By Barrett Sallee, SEC Football Lead Writer Dec 19, 2014
Alabama's magical run to its 24th SEC championship is complete, and the top-ranked Crimson Tide have begun preparing for fourth-ranked Ohio State in a semifinal showdown in the Sugar Bowl.
For quarterback Blake Sims, it also serves as a chance to take a breath.
The questions surrounding Sims' ability to run the offense only amplified when, during the spring game, Sims completed just 13 of 30 passes. That prompted a 10-year-old to ask head coach Nick Saban if there was a quarterback better than Sims on the roster, according to Charlie Potter of 247Sports.
The redshirt senior entered fall camp embroiled in a battle with Jake Cokerāthe graduate transfer from Florida State who arrived in the summer and supposedly pushed eventual Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston at Florida State in 2013.
In the season opener vs. West Virginia, Sims and Coker were supposed to split snaps.
That didn't happen.
With a very conservative game plan, Sims completed 24 of 33 passes for 250 yards in the 33-23 win over the Mountaineers.
At that point, Kiffin and Sims were off and running together.
Sims proved in games vs. Florida (445 yards) and Auburn (312 yards) that he's more than a game manager. He's a gunslinger who can stretch the field through the air and also stress the defense with his ability to make plays on the ground.
Now he has something that should terrify Ohio State and, potentially, either Florida State or Oregon in the College Football Playoff Championship Game.
Time.
For the first time in his five-year Alabama career, Sims is getting camp-like snaps as the unquestioned No. 1 quarterback for the Crimson Tide. It's giving Sims and Kiffin the chance to take a step back, work on specific areas that need to be improved, such as chemistry with other receivers if the Buckeyes take away Amari Cooper, and unleash "Blake Sims 2.0" in the Sugar Bowl.
What exactly will that entail?
More looks for wide receiver DeAndrew White, more targets to stud tight end O.J. Howard and more designed runs could be in the works. Alabama, of course, will always be a run-first system as long as Saban is there, but the small break before game prep allows Kiffin and Sims to expand the playbook and hit Ohio State with a few new wrinkles in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Alabama's magical run to its 24th SEC championship is complete, and the top-ranked Crimson Tide have begun preparing for fourth-ranked Ohio State in a semifinal showdown in the Sugar Bowl.
For quarterback Blake Sims, it also serves as a chance to take a breath.
The questions surrounding Sims' ability to run the offense only amplified when, during the spring game, Sims completed just 13 of 30 passes. That prompted a 10-year-old to ask head coach Nick Saban if there was a quarterback better than Sims on the roster, according to Charlie Potter of 247Sports.
The redshirt senior entered fall camp embroiled in a battle with Jake Cokerāthe graduate transfer from Florida State who arrived in the summer and supposedly pushed eventual Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston at Florida State in 2013.
In the season opener vs. West Virginia, Sims and Coker were supposed to split snaps.
That didn't happen.
With a very conservative game plan, Sims completed 24 of 33 passes for 250 yards in the 33-23 win over the Mountaineers.
At that point, Kiffin and Sims were off and running together.
Sims proved in games vs. Florida (445 yards) and Auburn (312 yards) that he's more than a game manager. He's a gunslinger who can stretch the field through the air and also stress the defense with his ability to make plays on the ground.
Now he has something that should terrify Ohio State and, potentially, either Florida State or Oregon in the College Football Playoff Championship Game.
Time.
For the first time in his five-year Alabama career, Sims is getting camp-like snaps as the unquestioned No. 1 quarterback for the Crimson Tide. It's giving Sims and Kiffin the chance to take a step back, work on specific areas that need to be improved, such as chemistry with other receivers if the Buckeyes take away Amari Cooper, and unleash "Blake Sims 2.0" in the Sugar Bowl.
What exactly will that entail?
More looks for wide receiver DeAndrew White, more targets to stud tight end O.J. Howard and more designed runs could be in the works. Alabama, of course, will always be a run-first system as long as Saban is there, but the small break before game prep allows Kiffin and Sims to expand the playbook and hit Ohio State with a few new wrinkles in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Is the break halting the momentum of the Tide's offense? Not according to Sims.
"Offense got better, defense got better, we were on each other," Sims said
to Duane Rankin of Telegraph-Forum. "Leaders were calling everybody out. I think Coach Saban liked (what) he saw in practice. Even if we did things (wrong), he liked the way the leaders were trying to get on everybody and try to let everybody know we were trying to keep the same rhythm we left off with."
How long will the camp-like setting last?
Not long. Ohio State prep will begin in earnest this weekend, according to Marq Burnett of the Ledger-Enquirer, but the extra time to prepare is giving Sims plenty to think about during practices, time when the coaches aren't on the practice field and during the down time without classes getting in the way.
Sims was everything Alabama fans could have hoped for and more in 2014, and the month layoff will make him even better heading into the playoffs.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...-time-for-lane-kiffin-to-create-blake-sims-20
