Touted Auburn lineman hoping for better fortunes this year

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) Pat Sims&#39; freshman season at Auburn went nothing like he expected.<br> <br> The 6-foot-4, 293-pound defensive tackle was one of the Tigers&#39; top signees in 2004, but he wound up buried on the depth chart battling attempts to redshirt him.<br> <br> ``I came to Auburn to play right away, to do the things people were expecting from me,&#39;&#39; Sims said. ``When I wasn&#39;t playing and people started talking about a redshirt, I didn&#39;t want to go along with it. I didn&#39;t think I was a redshirt player. That thought never crossed my mind.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Sims got off to a bad start by missing voluntary summer workouts before last season and arriving at fall camp out of shape. He played briefly in the opener against Louisiana-Monroe, but then his position coach Don Dunn approached him about redshirting.<br> <br> ``He thought he should be playing more than he was,&#39;&#39; Dunn said. ``He probably thought he was better than some of the guys in front of him. That&#39;s good and positive if you use it positive. At this level, though, it&#39;s all about work. You&#39;re not going to play defensive line at Auburn if you&#39;re not ready to work.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Sims who had turned down scholarship offers from Ohio State, Florida and Miami admits he didn&#39;t handle the situation all that well.<br> <br> ``I&#39;ll just say that some things happened,&#39;&#39; Sims said. ``There was a point when I wanted to give up. I wasn&#39;t doing what I thought I&#39;d be doing.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Sims eventually accepted the redshirt season, working with the scout team and with strength coach Kevin Yoxall. It paid off when he moved up to second-team behind senior Wayne Dickens in the spring.<br> <br> Dunn said Sims&#39; attitude and his performance have improved since last season, but still has a ways to go.<br> <br> Sims showed his potential in Wednesday&#39;s scrimmage, using his quickness to disrupt quarterback Brandon Cox. He has more trouble keeping that intensity up during regular drills.<br> <br> ``He&#39;s got a lot of athletic ability it&#39;s just that his motor needs to run full speed,&#39;&#39; Dunn said. ``On some plays, he looks like a million dollars, and other plays he doesn&#39;t. That&#39;s a mostly mental thing.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Sims still isn&#39;t entirely happy with his situation, but he is in line for significant playing time this season.<br> <br> ``I&#39;m ready to play,&#39;&#39; he said. ``This is going to be a very fast defense, and I think I can compete for a job with these guys. Right now, I think I&#39;ll finish my career at Auburn. Only time will tell.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Information from: Montgomery Advertiser, http://www.accessmontgomery.com<br> <br> (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)