PA Season Ticket Holder
05-12-2003, 11:43 PM
From the day he became their No. 1 draft pick last year, nose tackle Ryan Sims has been little more than an enigma to the Chiefs.
Between contract squabbles, weight issues, a season-ending elbow injury and his initial refusal to report for off-season work, it's been almost impossible for the Chiefs to gauge whether they made the proper choice.
The matter is not one of Sims' talent but of his will and commitment. Specifically, the Chiefs wonder whether Sims will ever work hard enough for his skills to make a difference.
"If I wasn't committed," Sims said in response, "I wouldn't have stayed here three or four months rehabbing my elbow. I'm very committed to being here, to winning."
It's a pressing issue for the Chiefs. For all of the talk about end Vonnie Holliday and linebacker Shawn Barber, Sims might be the key player as the Chiefs hope to make major improvement on defense.
"He has to be a big-time guy," coach Dick Vermeil said. "There's no question in my mind he can be. He's been slowed down by contract problems, injury problems, out-of-shape problems. Now he's in shape and he has no injury or contract problems. All he's having is a problem in defining what it's going to take for him to be what he has the ability to be. We're all working on that."
Vermeil is leading the charge. He ranted early last month, unhappy that Sims hadn't yet joined the Chiefs' off-season workouts. Vermeil even took the extraordinary step of calling Sims' father Ronnie in South Carolina to discuss the situation and plead his case.
Vermeil has eased off publicly since. Sims reported for workouts, though he hasn't been a consistent participant.
The absence of stinging criticism doesn't mean Vermeil's concerns are over.
"He's got to continue to mature and understand what he does for a living and then listen to the people who help make a difference in what he does for a living," Vermeil said. "That's me, but it's not only me. It's everybody: teammates, weight coaches, everybody
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/football/nfl/kansas_city_chiefs/5833383.htm
Between contract squabbles, weight issues, a season-ending elbow injury and his initial refusal to report for off-season work, it's been almost impossible for the Chiefs to gauge whether they made the proper choice.
The matter is not one of Sims' talent but of his will and commitment. Specifically, the Chiefs wonder whether Sims will ever work hard enough for his skills to make a difference.
"If I wasn't committed," Sims said in response, "I wouldn't have stayed here three or four months rehabbing my elbow. I'm very committed to being here, to winning."
It's a pressing issue for the Chiefs. For all of the talk about end Vonnie Holliday and linebacker Shawn Barber, Sims might be the key player as the Chiefs hope to make major improvement on defense.
"He has to be a big-time guy," coach Dick Vermeil said. "There's no question in my mind he can be. He's been slowed down by contract problems, injury problems, out-of-shape problems. Now he's in shape and he has no injury or contract problems. All he's having is a problem in defining what it's going to take for him to be what he has the ability to be. We're all working on that."
Vermeil is leading the charge. He ranted early last month, unhappy that Sims hadn't yet joined the Chiefs' off-season workouts. Vermeil even took the extraordinary step of calling Sims' father Ronnie in South Carolina to discuss the situation and plead his case.
Vermeil has eased off publicly since. Sims reported for workouts, though he hasn't been a consistent participant.
The absence of stinging criticism doesn't mean Vermeil's concerns are over.
"He's got to continue to mature and understand what he does for a living and then listen to the people who help make a difference in what he does for a living," Vermeil said. "That's me, but it's not only me. It's everybody: teammates, weight coaches, everybody
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/football/nfl/kansas_city_chiefs/5833383.htm