New linebacker Ernie Sims feels ‘at home’ with Cardinals
Jun 5, 2014, 11:48 PM | Updated: 11:48 pm
Ernie Sims, a Tallahassee, Florida native, has kept his bags packed over the past eight seasons in the NFL as he bounced around the league from Detroit to Philadelphia to Indianapolis and Dallas.
Now the former Florida State Seminole may have finally found a home in Glendale.
“I like the pace here in Arizona,” Sims told Bickley and Marotta Thursday afternoon on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. “I like the feel of the coach, I like the feel of the players I like the feel of the environment. It makes me feel more comfortable and more at home.”
Sims’ newfound level of comfort is in part due to his familiarity with some of his Cardinals teammates. He played alongside defensive end Darnell Dockett and cornerback Antonio Cromartie at FSU.
“We go way back,” Sims said. “Both of them are good friends of mine. He (Cromartie) stayed at my house plenty of times in high school.”
While Dockett and Cromartie are both locks to start next season, Sims was brought in to add depth at the linebacker position after the suspension of Daryl Washington on May 29th.
“He’s a veteran linebacker with speed whose played his best inside,” head coach Bruce Arians said after OTAs Thursday. “It’s a matter of throwing him into the mix and seeing what he can do.”
If Sims is going to gain the attention of the coaching staff, he will have to learn Todd Bowles’ 3-4 defense quickly. He was a part of Monte Kiffin’s Tampa 2 defense in Dallas but added that he is willing to adjust.
“I’m a veteran I’ve been there done that,” Sims said. “I’ve been through several schemes and I understand what offenses are going to try to do.”
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