawks. How ironic that the man who was at the soul of his drive to get to the NFL in the first place has now moved to a place that leaves him ensconced in his son’s spirit.

A ranger in the Metro Cleveland Park System, the elder Sims played three seasons for the Cleveland Browns, and constantly prodded his son Rob not to be the underachiever on the football field that he had turned out to be.


What he never realized, of course, was that he and his wife, Brenda, taught their 22-year-old son a strong work ethic every day of his life, and that is at the heart of his drive to succeed today.

“Everything has reached another level since that day,” Sims said. “It’s different for me now as the man of the family. I have the responsibility to carry on like he would. After the league, he worked his butt off for 20-something-odd years to provide for his family and give us a great life. He would want to see me in the league for a long time because he knows that he could have done it, and didn’t.

“I just don’t take anything for granted. I don’t come out and complain about it getting hot or I’m tired. I try not to complain, and I push it to the max as much as I can. I wish he were here to see it, but, really, he’s with me every single second of the day. I just try to go out and play and be the man that he would want me to be.”

On a line dominated with veterans, he has plenty of role models. Jones and center Robbie Tobeck were in the Pro Bowl last season; veteran right guard Chris Gray had one of his best seasons in the NFL, and right tackle Sean Locklear emerged as one of the bright young tackles in the league. With the loss of a third Pro-Bowler, left guard Steve Hutchinson in free agency, the veteran Womack has first dibs on the spot.

But Sims and second-year center/guard Chris Spencer aren’t to be taken lightly.

“You look at our young guys like Rob, Sean, Ray Willis and me, and we’ve got a young second line that can do a lot of damage,” Spencer said. “We’re all motivated to learn from the veterans and want to be ready to step in when it’s our turn.”

That line is the tour de force of this team in many ways. Whether it’s blocking for MVP running back Shaun Alexander or quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, there is an enormous amount of pride on that line. It’s precisely why Sims fits.

“Of course, the receivers and the running backs think they’ve got the hardest job,” Sims said, rolling his eyes. “And the defensive backs think they’ve got the toughest job. But we really know the key to making it all work is for us to do our jobs on the line. If you take a step too short or too long, you really can blow up a play. It really is a game of inches. We have to fine-tune those things every single day.

“When I first came in, I was a little intimidated because everyone knows this is one of the best lines in the league. I’m coming in as a rookie wondering where my place is going to be. They kind of show you how they got to where they are. I watch the older guys like Chris Gray and Robbie Tobeck, how they prepare for practice, how they do practice. They set a great example of how I’d like my career to carry on.”

He had a great start with the Buckeyes. He started three weeks as a true freshman at left tackle for the 2002 NCAA Champions, and started at that position until his senior year when he was moved to left guard.

The timing was just right for the Seahawks, and his versatility was really attractive. That’s not to mention the advantage he has of having played at such a high level of college football for four years.

“Rob has a lot of natural talent – he’s quick, powerful, bright and he’s tough,” said offensive line assistant Keith Gilbertson, who has frequently moved back and forth between college and pro football. “He’s already had a nice camp so far. The higher level you play at – the intensity and speed of the game, the pressure and the limelight - the more it helps. He’s used to what it looks and feels like on Saturday’s in big-time collegiate football. I think that gives an edge to a player coming into the National Football League as opposed to someone who doesn’t have that.

“Rob’s already been on the road in front of 60,000-70,000 people in a hostile environment, and had to play at the highest level against ranked teams on national television. That makes a big difference compared to a guy who has never experienced that. There’s a lot to learn. It’s a real different game. There’s just more of it for an offensive linemen in the NFL just because of the defenses and the quality of players you see on every down. Everybody you’re playing against was a great college player. So this is a different deal, and Rob’s learning that.”

That translates into many football fields to traverse on special teams before he reaches the level of starter and establishing a career as an exceptional offensive lineman in this league. He’s still getting comfortable with the extensive Seahawks playbook and the nuances that head coach Mike Holmgren, offensive line coach Bill Laveroni and Gilbertson expect from him.

All of that is secondary, of course, to what he believes his dad was expecting from him.

“I’m enjoying it, learning a lot and learning on the fly,” Sims said. “I’m just trying to find my place on this team. At Ohio State they prepare you very well as a player with a pretty complicated system. It’s not like we do it here, but as far as the terminology it’s not too different. As far as mentally, I think I had a little bit of an advantage as a rookie. But that doesn’t mean that I’m still not messed up like all the other guys. I’m still trying to eliminate the mistakes, but I’m getting better and learning all the positions on the line. It’s my job to be prepared for everything.

“I had a few days earlier when I was in a funk thinking about my dad, then I just started thinking about how he would want me to be and that’s how I want to play the game – at the highest level using all of my skills. I miss having him to talk to every day, and to make him proud when I get to where I want to be.”

Chances are the spirit of Mickey Sims is already beaming.

http://www.seahawks.com/Ardisplay.aspx?ID=7086&SecID=317

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Here is a couple of pics of Sims in action during camp....

Yahoo.com

8/11/06

Seattle Seahawks guard Rob Sims (67) blocks linebacker Niko Koutouvides during football training camp Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2006, in Cheney, Wash. (AP Photo/Jim Bryant)

Seattle Seahawks guard Rob Sims, right, blocks defensive tackle Russell Davis during football training camp Monday, Aug. 7, 2006, at Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Wash. (AP Photo/Jim Bryant)

Seattle Seahawks guard Rob Sims, left, pushes defensive tackle Alex Guerrero to the outside during pass protection drills at football training camp Monday, Aug. 7, 2006, at Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Wash. (AP Photo/Jim Bryant)

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Scout.com$

8/12/06

Nine Seahawks to Watch This Preseason.

 

[OregonBuckeye]

I never realized Sims was so strong.

 

[osugrad21]

Link

Sims often thinks of his late father
Seahawk rookie's dad died during minicamp in June
By John Sleeper
Herald writer

CHENEY - Twice a day each 90-degree day, Rob Sims pushes his 6-foot-4, 310-pound body through every drill and every scrimmage. Meetings are endless. By night, he studies page after page of the exhaustive Seahawk playbook.
There are times, however, when his mind wanders home to his father, Robert "Mickey" Sims, who died of a heart attack at 51. He died June 7, while his son was at minicamp. Just six weeks prior, Rob and his family were in church as the Seahawks announced Sims would be their choice in the fourth-round of the NFL Draft, just as his father was with the Cleveland Browns 30 years ago.
He was a gentle man, Mickey Sims was. At 350 pounds, he was referred to as "The Gentle Giant." He was quick with a joke and a grin. He was spiritual. Humble. He was a popular sergeant with the Cleveland Metroparks Ranger Department.
Those are the difficult times, when Sims has those thoughts. Mickey Sims should be here to watch his son in his first NFL training camp, just as he watched him in every game in his four years at Ohio State.
But in a way, he is watching.
"We talk all the time," Robb Sims said. "I have my good days and my bad days. I just try to come out and make him as happy as possible, to let him know that I'm doing the best I can."
Mickey Sims had his chance in the NFL, having played three seasons with the Browns. Eventually, lack of conditioning caught up with the elder Sims, and the Browns released him.
He prodded his son through that scenario. He told his son to stay motivated and hungry, to never take what he had for granted, as he did. His son listened. No one questions his work ethic.
"I try not to take anything for granted or complain that it's hot or I'm tired," Sims said. "He taught me that. He got a little cocky and he didn't want me to. I wish he were here to see it, but really, he's with me every day, every second. My job is to go out and play and be the man he wanted me to be."
All indications are that he's doing his job well. Listed behind Pork Chop Womack at left guard, Sims' skills are advanced for a rookie, just weeks into training camp. In fact, the coaching staff considered starting him Saturday against the Cowboys, after Womack pulled a hamstring.
Ultimately, the coaches chose second-year man Chris Spencer, rather than throw Sims to the wolves.
"He's got skills," offensive line coach Bill Laveroni said of Sims. "He works hard and he's smart. I like what he's doing."
Sims certainly has the teachers. Left tackle Walter Jones and center Robbie Tobeck were in the Pro Bowl last season. Right guard Chris Gray had his best season. Right tackle Sean Locklear is one of the top young players at his position.
"Watching Walt and Robbie and Chop has been a tremendous help for me," Sims said. "I'm just fortunate to play with guys as good as they are. I thought last year that they were one of the best offensive lines in the league.
"You get kind of intimidated when you get into a situation like this. Walt's going to be in the Hall of Fame. To come in and play with those guys is a real honor."
Somewhere, Robert "Mickey" Sims must be smiling.

 

[osugrad21]

Link

4. I think it's looking more and more like, at some point this season, Hutchinson's replacement at left guard will be an upset special. Fourth-round pick Rob Sims, a 6-foot-3, 307-pound four-year starter from Ohio State, was working with the first unit Tuesday morning, and I say he'll eventually outlast the injury-prone Pork Chop Womack -- out temporarily with a strained hammy -- and take the job.

 

[Buckskin86]

Saturday, August 19, 2006

In first NFL start, Hawks' Sims will count on guiding light
OL aims to follow lead of late father

By CLARE FARNSWORTH
P-I REPORTER

CHENEY -- It's only a preseason game, and his son is in the lineup only because of an injury to another player. But the Seahawks' nationally televised game against the Colts in Indianapolis on Sunday night should have been very special for Mickey Sims:

The chance to attend the first game Rob Sims starts in the National Football League.

It won't happen because Mickey, a former defensive lineman for the Cleveland Browns, died of a heart attack in June. It happened while Rob, a rookie guard and the Seahawks' fourth-round draft choice, was attending a minicamp in Kirkland.

"He's watching. I know he is," Sims said this week. "We still talk every night."

Sims grew up in a tight-knit family in Macedonia, Ohio, but football was always the special bond between him and his father. Mickey Sims never missed a game when his son was starring at Nordonia High School or starting for 3 1/2 seasons at Ohio State.

After the Seahawks drafted Sims, he had talked with his father about retiring and moving to Seattle with him.

Wherever Rob Sims goes, Mickey Sims will be there.

"Rather than just this season, I've dedicated my life to him," the younger Sims said. "To be a better person. To be a better football player. To be a professional. That's what he wanted me to do.

"This season will come and go. I want to live my life the way he wanted me to live."

Sunday night, Rob Sims will start at left guard for the Seahawks. Chris Spencer, who was subbing for the injured Floyd "Pork Chop" Womack, moved to center after Robbie Tobeck had surgery Monday to remove bone chips from his left elbow.

Sims had hoped to earn a starting spot eventually. The Seahawks saw enough in the 6-foot-3, 307-pounder that they believed he could start.

This week, he has been on a crash course to prepare for a Colts defensive line that is very quick, very active and ridiculously relentless.

"I didn't think it was going to happen this fast," Sims said. "I'm just going to use this weekend to get better and go out there and play hard. That's my mind-set: I want to play well."

The entire team, and especially the offense, needs to play better than it did in last week's 13-3 loss to the Dallas Cowboys at Qwest Field.

The offensive ineffectiveness was bad enough. What really got to coach Mike Holmgren, however, were the mental mistakes -- including four false-start penalties.

"We need to clean that up," Holmgren said. "It's harder, because we're playing in a noisy place against a good football team."

The starters should play into the second quarter, depending on the flow of the game. But Sims won't be calling it an evening with the rest of them.

He's also working at right and left guard with the No. 2 line, so the coaches will have a prolonged opportunity to evaluate him.

"He had a good game," Holmgren said of Sims' performance against the Cowboys. "He showed good speed, good toughness."

Mickey Sims would expect, and accept, nothing less.

SEAHAWKS AT COLTS
WHAT: Second preseason game
WHEN/WHERE: Sunday, 5 p.m., RCA Dome, Indianapolis
TV/RADIO: KING/5; KIRO-AM/710

P-I reporter Clare Farnsworth can be reached at 206-448-8016 or [email protected].

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/football/281863_hawk19.html