| 29 March 2010
Rumors are swirling about a possible trade involving the Chicago Bears and the Seattle Seahawks with the Bears sending over Alex Brown for offensive guard Rob Sims. However that trade is reportedly not likely to happen because of Brown's age and his hefty price tag of $5-million per season.
That does not mean that the Bears aren't precluded for trying to trade for Sims out right for a fourth round draft pick, the restricted free agent tender that Sims was given by Seattle. This is the latest information regarding a possible trade scenario for Sims a player who the Seahawks are actively trying to move.
Sims doesn't fit into the type of zone blocking scheme that new Seahawks offensive line coach Alex Gibbs will be implementing in Seattle. Sims however is just the type of player that Bears O-Line coach Mike Tice likes, he's a big strong nasty mauler who would allow Frank Omiyale to switch to RT.
That being said more specifically what type of player is Sims, we asked the experts over at Seahawkaddicts.com to give us their take:
On the whole, Sims has done a good job filling in the shoes of a giant. Sims was drafted to fill Steve Hutchinson's perennial pro-bowler cleats, and he failed. That's not a surprise, seeing as Hutch is still the best guard in the league. Still, an abysmal 2007 season for Sims (his first year starting) seemed to spell doom for his career, but he came into camp in 2008 as a man possessed. He was playing well before suffering a season-ending injury.
In 2009, Sims was probably the most consistent lineman for the Seahawks. He is incredibly strong -- he benches well over 500 lbs -- and has good, but not great, footwork. The main reason that Sims is being shown the door is that he does not fit the zone blocking scheme that Alex Gibbs will more fully install (last year, OL Coach Mike Solari installed a hybrid power/zone system, though it was mainly ZBS). Sims is less athletic than a zone blocking guard is asked to be, and so off he goes. The fact that he has a lot of starting experience and is young helps his trade value immensely.
He is unlikely to become a Pro Bowler, but has the personality to really bond with his fellow linemen, which is basically the key to success on a line. If Chicago can get their crap together on the O-Line, Sims would be a fantastic addition, especially if all they gave up was a to-be-discarded player or 4th round draft pick.
Thanks to Chris Sullivan for his report on Sims, this is the type of inside information and analysis you won't find anywhere else.
Sims is a very intriguing prospect who has had trouble fitting in because he's been asked to fill in for arguably a future hall of fame caliber guard in Hutchison. He hasn't gotten the job done in Seattle, but he may be just what the doctor ordered for the Bears. He's a player that plays at a high enough level that he'll solve the Bears' left guard problem probably for the next six to eight years. This is precisely what the Bears need to do, add a capable young player to mesh well with Chris Williams and to help open up holes for the running game.
The interesting aspect of this trade if it were to happen is does Sims have a higher ceiling than we are aware of and can he achieve a higher level of play than expected from the coaching of Mike Tice. Tice is known for taking underwhelming prospects and turning them into Pro Bow players. Does that mean it will happen in this case? Most certainly not, but the Bears don't need a Pro Bowl player, they need stability on the offensive line and at 26-years-old that's precisely what the Bears could get if they made this trade happen.
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