Probably no other starting offensive lineman for the Seattle Seahawks has the question marks from the 12th man as well as the need to show coaches substantial improvement as does Rob Sims. Still penciled in as the starting right guard, by most accounts, he hasn't developed nearly as fast as his impressive rookie season would have suggested. Excelling at pass coverage, his talents initially fit right into Holmgren's offensive forte and Seattle's anemic running game deemphasized his deficiency at run blocking. He impressed coaches and fans alike in his rookie year replacing Chris Gray and starting the last three games of the season and one playoff game with good results.

Everything looked like we had found a real bargain in the 2006 draft until the 2007 season arrived. After moving to right guard, Sims struggled as did Seattle’s running game. In the first game of 2008, he was injured and sat out the remainder of the season on IR. Now entering his 4th year, he has 22 career starts including playoffs. He is scheduled to be a free agent in 2010 unless the year is declared uncapped in which case he will be a restricted free agent.

Rob Sims was Seattle's 4th round choice in the 2006 draft picked 31st in the 4th round (#128). From Ohio State, Sims played both tackle and guard logging more time at the tackle spot. He was considered a steal at the place he was picked and many analysts thought that having played tackle in college, Sims would excel at the guard position in the NFL which is a less demanding position.

Sims played in 14 games as a rookie in 2006 starting 3 plus started one playoff game that season. He was considered a bright spot on the offensive line and showed himself to be an outstanding technical pass blocker which worked well in Holmgren's pass oriented system. He allowed zero sacks in his first season and the future looked bright.

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In 2007, Sims was moved over to the right side of the line to replace Chris Grey. Everyone was expecting him to take up where he left off as a rookie and develop into a quality right guard for the Seahawks. Instead, he had an annoying habit of tripping over his own feet and missing assignments. Mike Holmgren wasn't impressed and he earned a bad reputation among fans in the process. He still showed himself to be very good in pass protection but not being terribly agile, run blocking was a big problem. Since the running game was Seattle's biggest deficiency, Sims was one of the most culpable lineman in a lot of eyes.

According to opponents, the Seahawks had two major weaknesses on offense in 2007. One of them was that Rob Sims was considered an area specific player that was susceptible to both power and speed. Stiff hips and an inability to work in space were considered his main weaknesses. After losing to Green Bay in the NFC playoffs in early 2008, Sims was already on the hot seat for the 2008 season and seemed to be in a make it or break it situation with his career at only 24 years old.

In the first game of the 2008 season, Sims tore his pectoral muscle, which would end his season. He was placed on injured reserve the following week and has been under attack from fans ever since. The perception is that although he showed promise as a rookie, he was a major bust in 2007 and that he was terrible in 2008 even though a lot of fans don't seem to remember that he sat out the 2008 season on IR.

Enter Mike Solari. Solari was supposed to implement the zone blocking system for the 2008 season but for whatever reason, it was never implemented. Some say that Holmgren was against it but in 2009, the Seahawks will employ the new scheme under Jim Mora. Ray Roberts, talking on ESPN Radio, spoke about Sims and the zone blocking scheme. He said that Sims is closer to 6' 2" tall than his listed 6' 3" height and being short and compact, he's an excellent cut blocker which is a necessary tool offensive linemen need to have in their arsenal to be a force in the zone blocking system. Solari has also mentioned that Sims is better suited for the zone blocking system than the system Holmgren ran and right now Sims is listed as the starting right guard on the Seahawks depth chart. Presumably he will occupy that position when training camp opens later this week.

Mike Clark, the Seahawks strength and conditioning coach, also mentioned Rob Sims as one of his most diligent workers in the weight room. Sims is in probably the best shape of his career right now and is one of the players from the Seahawks with the most to prove this season. He's made sure conditioning won't be a part of any problem.

Overall, Sims is a better than average pass blocker but missed a lot of blocks in 2007 and needs to learn to be a much better run blocker to hang on to his job. The move to right guard made in 2007 and working in the zone blocking system should help him but we’ll have to wait and until later this year to find out if it really paid off. Overall, Sims is considered an average starter who will have to improve in run blocking to be successful in the NFL.

At 25 years old, Sims is still young and many offensive linemen don't blossom until they have a few seasons under their belt. Being considered a very good technical pass blocker is a very big positive for a player who demonstrates less than ideal agility. What will define Sims in 2009 is how well he adapts to the zone blocking system and how well he masters the art of run blocking in general. If he can do that, it's still not too late to blossom into the guard many thought he would be after watching his rookie season and become a productive offensive lineman for the Seahawks over the next decade. If not, he might not be resigned next season.

Hasta,

BillT

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