Scouting Report: Ernie Sims

by Tom Kowalski
Monday June 30, 2008, 12:06 AM
ERNIE SIMS

2008 Scouting Report

The question isn't whether Sims is going to turn into a Pro Bowl player, it's whether he'll survive to play in Hawaii. Sims has been everything the Lions were looking for when they made him the ninth overall pick two years ago and, if the Lions defense gets better, he'll finally get some national recognition for his talents.


However, the Lions defense has been so bad the last two years that they can't get off the field. While most of the other positions rotate, Sims is on the field for almost every play and it's wearing him out. The Lions' 32nd-ranked defense was on the field for 1,087 plays last season - almost two full games more than an above-average defense.

Sims, who has battled a sore shoulder late in the season for the last two years, gets himself into trouble because he's a violent hitter and never lets up. Sims has excellent speed, can go sideline-to-sideline, can either slip blockers or take them head on - regardless of their size - and he plays to the whistle.

While he's improving in his zone coverage drops and reactions, he still needs to improve in his one-on-one coverage skills.

Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher said that in the first year of the Tampa Two, players really have no idea what they're doing and then make a big jump in the second year. But, Urlacher has said, it's the third year that a player really gets comfortable in what he's doing. That's where Sims is headed now. He's been an impact player and he's going to get even better. His playmaking ability took a leap last year and that should continue.

(For the X's and O's folks -- In the Tampa Two, Sims is always positioned behind the "three technique'' tackle (which is usually Cory Redding). Sims will sometimes play on the right side or the left side - depending on whether the Lions are in an "over'' or "under'' front - but he always follows the under tackle in the formation.)