OL Rob Sims (official thread)

[Buckskin86]

found on BN

NWCN Daily Feature - Rob Sims


By Mike Kahn
Seahawks Insider

Rob Sims knows it is time.

He has too much natural talent to have been flying under the radar screen as long as he has without reaching the kind of high-level consistency that the top offensive linemen of his generation attain.

But at the ripe age of 23, he?s now the starting left guard for the Seattle Seahawks, he, third-year center Chris Spencer and fourth-year right tackle Sean Locklear represent the young core of the present and future of the Seahawks offensive line.

It?s a far cry from last summer as a rookie fourth round draft pick and he welcomes the challenge.

?Nobody really expected that much from me last year,? Sims said. ?I really didn?t know the playbook and I was just kind of just out there trying to pick everything up. Now it?s a different thing because I?m supposed to be the left guard and I do know what to do. It?s still hard, but it?s changed to a lot of high expectations and that?s pushed me to focus on getting everything done at the highest level possible.?

Seattle Seahawks - News : NWCN Daily Feature - Rob Sims

 

[Buckskin86]

PLAYER OF THE DAY
Rob Sims. The first-year starter at left guard was throwing his weight around, and then some.

Sims had a couple of solid blocks to spring Shaun Alexander on two occasions in a run drill and later peeled off his man to pick up another defender, allowing Matt Hasselbeck the time he needed to complete a pass.

Even more impressive than the blocks was the mobility he displayed. That's one thing that Sims has shown this summer ? when asked to pull, he doesn't just fire out, he is looking to drill someone.

Thursday in Hawkville

Sims and Spencer, the two young bucks, appear ready to form a top-notch tandem in the middle of the line, teamed with veteran right guard Chris Gray and solid right tackle Sean Locklear.

Sims, a powerful second-year man out of Ohio State, says he's far more ready to fill the vast shoes of Hutchinson this season.

"I'm so much more comfortable," the 312-pounder said. "I've been able to slow the game down now and I can see things before they happen. I'm not psychic, but I can kind of tell by the way a guy is facing or what he's going to do.

"When me, Spence and Walt get in there and we get humming like we did early in camp, it was good. So I'm excited to get Walt back and get going."

Seahawks Preview: Skill players only as good as their blockers

 

[Buckskin86]

Published: Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Seahawks strongmen

For Seattle offensive linemen Chris Spencer and Rob Sims nothing could be more enjoyable than moving around big plates in the weight room -- well except for maybe pushing around 300-pound defensive linemen on Sundays.

By Scott M. Johnson
Herald Writer

KIRKLAND -- Spending time in the weight room can be a necessary evil for NFL players, but two starters on the Seattle Seahawks' offensive line see it from a different perspective.

There's no place this duo would rather be.

Center Chris Spencer and left guard Rob Sims count weightlifting as one of their favorite pastimes, and the results have carried over to the football field.

"Especially on double teams, when it's me and him, there aren't that many people who can get through there," Sims said. "It's been pretty cool playing with a guy like that."

That would be Sims, who also weighs in at 312 pounds but can lift much more than his own body weight. He started seriously getting into lifting as a high school senior and continued to develop in Ohio State University's strength program.

"Actually, there were a couple guys at Ohio State who were a little stronger than me," Sims said. "(Being in Seattle) is the first time that there have not been as many, actually."

"Rob is probably one of our strongest players in the weight room," said Wyms, who faces Sims in practices four times a week. "A lot of guys can do a lot of work in the weight room but can't transfer it to the field, but Rob can definitely transfer that strength to the field."

HeraldNet: Seahawks strongmen

 

[OregonBuckeye]

Rob is absolutely dominating right now. He and Walter Jones are opening up huge running lanes.

 

[bukIpower]

That speaks volumes about the OSU talent levels when he says he's the strongest in Seattle but there were always a couple stronger at OSU. That means we put out some impressive kids! for sure Kudla shouldnt' count he's a freak...haha

 

[osugrad21]

Link

In his father's footsteps
Rob Sims grew up a fan of the Cleveland Browns, but it was his dad, Mickey, an ex-Brown, who was his hero. This Sunday Rob heads home to play the Browns, where the memories of his father, who died two years ago of a heart attack, are the strongest.

By Scott M. Johnson
Herald Writer

Photo courtesy of Brenda Sims (click to enlarge)

Rob Sims dressed up as former Browns QB Bernie Kosar for Halloween, 1990.

Don't let the costume fool you.

Not the Bernie Kosar outfit that Rob Sims sported on Halloween in 1990. And not the happy-go-lucky disposition that cloaks the 23-year-old Sims these days.

Both of those appearances tell only half the story.

Kosar might have been Sims' favorite Cleveland Browns player in 1990, but the Ohio native's true hero was a different Brown. His father, Mickey Sims, played three seasons with Cleveland from 1977 though 1979 before retiring due in part to back problems.

And the temperament that Rob Sims carries with him can't fully conceal the pain that he felt 16 months ago, when his father died unexpectedly of a massive heart attack. The tragic death came as Rob Sims was preparing for his first minicamp with the Seattle Seahawks, and the pain still affects the 6-foot-3, 312-pounder to this day.

Cont...

 

[Buckskin86]

Sticking up for Sims

Seattle Seahawks left guard Rob Sims, a product of Nordonia High and Ohio State, has been one of the scapegoats for the Seahawks' rushing woes. The Seahawks, who face the Browns on Sunday, rank 22nd in the league despite the presence of running back Shaun Alexander, the 2005 NFL Most Valuable Player.

Sims, a fourth-round pick in 2006, has played in 21 games and started 10, including all seven this season.

Asked about the criticism Sims has received, Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said: ''That's unfair, that's someone with a little bit of an ax to grind. It's not coming from me, and I'm the only one who really counts when it comes to who's going to play. We are disappointed in how we're running the ball. We have high expectations, we have a good running back, and it hasn't been working how it's been working in the past. We've had some decent games, but overall I have not been pleased. It's never one guy. It's never just the running back, it's never just the offensive line, it's never just one offensive lineman.

''Rob is a good football player. I'm happy to death we have Rob Sims. He was thrust in there as a young player last year, he and (Chris) Spencer, our center, are still learning how to play. But I wouldn't trade (Sims) for anybody.''

Ohio.com - Steelers reject picked up

Notebook | Hawks try out shake-up of lineup
By Jos? Miguel Romero
Seattle Times staff reporter

KIRKLAND ? The message from coach Mike Holmgren was loud and clear, especially to second-year left guard Rob Sims.

Before the bye week, Holmgren hinted at blocking deficiencies on the offensive line and at the idea of shaking things up in the lineup in an effort to get the running game going. On Wednesday, those changes ? while not set in stone ? were visible.

Backup Floyd Womack took snaps with the first team at right guard and left guard, where Chris Gray and Sims are the starters. After practice, Sims stewed.

"I'm hoping this is the time where I look back on my career and I'm like, 'This is the week I turned the corner and I became great instead of good,' " Sims said. "I'm not a quitter. I'll just keep playing and at the end of the day we'll see.

"It fired me up this week. Earlier in the week I kind of reacted to it in a negative way and went about things the wrong way and just got upset."

As for Sims, a demotion would cut deeper. Sims is a Cleveland-area native who grew up cheering for the Browns because his father, Mickey, played for them in the 1970s. Mickey Sims died of a heart attack in June 2006.

"I've got 400 people coming to the game," Sims said. "It's one of those deals where I've got people that love me so much back there. Yeah, if it goes down like that it would be embarrassing for my family, but it's not about me. It's about the team and reaching the goals that we set out this year."

Sims said of his father, "I felt like this was going to be when we finally meet, on the football field. But the week isn't over yet."

Seahawks | Notebook | Hawks try out shake-up of lineup | Seattle Times Newspaper

 

[Buckskin86]

Offensive-line shuffle benefits Womack
FRANK HUGHES
The News Tribune Published: December 3rd, 2007

PHILADELPHIA ? Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren has threatened his offensive line all season: Perform, or be replaced.
He finally followed through on his ultimatum in Sunday?s 28-24 victory over Philadelphia, replacing left guard Rob Sims with Floyd ?Pork Chop? Womack.

?I felt Womack deserved to play a little bit,? Holmgren said. ?He is a good lineman that has not played at all. Rob was struggling just a little bit with some things and it?s OK for a young player, as long as he approaches it the right way, to sit back and watch a more veteran player play his position a little bit and we would reinsert him into the game. Unless anyone completely fell apart, that is what we were going to do. You?ll see some more of that.?

Offensive-line shuffle benefits Womack | TheNewsTribune.com | Tacoma, WA

 

[Buckskin86]

Better days ahead: Seattle offensive guard Rob Sims, the team's fourth-round pick in the 2006 draft, had a tough day on Sunday. Going against Carolina defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, a three-time Pro Bowler, Sims had his hands full much of the day.

The Seahawks gave up three sacks to the Panthers and Jenkins had one of them, beating Sims in the fourth quarter.

Still, Holmgren likes what he sees from his youngster.

"I love Rob Sims," he said. "He has a bright, bright future ahead of him. He's a young man who's starting in the National Football League and it's all good. Now, are there growing pains? Absolutely.

"He probably learns something every week. But what you have to see from young players like Rob is that they improve. And you have to see their mental toughness when things go bad, because things go bad every once in a while. So how do you respond to that?"

HeraldNet: Engram 'should be in the Pro Bowl'

 

[Buckskin86]

Tacoma, WA - January 4, 2008
Whipping boy Sims, fellow linemen grow up
Even Holmgren admits his favorite target has improved
FRANK HUGHES; [email protected]
Published: January 4th, 2008

Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren on Thursday gathered together his players after the team?s final full practice in preparation for Saturday?s first-round playoff game against Washington, and among the things Holmgren discussed was the beleaguered offensive line.

At a time that the Seahawks? fan base has booed running back Shaun Alexander for the team?s lack of a running game, Holmgren has more often chastised the offensive line, accusing it of not studying hard enough, blaming it for missing assignments, openly criticizing individual members for a lack of execution.

But after the offensive line?s performance the last two weeks, which helped produce a season-high 167 rushing yards in Sunday?s loss to Atlanta, Holmgren reached out to made amends.

?I am proud of the way they have grown up,? Holmgren said. ?We have some young people there, and through the course of the year I have been hard on them. I have made some changes in there and that is not always easy for guys to take. I just think we are playing our best football up front that we have played this year. It comes at a good time (because) we have a tremendous challenge this Saturday.?

Fair or not, the player singled out the most has been second-year left guard Rob Sims. Admittedly, some of it is Sims? fault.

?One of my big problems is that I am one of those guys who gets fired up,? Sims said. ?I get so fired up that I can?t function. It is one of those things where I go out there and there is something real easy and I get (angry) and just miss it.?

But some of it also is circumstance. Left tackle Walter Jones is a future Hall of Famer. Right guard Chris Gray is in his 15th year and is not going to get any better. Sean Locklear is established as the right tackle. And the team does not really have a backup center to replace Chris Spencer.

And so when Holmgren was trying to make a point, he intermittently benched Sims, forcing him to sit on the sideline while Floyd ?Pork Chop? Womack played his position.

?I think it is part of the growing process,? Sims said. ?But at the same time, I am a competitor. I have a lot of pride and that kind of got in the way at first of me seeing the bigger picture of things.

?Now that I have grown, I have seen what is going on. The good thing is I didn?t go in the tank and sit down. Here I am, still doing my thing and hoping to have a playoff run.?

His benching in the middle of games allowed Sims to see the way Jones approached the game.

?Walter and those guys are very methodical,? Sims said. ?They go up there and see it and go play. I have kind of learned how to do that, mixing my style in. This is my second year and sometimes you have to grow up and learn from other people. It has been a hard year as far as that is concerned, but no one said it was going to be easy.?

Whipping boy Sims, fellow linemen grow up | TheNewsTribune.com | Tacoma, WA

At left guard, second-year player Rob Sims started every game during the regular season. But the subpar running attack led Holmgren to start giving veteran Floyd Womack a few series over the past few games.

"As a younger player, I needed to get knocked back down to size, so to speak," Sims said on Thursday. "To see Chop (Womack) go in there, I learned from him."

Sims said that his biggest problem was getting too excited before games. He learned a lot from watching the low-key demeanors of Womack and Pro Bowl left tackle Walter Jones.

Sims has also grown from quality competition. He has played well in the past two games after getting manhandled by Carolina's Kris Jenkins three weeks ago.

"I'm one of those guys that, every player I play against I want to dominate," Sims said. "That guy (Jenkins), he was every bit of a man. What I learned is that sometimes you're going to get beat. You're going to get beat once in awhile, but you have to keep going."

That same strategy has helped Sims get through the recent rotation in playing time.

"The good thing about it is I didn't go in the tank and shut it down," Sims said. "I just fought through it, and here I am. I'm still doing my thing and hoping to have a good playoff run."

HeraldNet: Hawks still rotating at two key spots

 

[Buckskin86]

Rob Sims among highest performance-based pay recipients
Posted by Frank Hughes

Seahawks offensive guard Rob Sims was 18th in the NFL, earning an additional $245,566 from a performance-based pay fund, which is part of the league's collective bargaining agreement. The system awards lower-salaried players with extra money for playing time.

Sims made $542,000 last year, but started the entire season at the left guard -- a job he has since lost after the team signed Mike Wahle. It remains to be seen if Sims becomes the team's starting right guard.

Under the system, a player's regular season playing time is divided by his adjusted regular season compensation. Each player's index is then compared to those of the other players on his team to determine the amount of his performance-based pay. Pittsbrugh's Willie Colon earned the biggest payout in the league, at $309, 534.

Seahawks Insider - Rob Sims among highest performance-based pay recipients

 

[Buckskin86]

Sims opts to move, not mope
FRANK HUGHES; [email protected]
Published: May 4th, 2008

AMKIRKLAND ? Admittedly, Seattle Seahawks guard Rob Sims said, he was a bit miffed when the front office?s first move of the offseason was to sign guard Mike Wahle after he was released by the Carolina Panthers.
After all, the 24-year-old Sims was being groomed as the left guard of the future, and Wahle?s acquisition meant Sims immediately lost his job.

But that?s life in the NFL, Sims realized. Heck, the Seahawks cut Shaun Alexander, the 2005 league MVP. And they let receiver D.J. Hackett leave in free agency without putting up a fight. Nearly a quarter of the roster has turned over.

If those players can be let go, the team?s fourth-round draft pick in 2006 certainly is expendable.

?I want to be a team guy,? Sims said after Saturday morning?s minicamp practice. ?At first, I was a little upset. But this is the NFL. That is kind of how it goes. So you move over and suck it up and just go out here and learn as much as you can. In the end, it is just playing football. You can?t be upset about it.?

It appears as if the 6-foot-3, 312-pound Sims will stay in the starting lineup, but on the right side ? a position Sims has never played. He is stepping in for 37-year-old Chris Gray, who after 15 years finally will be pushed into a backup role.

?Just everything is backward,? Sims said. ?Your feet are backward. You are so used to moving with your right foot up; now your left foot is up. It is just different. It takes time to get proficient at both. Unfortunately, I haven?t had as many reps (at right guard) as I would have liked throughout my career. So it is new for me. But it is coming along good.?

Sims said Gray is serving as a mentor and, in his way, an example.

?One thing that is helping me is watching Chris on film,? Sims said. ?It is not so much how big and strong you are or how fast you are, but it is one of those things where linemen get better with age. Chris, his foot is always in the same place at the same time. You just sit back and watch him and want to be like that guy and then let your athleticism take over from that point.?

Sims declined to speculate as to why the running game struggled last season. But, he said, the signings of Julius Jones and T.J. Duckett should pay immediate dividends.

Though those backs have different styles than Alexander, Sims said he approaches his job the same way, even on the other side of the ball.

?Blocking is blocking,? Sims said. ?You do what you can with the guy in front of you, and you let the guy in back do their job. Those guys are going to hit the hole and run up in there and make a couple people miss ? and I think we will be better for it.?

Sims opts to move, not mope | TheNewsTribune.com | Tacoma, WA

 

[OregonBuckeye]

#67

NFL Photos: 2008 Minicamps - Seattle Seahawks

KIRKLAND, WA - MAY 04: Guard Mike Wahle #68 of the Seattle Seahawks talks with teammates during mini camp on May 4, 2008 at Seahawks Headquarters in Kirkland, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

 

[Buckskin86]

Sims to miss Seahawks' veteran minicamp because of surgery
Associated Press

Updated: May 5, 2008

KIRKLAND, Wash. -- The Seattle Seahawks announced Monday starting guard Rob Sims will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.

Sims will be operated on Tuesday at the Seattle Surgery Center by Dr. Ed Khalfayan, a team orthopedist.

Sims won't be able to take part in the Seahawks' four-day veteran minicamp that began Monday morning at team headquarters in Kirkland.

ESPN - Sims to miss Seahawks' veteran minicamp because of surgery - NFL

 

[Buckskin86]

Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Seahawks guard Rob Sims switching from left to right
By Jose Miguel Romero
Seattle Times staff reporter
This was Rob Sims' moment to shine for a captivated audience. It applauded and smiled at his every word, and he returned the affection by thanking the group for what they do.

Then Sims, the Seahawks' right guard and son of a teacher, took questions from a group of 24 Seattle Public Schools educators being honored Tuesday for outstanding leadership and instructional skills as part of the Symetra Heroes in the Classroom program.

"I'm an offensive lineman. I don't get these Q&As," Sims wisecracked from inside the Seahawks locker room at Qwest Field. The teachers and those listening laughed at his jokes and sarcasm.

All kidding aside, the third-year pro is getting an education of his own as he makes the move from left guard ? where he started all 16 regular-season games last season ? to right guard, now that the Seahawks have signed veteran Mike Wahle to be the left guard.

"At first I was kind of upset," Sims admitted when asked about switching positions. "I thought I had proven that I can be the left guard here for a long time. After that, I kind of was excited for the challenge. It's just something new that I can add to my career and say that I did."

It took Sims only a couple of days of the first team minicamp in May to start liking right guard.

"I'm kind of kicking myself for getting mad in the first place," Sims said. "It's one of those deals where this game is kind of territorial, and it's one of those things where you get excited too fast before you need to. Now I feel great about it."

Seahawks | Seahawks guard Rob Sims switching from left to right | Seattle Times Newspaper