Welcome Back Charles Sims

January 21st, 2018

It was a head-scratcher watching no Buccaneers official ever really express belief that Charles Sims would return to his stud 2015 form last season — yet everybody seemed to think an older Doug Martin, following a drug suspension and a dreadful 2016, would do just that.

Fascinating!

Anyway, Sims is highly respected at One Buc Palace and Joe fully expects him to be re-signed before he hits unrestricted free agency in seven weeks.

Sims, 27, never did recapture that 2015 form (529 yards rushing, 51 catches, four touchdowns), but he stayed healthy all last season and remains a decent reserve running back with excellent hands. Sims also pass blocks and gets the job done on special teams. And somehow, he managed to cut back his dance moves with the football and average 4.5 yards per carry last season in limited action.

More important (for Sims), he knows Dirk Koetter’s offense and clearly is a Koetter kind of guy.

Joe can’t imagine Koetter wants a bunch of new bodies in his backfield, outside of replacing Martin (hopefully).

60 Responses to “Welcome Back Charles Sims”

  1. AlteredEgo Says:

    Simms would thrive in Grudens offense with the Raiders….

  2. Marc Says:

    Misleading headlined
    Pfft. “Misleading?” LOL –Joe

  3. Defense Rules Says:

    Aw come on Joe. You know everyone will read that headline as “Sims Re-signed”. Just like I did and most likely how Marc did. I was glad to see it because I thought Licht had finally started to re-sign some of our own. And yes, Charles Sims is a keeper IMO.

  4. Defense Rules Says:

    Just out of curiosity Joe, why are so many of my comments now going to moderation? Haven’t changed anything that I know of. Is THAT the problem?

  5. Mort Says:

    So you’ve welcomed him back based on your idea that he will be re-signed without citing any source or even stating that there is one to substantiate this notion? Um, okay.
    First, you’re being rude (the rest of what you wrote was deleted). Second, Joe didn’t write that Sims was re-signed. And “Welcome Back Charles Sims” can have multiple meanings. Now if Joe stuck a comma after “back,” then certainly the headline would have implied that Sims was re-signed. Regardless, welcome back Sims. He’s a Koetter guy.–Joe

  6. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    I accept your opinion that Sims will be resigned and for all of the reasons you listed.
    I think fans expect him to be a lead RB when he clearly is not….but he is a very good 3rd down back and everytime he plays on other downs defenses have to protect against the screen.
    I like Sims and think he’s a good Buc.

  7. Not there yet Says:

    Just another reason to believe koetter is coaching his last season, it’s the only way we will be able to move on from average players dirk thinks are the best fit.

    Charles Sims is still the same back that can’t run between the tackles but will be resigned because this regime is afraid of the unknown. Walking the plank dirk, this upcoming season will be a waste because this isn’t a 5-11 coach but he’s not a 9-7 guy either.

  8. Buc believer Says:

    Joe is leaving out the other 3 years where he stunk it up. Ahh Joe does have his favs, very Koetter like.

  9. Easy Says:

    Sims should be back at the right price. He’s a solid third down back, good locker room guy and…..well what else?

  10. MadMax Says:

    Well, if we can pick up Penny or Gaskin (or any other rook), he’ll be good for helping them transition somewhat. Could be anyway.

    Who’s on the Penny Train?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98HqRF3INqY

  11. MadMax Says:

    Ahh, Gaskin is returning for his senior season at Washington….so nvm.

    And I just saw a mock where our top 3 or 4 prospects (if including Barkley), are gone by number 7 and we’re mocked for DE Davenport? You kidding me? Geeze…Id rather have CB Ward or trade back and land Vita….then go pass rush and somehow find a way to draft Penny in the 2nd.

  12. BigHogHaynes Says:

    Sims should be back…as a “Jack of all Trades” kind o guy he should be put I with the receivers …that would make room for another running back!! TAKE A KNEE …KEEP AMERICA FREE…BURN MAR-A-LARGO BURN!!

  13. Pierce Says:

    Sims, sometimes he’s good and then sometimes he isn’t. Hopefully this year he’ll get better.

  14. MadMax Says:

    LOL, hog and burning….. think i’ll hit the local smokehouse today for some good hog.

    Any chance Joe will have a playoff thread going?

  15. Clw JB Says:

    He was over-drafted and is easily replaceable by a 5th rd pick – no way I pay him more than the veteran minimum

  16. Blade Runner Says:

    This is why the Bucs continually finish at the bottom of the division by retaining mediocre/below average talent like Golston and Sims…Sims make on average 1-3 plays per season and that’s it…you rarely here Sims name being called during a game. Sims is not a playmaker at all…Maybe the Bucs should bring Doug Martin back as well 🙄 The Bucs should upgrade at RB by releasing Sims and Martin and draft a RB during the first two rounds and sign another in free agency who can move the chains and make the offense more efficient! The Bucs need to stop settling for mediocrity!!

  17. Hodad Says:

    Blade is right, Sims, along with Martin, and Quizz should’ve been replaced last year in a R.B. heavy draft. Keep the same coaches, players, everything the same except draft a D.E., and you think we’ll be better? What a joke. 6-10 next season, and you fools will think we’re turning the corner.

  18. Ndog Says:

    Sims should not be back period. One trick pony that can very easily be replaced by someone that is younger, cheaper and better that is undrafted. Use those extra dollars to secure more help in free agency. This is a prime example of placing more value on your own which is wrong to do. See Russell Shepard as an example, good guy, plays hard, fits the system easily replaceable.

  19. Bucsfan561_ Says:

    If we use him correctly we have a all purpose back. He’s no power back but he can run between the tackles lol Houston & West Virginia knows he can run between the tackles !

  20. Broy34 Says:

    Definitely read this headline as sims resigned

  21. Conte Piscatelli Says:

    Well it seems to me you keep guys like Sims until you can replace them. Easy right, oops Mcnichols didn’t get that job done and he should have easily been able to take Sims job. I agree the Bucs need to move on from a lot of players on this roster, but you can’t just cut them all. It would be impossible to replace that many players in one off season. Yes I would like an upgrade for Sims, but not at the expense of upgrading a more important position. Back up running back isn’t what has cost us games.

  22. USFBUC Says:

    I hate these role player players

  23. 2Anglican1609 Says:

    College Composition I is a must for a comma, it appears so have not had that Joe. I read it just fine

  24. Daniel Says:

    I don’t understand what the staff sees in Simms.

  25. The Buc Realist Says:

    Daniel says:
    “I don’t understand what the staff sees in Simms.”

    The coaches sees a RB Charles Sims that averaged 6 yards every time he touched the football this season. He averaged 4.5 yards per rush and 7.1 yards per catch!!!!! And the best pass protection of any of the RB on the roster!!!!!!! also when you split him out wide in a no back set, it allowed the offense to dictate match-ups they wanted for other receiving options and was a legitimate target himself!!!!!!!!!!!

    GO Bucs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  26. passthebuc Says:

    @joe
    Kotter’s offense is so vanilla the only person not able to grasp quickly lives in the Outback.

  27. Pickgrin Says:

    “Joe didn’t write that Sims was re-signed. And “Welcome Back Charles Sims” can have multiple meanings. Now if Joe stuck a comma after “back,” then certainly the headline would have implied that Sims was re-signed.”

    Oh c’mon – you knew what everyone would think as soon as we saw that headline. Don’t even…. LOL at your comma defense – like that would make any difference. Sorry, Joe doesn’t write wondering/worried how 20,000 people a day will interpret every last word. –Joe
    I’d be OK w/ bringing Sims back – but only if he agrees to the right price. Quizz makes $1.6M next year. Anything more than that range would be overpaying.

  28. passthebuc Says:

    The Buc Realist is right on target. Sims does not need to be the premier back to have value.

  29. Pa Privateer Says:

    Look, Sims is an awesome person to have on the team. He is a Jack-of-all-trades player. He is the very essence of teams player and deep depth.

    He is a spare tire to just about every position if we run into a series of injuries. He knows the RB roles, WR roles, and special teams roles. He knows the offense, he knows the organization, he will not cost much and keeps his nose clean.

    Too many fans dislike him because he was a 3rd round pick and therefore expected “greatness” out of him.

    I think that Sims can become more productive if we have a better running game like 2015.

  30. TheBucsAnthem Says:

    I gotta agree with the others in saying the title is misleading……borderline click bait material

  31. SB Says:

    Don’t worry Joe. I would have clicked on it comma or not. I’m addicted 🙂

  32. DanBucsFan Says:

    Wow so many people love to slam the “Joe” I guess it falls back to EVERYONE IS AN EXPERT theory.. I mean clearly most of us know more about whats going on behind walls at one buc. Why would Joe have more information than we have or more of a feel for how Dirk and front office thinks? It’s not like he is around the team more than us, some of us actually get to read the opinions and observations of not ony JOEBUCSFAN but also many other outlets, clearly making us more in touch with the team than the “Joe’s” ….

  33. Destinjohnny Says:

    Way to keep a roster spot for a below average player.
    Strong work

  34. Pa Privateer Says:

    @ Destinjhonny

    Please explain how he is a below average player?

    His job is not supposed to be the #1 RB. He doesn’t carry the Ball 20+ times a game. He is the #3 RB and more of a pass catching RB. He is excellent at Pass-Pro, and can line up in the slot as a WR. If necessary he can take the lead RB role for a game and the HC doesn’t need to worry about our Franchise QB being killed, because he missed a blitz pick up.

    to Quote Buc Realist:

    “The coaches sees a RB Charles Sims that averaged 6 yards every time he touched the football this season. He averaged 4.5 yards per rush and 7.1 yards per catch!!!!! And the best pass protection of any of the RB on the roster!!!!!!! also when you split him out wide in a no back set, it allowed the offense to dictate match-ups they wanted for other receiving options and was a legitimate target himself!!!!!!!!!!!”

    Sims wasn’t the issue of why we had a crappy run game last year.

  35. Not there yet Says:

    A real head coach not afraid for his future would take a stab at free agency. So Joe if you could only have dwarka or Sims who would you take? I’d pay the other guy seeing how important running the ball is not just catching it out of the backfield.

    Koetter is a weak head coach and has no eye for talent or common sense which is why I suspect he’ll be back. We are we there franchise always giving second rates coaches the head job? Just like the coaching staff if you bring this guy back your saying no one out there is better. It’ll tell you all you need to know about the current regimes future

  36. FuNkYxMuNkEy Says:

    The title is 100% misleading but that’s not the important issue. That would be we have one real RB on our team and this guy isn’t him. We have to draft one within the first 3 rounds, preferably in the 2nd for Sony.

  37. OneBucPerson Says:

    C’mon Joe, a RB who can’t be relied on to consistently carry the football can’t have a future on this team. The only thing he does decently well is catch, he’s completely one dimensional as a play. This upcoming Draft has one of the deepest classes of RBs I can remember, I fully expect Tampa to take care of our RB situation there and let Sims walk/cut Martin.

  38. StPeteBucsFan Says:

    I think fans mistakenly consider RB as a singular position. Sign a Zeke or Fournette or Barkley and its taken care of.

    But RB’s are asked to do many different things….not just run with power and speed. We need them to block…swing out of the backfield for passes…if they can return punts or KO’s extra good…and NO team has more than one Leveon Bell or Fournette…all teams need good backups. Sims is fine for his role. He’s not the lead or number 1 back…we don’t expect him to be the guy on 4th and one..it’s NOT his job.

    All this talk about dancing and not hitting. Everybody here fell in love with Kareem Hunt. I too admire his ability…but that ability is not as a pure RB.
    He has blazing speed and the ability to make people miss in space.

    In the few games I watched him I was impressed by his effectiveness but the dude goes to the ground almost immediately if an LB or safety comes up to hit him and he can’t get around them…he ALWAYS takes it out of bounds when the play is over and never tries to pound for a few extra yards or break a tackle.

    Charles Sims is not as fast or quite as shifty as Hunt but his game is similar.

  39. Buccaneer Bonzai Says:

    I say we go after Carlos Hyde if the 49ers let him hit free agency.

  40. First Down Tampa Bay Says:

    He needs to be resigned, can’t afford to lose what little talent we have at RB. Except for Martin, he can go

  41. SOEbuc Says:

    I think Peyton Barber is an excellent RB and is only going to get better with time. If a hole opens up Simms can really get going sometimes. With Quenton Nelson’s dominate run blocking and hopefully move Marpet back to OG, we could have a nice run game. I am not one of these people that want to draft a RB in the second or third round. Maybe add a nice speedy RB early in next years draft. Barber, Simms, Rodgers, Round 5 (unless he totally turns out to be a stud).

  42. Pickgrin Says:

    SPBF says:
    “Kareem Hunt…He has blazing speed… Charles Sims is not as fast…”

    Sims ran a 4.48 – 40 at his combine

    Hunt ran a 4.62…

    Just sayin

  43. John Ensch Says:

    I don’t see it with Simms. He’s not worth much as a running back and is an OK receiver. I think the Bucs would be better off moving on from Simms. There are plenty of better running backs out there who are also good receivers.

  44. NFLNut Says:

    GREAT! I figured Simms was gone but I definitely hope they bring him back, as he’s got some of the best hands for a RB in the NFL and is a great 3rd down back!

    Quizz as a 3rd back is solid and Barber as a 2nd back is nice as well … we just need one more back and we’re set …

  45. Buccfan37 Says:

    I like Sims also, he came into the pros a couple years later than the average player. He should be coming into his prime.

  46. StPeteBucsFan Says:

    @Pickgrin

    Thanks for that correction!!! Hunt just looks faster. 🙂

    Probably my prejudice that little guys are automatically fast combined with all the trashing of Sims on JBF. lol

    The TD Sims scored in Atlanta is still etched in my brain. When he’s healthy is clearly a talent.

  47. Rod Munch Says:

    The Bucs absolutely should bring Sims back, he’s an excellent 3rd down back and an excellent receiver. I guess it will come down to cost but considering how cheap RBs generally are, I don’t think he should be able to break the bank. Barber will be here obviously, then bring back Sims and Rodgers as well for that case. That should leave one more spot which I’d use on a veteran FA with a proven history to compete with Barber, or use it on another young guy IF you think Rodgers could still start if anything happens to Barber.

  48. Lightningthunder Says:

    Every good 3rd down back and role player. He is a change of pace back, not every down

  49. mark2001 Says:

    Koetter guy? What is that? A guy just good enough to be average at best?

  50. D-Rome Says:

    I have always contended that Charles Sims, when used properly, can be a weapon. I hope the Bucs can sign him at the right price. Charles Sims could be used in a similar fashion as Christian McCaffrey. Sims is probably a better player than McCaffrey but you’d never know it with the current way he’s being utilized.

  51. Dan Says:

    He isn’t good. He’s prone to fumble and dances a lot.

  52. Wesley Says:

    No one could have run the ball well with our o-line.

  53. Destinjohnny Says:

    One dimensional player.
    Why tie up the roster slot.
    Try and find a back that can catch and run.

    Alvin vs Justin Evans ??
    We blew that pick

  54. Brett Says:

    Simms is often injured, and can’t run. He is capable of big plays in the passing game, but is not dependable. Let him go.

  55. boxster Says:

    Charles Simms runs onto the field, what are the odds a screen pass is coming?

  56. jmarkbuc Says:

    Simms’ running is like Fred Flinstone bowling

  57. jmarkbuc Says:

    Without the spare…..

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3q5oWdPPyE

  58. godzilla13 Says:

    Agree to bring Sims back. He ran strong this season even lowering his head and taking defenders on. It was only a few seasons ago that he and Martin were called the best two back combo in the league. Offer the Panthers guard Norwell a contract he can’t refuse, keep Martin and watch the return of the “dynamic duo”.

  59. CocoaBchBuc Says:

    Lol…caught the Welcome back Kettering reference.

  60. CocoaBchBuc Says:

    Lol…caught the Welcome back Koetter reference. Damn spell check.