NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Charles Sims Could Be Answer To Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Backfield Woes

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By @14AdotWalsh

Charles Sims

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Not much has gone well for the 1-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers this season, but any additional excitement would certainly be welcomed. Enter into the picture rookie running back Charles Sims.

Tampa had high hopes for the playmaking extraordinaire out of West Virginia University when they selected him in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft, but Sims was sidelined in August with a fractured ankle which placed him on the injured reserve-designated to return list. The Buccaneers were hoping for the 23-year-old rookie to be their change-of-pace back, as some folks around the organization have compared him to Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte — someone quite familiar to head coach Lovie Smith.

“I think you can tell, especially at skill positions, does a guy have it?” said Smith to TampaBay.com in August. “Charles Sims, I would say, has it.”

A main reason for the comparison to Forte is Sims’ ability to catch passes out of the backfield. In his collegiate career he totaled 203 catches between his time at the University of Houston, where he spent his first three years, and West Virginia, where he transferred for his senior year.

Another area he can help the Buccaneers out in is pass protection. Past coaches can’t stop gushing about his awareness in that aspect, but Sims already knows that’s how to set himself apart from the pack.

“You can’t get the quarterback hit or you won’t be playing,” he says. “That’s the most important thing, pass blocking.”

It was a bit of a head-scratcher when the Buccaneers drafted Sims since they had (on paper) one of the most impressive running back stables in the NFL. However, after what has transpired over the first eight weeks of the season, it looks as if the Tampa Bay crystal ball was not a mirage.

Tampa’s offense has gotten off to a dreadful start, residing at 29th in the NFL in rushing (86.4 YPG) and 28th in passing (208.7 YPG). The team’s two main running backs, Doug Martin and Bobby Rainey, have struggled mightily thus far and were even mentioned in trade rumors prior to this past Tuesday’s deadline.

If Sims can make an immediate impact in these remaining weeks, Martin and/or Rainey could be looking for work elsewhere next season.

Alan Walsh is a Blogger for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @14AdotWalsh. “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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