“I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a player go through any more than what Blake went through for four years as a player and never once did he ever not do what he needed to do to help the team,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban told AL.com. “He played on the scout team so many times when we played against a zone-read quarterback when he was the backup quarterback. Never complained about it. And I’ve never seen a guy work so hard from last spring when he had an opportunity to be the quarterback, through the summer and to work in fall camp and get the confidence of his players and execute well and learn to take what the defense gives.

“As a coach, you love to see guys who’ve gone through what he’s gone through , work so hard, always persevere, and then have success. And this is phenomenal success that he’s had this season, but it’s a credit to his character and his work ethic.”

But the cruel NFL torpedoed Sims dream of being an professional quarterback. He was undrafted and bolted to Canada to keep QB hope alive. It was back to the U.S. — as a running back — and he landed on Atlanta’s practice squad for a two-week, September stretch after he also had an August tryout with the Bucs.

The Atlanta experience opened Sims’ eyes to the demands of becoming an NFL running back. The Bucs called for another tryout in December, and Sims was signed.

Joe had a significant chat with Sims during minicamp. What a laid back and focused dude.

But he does still get the itch to sling the rock and command the huddle.

“Oh, yeah. Sometimes I be trying to take the ball from our running backs coach and throw to the running backs as they’re running routes in drills,” Sims said. “I’ll be messing with Jameis some about throwing and stuff, just talking to him letting him now how much I miss it sometimes. But everybody has their own course, and I’m just enjoying mine right now.”

Of course, Sims said he knows Jameis, as the two forged a relationship at the Combine and have stayed in touch periodically.

So can Sims run the football for the Bucs? Nobody knows. But he certainly was successful on the move for the Crimson Tide.

Sims says his goal is to grind his way to earn preseason carriers. “That’s the stage.”

Enjoy the recent Sims video below out of a Tennessee TV station. He’s an easy guy to root for.

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