Something I keep coming back to is that Jeff Sims has the raw athleticism to be a real standout QB in conference this season. He just needs to develop. I think bringing in CCL and Chris Weinke, along with Jim Chaney is going to afford him the best chance he has yet had to become who he can be. Not to mention an improved OL going into year 3 that hopefully stays healthy enough to avoid the random game of musical chairs we had to play last year.
Starting at the beginning, let's take a casual look at his stats:
Year | CMP | ATT | CMP% | YDS | AVG | TD | INT | LNG | RTG |
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Year 1 | 2020 | 141 | 257 | 54.9 | 1,881 | 7.3 | 13 | 13 | 59 | 122.9 |
In Year 1, we were a hot mess Offensively. We had CovidConfusion in the middle of installing a new base offense, a fear of running anything Option based, and a whole new staff and philosophy for playing ball. Jeff came in as a first year starter and tried to learn on the job, all while the team was learning how to play two different brands of football (One style that CDP wanted with a finesse scheme and the other being CBK wanting to play smashmouth style). It was a recipe for what we got, which was inconsistent play and disappointing results.
Year | CMP | ATT | CMP% | YDS | AVG | TD | INT | LNG | RTG |
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Year 2 | 2021 | 113 | 188 | 60.1 | 1,468 | 7.8 | 12 | 7 | 77 | 139.3 |
In Year 2, we don't really get the benefit of a full offseason workout cycle or training plan for scheme so those problems continue. We still have dissonance on scheme on the O side of the ball, and then we get tripped up with crucial injuries on the OL. Year 2 sees us face the same struggles. Inconsistent play from our QB - but we do see a better completion % and a reduction in interceptions (including more than a few of freaky tipped balls that turned into INTs).
The WR room was hurt by early and preseason injuries. The TE room disappeared (I believe due to scheme decisions related to the OL shifts). So we lost the outside threats which hampered our RB room's ability to make plays. Wrap all of that up together and you see that our O only has room to grow and flourish moving into 2022.
In Year 3, we have our first real full offseason. We also bring in an OC who is - at least on paper - going to align the Offensive side of the ball to the same page stylistically. There are no guarantees but if we can stay healthy on the OL and are able to run a more consistent scheme we just might see Jeff show his top end ability. CCL seems to like a high tempo, quick hitting offense, bringing in some depth behind him also lets us do a little more in the Called QB Run Scheme set of plays. Throw in working with Chris Weinke and Jeff is going to have his best chance at developing into who he can be. I am willing to bet he will play up to his ability - and that if he doesn't then we will see more inclination to bring in another QB for a series or two for some in-game coaching.
CCL handles his team, and QB, with a different attitude than CDP used. He is more intense/rigid and I think a shorter leash might be just what Jeff needs to get over the mental hump.