Jeff Sims Film Review

[CHE90]

Sims situation is just such a tough one to judge right now. BecUse our OL play, despite being a little better this year, is still so inconsistent. Some games we actually created a pocket a few times and others Jeff was running for his life majority of the game. So it’s really hard to judge how good Sims could be until he has consistent O-Line play in front of him.

Looking forward, i think sims has all the tools to be a really good one for us, but I’m not 100% sold on him yet. There’s just something about him I don’t quite see the future for us yet, I think it’s the fact he still misses quite a few throws at times.

sam Howell is a good comparison to a guy coming in as a true freshmen and playing really well. Howell also is really accurate on deep balls, that’s the biggest difference you can see vs Sims. Howell makes a lot of deep throws right on the money, Sims tends to under or overthrow Majority of his deep passes.

Even though Howell lit it up as a true freshman, he was an early enrollee at UNC and had a full spring and summer practice before his freshman year, whereas Sims did not.

 

[SWATlien]

Let’s compare Sam Howell & DJ’s overall football teams to Georgia Techs if you gonna compare the three.

 

[Jacketman99]

Let's put any of those other freshmen qbs behind our oline and without a spring and summer. And let's be honest, UNC had much better talent around Howell and as stated he had a spring and summer (hundreds of reps) that Sums did not have. The vast majority of true freshman qbs don't wow you even with a full spring and summer to prepare. There are a few outliers but that is almost like catching lightning in a bottle. We will know more about Sims next year after he has had a normal (hopefully) offseason and our oline improves. The oline is a big piece of it. Any qb running for his life is not going to look good.

 

[InsideLB]

One thing that stuck out to me about Sims after he committed to GT was an interview he did. After watching his film in which he was very dynamic I expected a flashy personality. Instead he was very Nesbitt-like: direct, grounded, and unpretentious. I could tell he was a worker and very serious about his craft. I came away thinking this is a really solid, grounded individual.

This season I liked his mental make up. He made mistakes and/or had unfortunate things happen and for the most part he seemed to let them go and come right back out without letting emotions torpedo him.

I have no idea how good he will be, or how soon he will get there. It's a lot easier to learn to go through your progressions when you have time. It's a lot easier to step into your throws with time. IMO the cast of characters around him is going to get better, and that will help him get better. Saying he has a 60% chance of being better than Joe Hamilton (who was the best player in CF, sorry Ron Dayne) is unrealistic. Comparing him to generational talents (Howell, Lawerence) who lit things up their freshman years while surrounded by better casts of characters is unrealistic.

I think his running ability props up his floor as a QB significantly. Two things surprised me about him as a runner. First, he was WAY more physical as a tr-fr than I imagined. Second his vision and savy as a runner are really impressive. I knew he was elusive but when you add the physicality & vision….I mean the dude can flat out run the ball. He is going to drive some defenses insane running for first downs when everything is covered and he should be dead-to-rights. He also throws well on the run, keeps his eyes downfield, and is learning when to go for the completion v.s. living to fight another day. He has the ability to create on his own.

Passing I like his pocket presence although I'd like to see more sensing pressure and sliding/shuffling around in the pocket while staying square/keeping eyes downfield. Arm strength seems adequate for a P5 QB. His release is probably above average. He's had a lot of pressure on him this year so it's hard to see whether his accuracy could improve with more time and the development of better footwork. As others have said, recognizing defenses and going through progressions will have a lot to do with his ceiling as a passer, along with improving consistency, accuracy, and limiting of mistakes. Leadership and mental toughness are x-factors, but so far so good.

I see Sims having "a nice little career" at GT that most will be happy with. I do think he has a high ceiling that could be realized if he is able to develop and be consistent. So all in all I feel pretty good with what we have in him.

 

[billga99]

Sims played hard and with passion all year. He passed the ball on short and intermediate passes if he had an open receiver and time. With O-Line improvement and more talent at WR, I see that only getting better. In terms of the long ball, Graham clearly threw a better long ball. However, I think Sims has an advantage on most other things. The big key to seeing if advances to an elite level is really dependent on his ability to check off at the line and be able to locate and throw accurately to secondary receivers. Hopefully time and experience will provide that.

 

[Lee]

One of the analysts on the game the other day said timing wasn’t there yet but will come. he double clutched a pass and missed the window

Although I did see him throw one to Camp before he came out of his break this last game....

I agree. He throws on time better than anyone we’ve had in a long time, but still an area to improve. He just doesn’t do it consistently. He will as he gets more comfortable and the OL around him gets better.

The ball to Carter (video posted earlier) seemed to be on time with great touch.

 

[Lee]

it does look like he threw the ball late but in looking at your post I see the route trees are out of alignment for the play. He has an open throw on the hash however the WR to the top looks like he’s running a route that’s something between a cross and a post. Either way he’s bringing his cover into the throwing lane on the seam route. Had that WR ran an out or simply a fly the safety isn’t anywhere around the hash WR and it’s a 80 yard TD rather than a pick.

Yea a lot of unknowns from a fan perspective. I saw that as well.

A lot has been said about the effort/ability of some our WRs (especially during and after the NC St game). Could’ve been a bad route, the wrong route, or bad play design on that. You’re right though, if he had ran a fly or even a shallow cross the play still would’ve been a td.

One other thing I don’t know is what Sims first read was. Still I think as he gains more experience and has a better understanding for what the defense is trying to do to us, he will exploit those and hit those big plays.

Crazy to think how the game would’ve turned out if we hit a long td pass on the first play instead of an int. Lot of that this year...

 

[tmhunter52]

Lots of people here have seen a freshman QB who started off playing well for a freshman and didn't develop far from there. Sims is good for a freshman. It is up to a gazillion factors (work ethic, coaching, teammates, scheme, injuries, etc) to see if he develops into a really good or great QB. I'm sure everyone here is hoping he develops quickly.

The LSU freshman QB looked good against Florida last night...

 

[first&ten]

Sims is not the only problem with winning football games. This is and has been a terrible football team overall. It is severely limited with lack of talent and I believe coaching talent. All this within , just the level of the ACC , much less other conferences. Coach GC has a 7 year contract, 2 already used. He will need every year just to get even with the other ACC schools now, meanwhile they in turn will probably improve. It's going to be a long haul for Tech football, here's hoping even in 2021 there are no covid restrictions holding it back.

 

[jacketup]

Sims ended with a QB rating ranking of 65. That's pretty good for a true Fr..--and as much as I hate saying it--especially playing behind an OL that isn't great and WRs that aren't great either.

 

[1BearJACKET]

Lots of people here have seen a freshman QB who started off playing well for a freshman and didn't develop far from there. Sims is good for a freshman. It is up to a gazillion factors (work ethic, coaching, teammates, scheme, injuries, etc) to see if he develops into a really good or great QB. I'm sure everyone here is hoping he develops quickly.

Or if he doesn't, then someone else does.

 

[slugboy]

Sims ended with a QB rating ranking of 65. That's pretty good for a true Fr..--and as much as I hate saying it--especially playing behind an OL that isn't great and WRs that aren't great either.

ESPN has Sims at a QBR of 44.7, and 13th out of 15 starters

2023 ACC Season Leaders Total QBR | ESPN

Visit ESPN to view ACC Conference Total QBR for the current and previous seasons

www.espn.com

Middle of the road is about 70.
I like Sims at QB. He has potential, but this was a rough year with flashes of upside. It’s not entirely the line or the receivers. While Calvin Johnson would have moved his QBR on his own, some of it is accuracy, some arm strength on deep throws, some reads, and some “staring down one receiver”.

 

[UgaBlows]

Even though Howell lit it up as a true freshman, he was an early enrollee at UNC and had a full spring and summer practice before his freshman year, whereas Sims did not.

And a good-decent OL

 

[GTBandit22]

Did some of you guys ever think the Sam Howells and Trevor Lawrence’s stick out because they are so rare?
Kyle Trask played 3 games before his junior year. Justin fields threw 40 passes total as a freshman. Taj Boyd played in 7 games and had 4 TDs and 3 INTs as a freshman.

What I’m saying is that people are trying to project Sims’ career based off of his rookie year when many QBs don’t have that pressure put on them so early. Hell, Lawrence didn’t start until a few games in.

I think the thing he has that can’t be taught is poise. He doesn’t panic and doesn’t get down on himself, which is a good sign for the future. He just has to get better, and he will.

 

[Technut1990]

Sims is not the only problem with winning football games. This is and has been a terrible football team overall. It is severely limited with lack of talent and I believe coaching talent. All this within , just the level of the ACC , much less other conferences. Coach GC has a 7 year contract, 2 already used. He will need every year just to get even with the other ACC schools now, meanwhile they in turn will probably improve. It's going to be a long haul for Tech football, here's hoping even in 2021 there are no covid restrictions holding it back.

there are talent gaps but the team is not as bad as you say. A terrible football team would have lost every game. This teams spotty lack of talent ( compared to the conference ) is exacerbated by mental mistakes, mental mistakes are more prominently seen in younger players. There is also a young coaching staff with which the same applies. Is it Coleman whose never coached College FB before ? I actually can’t remember the coaching experience on this team but it’s not a lot.

im not worried about seeing improvement, 2 years ago we didn’t have Gibbs or any of the QBs we have now, they are what improvements look like. The problem is those types of improvements have to play out at each position - takes time.

my biggest concern is CGCs out coaching himself. Going for 2 early, not trying FGs, fake punts etc....

 

[takethepoints]

I won't rate Sims at this stage; it wouldn't make any sense. I will say a few things about him, however.

• He is inconsistent on long throws. We'll see, but he doesn't look like a QB who can burn you regularly at 40+ yards. But, as I said before elsewhere, neither was Joe Montana.

• For the umpteenth time, he'd be a batter QB if the coaches let him run more. When he gets a chance, he's been pretty effective on double options. I don't know what the coaches are afraid of either. He's easy big enough to avoid getting put out for the year or anything like that. He would be a more effective passer, imho, if he got to turn on the jets in designed plays more often.

• I think he does have a decent release, but he ain't no Namath. He needs to get rid of the ball more quickly. Many of his interceptions came when he was trying to make a lemon into lemonade while under stress. This plays into the above. If he would learn to tuck it in and run when he doesn't find his receivers quickly enough it would help.

Well, enough.

 

[UgaBlows]

I won't rate Sims at this stage; it wouldn't make any sense. I will say a few things about him, however.

• He is inconsistent on long throws. We'll see, but he doesn't look like a QB who can burn you regularly at 40+ yards. But, as I said before elsewhere, neither was Joe Montana.

• For the umpteenth time, he'd be a batter QB if the coaches let him run more. When he gets a chance, he's been pretty effective on double options. I don't know what the coaches are afraid of either. He's easy big enough to avoid getting put out for the year or anything like that. He would be a more effective passer, imho, if he got to turn on the jets in designed plays more often.

• I think he does have a decent release, but he ain't no Namath. He needs to get rid of the ball more quickly. Many of his interceptions came when he was trying to make a lemon into lemonade while under stress. This plays into the above. If he would learn to tuck it in and run when he doesn't find his receivers quickly enough it would help.

Well, enough.

They didnt want to see him get knocked out of the game with no quality backup to replace him i‘m guessing. I agree with you his running is fantastic

 

[takethepoints]

They didnt want to see him get knocked out of the game with no quality backup to replace him i‘m guessing. I agree with you his running is fantastic

I think you are right and they are simply too scared of what will happen. He's 6'3", 215 (unless they are - heaven forbid - lying to us); he isn't going to be knocked out of a game without a monster hit. He could be another Alex Smith if he got the chance. You never have a comparable QB in backup anyway; that's why he's starting.

 

[lv20gt]

Y'all are tripping Sims rushed 12 times a game. To compare...

Justin Thomas ran it 13.5 times a game as a sophomore. 12 times a game as a junior and 11.4 times per game as a senior. Tobias Oliver in 2018 ran it 12.67 times per game.

This year, here are some QBs rushing for more than 12 attempts per game.

Asher Ohara at 19.44 for MTSU
Preston Hutchison at 14.5. for EMU
Brennan Armstrong at 14 for UVA
Chevan Cordeiro at 13.5 for Hawai'i
Malik Willis at 13.33 for Liberty.
Shai Werts at 13 for Georgia Southern
D'Eriq King at 12.2 for Miami
Jordan Travis at 12.13 for FSU

That's it. That's the list.

The days of us rushing our QB 18+ times per game are gone. 12 times per game is a good amount in college, especially with the backfield we have.

 

[Heisman's Ghost]

Let's put any of those other freshmen qbs behind our oline and without a spring and summer. And let's be honest, UNC had much better talent around Howell and as stated he had a spring and summer (hundreds of reps) that Sums did not have. The vast majority of true freshman qbs don't wow you even with a full spring and summer to prepare. There are a few outliers but that is almost like catching lightning in a bottle. We will know more about Sims next year after he has had a normal (hopefully) offseason and our oline improves. The oline is a big piece of it. Any qb running for his life is not going to look good.

No, no, you would not want to be named an accomplice to a murder or at least a severe injury because for a true freshman playing behind that line is a run for your life deal. James and Jeff both had plenty of chances to show off their quickness, athleticism, and speed running away from 300lb defensive lineman just aching for the chance to mess up a pretty boy quarterback. Give Jeff a pocket with a running back who can block and then we will make judgements about whether he is truly destined for greatness in this offense. The Reverend seems to think his accuracy is not up to snuff and while I respect his opinion as a former quarterback and quarterback coach he never had to worry about having his life insurance paid up like James and Jeff.