Opinion: Sims winning hearts and minds while living the dream

ATLANTA -- Too small. Too slow. Not a big enough arm. Not brainy enough.<br /> <br /> Blake Sims has heard it all, I'm sure. <br /> <br /> From the time he decided to sign with the University of Alabama out of high school, the word on the street was not just what position would he play, but would he play at all. The Gainesville High grad, who was just a fingernail away from guiding the Red Elephants to the 2009 state championship, appeared at first to be a player without a position.<br /> <br /> He redshirted his first season for the Crimson Tide. He was tried at running back for a while. Then wide receiver. But neither was a solid fit. <br /> <br /> Through it all Sims always knew he wanted to play at the spot that landed him his scholarship in the first place: quarterback. He never blinked. He stuck to his guns even when the so-called experts questioned his every decision.<br /> <br /> Finally, he was able to convince coach Nick Saban and the staff to put him where he felt he belonged. They rewarded him by letting him back up A.J. McCarron for three seasons. He threw less than 50 passes in that span as the understudy.<br /> <br /> "There were some people who wondered if he was making the right decision," Sims's high school coach Bruce Miller recalled about his signing with Alabama. "He was a super spread quarterback but Alabama plays a more pro-style offense and it probably didn't look like a good fit at the time. I remember the scouts telling me they saw him more as an athlete type where he would play multiple positions. We never knew if he would get the chance (at quarterback)."<br /> <br /> When McCarron graduated last year, fans and experts who follow the Tide were sure that new transfer Jake Coker, fresh off a national title run with Florida State as Jameis Winston's understudy, was the heir-apparent without ever throwing a pass for Alabama. His "chance" was looking shaky at best. <br /> <br /> "I heard that, but Coker had not gotten (to Tuscaloosa) yet and I kept hearing what a good spring Blake was having," Miller said. "Then I heard how well he was doing in the summer drills and I thought he might get a shot. I was so happy for him when I heard he had won the job to start the season."<br /> <br /> However, most Alabama fans were lukewarm to Sims being handed the reigns of perhaps the top program in the country, myself included.<br /> <br /> Let me be the first to say that I was wrong. WAY wrong. And truly it is the one of the happiest times I have ever been to be wrong.<br /> <br /> I also wonder what all the experts must be thinking now. The guy no one thought would ever take a snap for the Crimson Tide just guided Alabama to the 2014 SEC title and along the way set a new Alabama single-season passing record with 3,250 yards (and counting) to go with 26 touchdowns and just seven interceptions.<br /> <br /> One person who never wavered, however, was Miller. We talked after Alabama got through trouncing Missouri 42-13 on Saturday to win the SEC championship. Sims, by the way, was the game's MVP after going 23-of-27 passing for 262 yards and two touchdowns.<br /> <br /> "I always believe in my players," Miller said. "As far as Blake, people have always under-estimated him and that has always played to his advantage. They said he couldn't understand the offense but I always thought that was an unfair knock on him. If you watch him play, he knows what he is doing out there. <br /> <br /> "I know he has had to deal with people telling him he couldn't do it. But if you know Blake, you know how competitive he is. He didn't let people saying no to him about playing quarterback stop him. He's kind of stubborn like that, in a good way."<br /> <br /> It has been repeatedly said what a feel-good story Sims is on the current sports scene. It's more than that, really. It's a story of perseverance and dedication and hard-work.<br /> <br /> Locals know the story of Sims needing tutoring to be able to qualify to enroll in college and Tonya Aiken and Allison Worley worked tirelessly with him to help him become eligible. He has shown throughout that he will do whatever it takes to get things done. He did not let them down.<br /> <br /> He persevered against all the naysayers who said he couldn't do it. He dedicated himself to become the best he could be and give himself a chance to live his dream.<br /> <br /> And Miller does not think it will end in a month, no matter how far the Tide get in the coming College Football Playoffs.<br /> <br /> "I think he could play at the pro level," Miller said. "The offenses in the NFL are starting to adopt the kind of spread things that Blake was outstanding at in high school. Plus, he has experience now running a more traditional pro-style offense. I hope somebody gives him a chance."<br /> <br /> We'll see what happens when the 2015 NFL Draft rolls around in April. In the meantime, it has become a story that is almost too good to be true.<br /> <br /> "It's just one of those stories that makes people feel good," Miller said. "It's like one of those Hollywood Disney kind of movies."<br /> <br /> From this Alabama fan, here's to hoping the dream lasts at least two more games. But even if it doesn't, Sims has made a believer out of me and made a fan for life.<br /> <br /> Thanks, Blake.