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AAF Birmingham Iron

Blake Sims Happy to be on the Field

January 16, 2019 - Alliance of American Football (AAF)
Birmingham Iron News Release


SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Blake Sims is soaking up the opportunity. Sims, a former starting quarterback at the University of Alabama, is "happy" to be with his new Birmingham Iron teammates as well as some of the old faces from his time at Alabama. Having multiple former Alabama players on the Iron's roster has made Sims' transition with the club an easy one.

Sims became a legend at the University of Alabama during his senior season in 2014. Sims threw for a then-Alabama single season record 3,487 yards and 28 touchdowns while leading Alabama to an SEC championship.

Sims is one of four quarterbacks on the Iron roster during training camp.

Iron head coach Tim Lewis is impressed with what he's seen from Sims so far.

"He's a fantastic leader," Lewis said. "He does a great job getting in and out of the huddle, and getting the players lined up. He's very smart and athletic. We'll have to design some things to utilize his athletic ability. I really enjoy being around him as a person."

Below is the transcript of Sims' interview with Iron team reporter Marq Burnett following Day 10 of training camp.

On getting back on the football field...

Sims: "Man, it's good. I'm happy to be out here with my new teammates and former teammates. I'm happy to be out here and competing. It's a blessing, and I'm just happy to be here."

On reconnecting with former Alabama teammates...

Sims: "It's good. We have great chemistry. It's just a different offense, and we have to get used to it and keep spreading the ball around. We can use each other to keep us uplifted."

On the experience in the Iron quarterback room...

Sims: "It's real good. We're helping each other out. We do have different experiences, but we're helping each other because we're all one and we're for the Iron."

On the chemistry between the QBs and wide receivers...

Sims: "It's been very easy. It takes repetition. We can always get better at it. That's the plan. We're communicating very well, the connection is going well and we're talking to each other after every play."

On where he thinks the team stands after a week of camp...

Sims: "I think we're championship bound. We can always get better. We want to strive for the best. When a team play us, we don't want them to want to play us again."

On areas he believes the team can improve on right now...

Sims: "Chemistry. Fighting for one another. Trust, a lot of trust. We need a lot of trust, and we need to trust our coaches and listen to what they're saying."

On if he feels like the team is coming together more and more each day...

Sims: "Most definitely. Players are starting to get nicknames. (Head) Coach (Tim) Lewis is very engaged with all the players. Seeing him smile everyday is helping us get together even more."

On who he thinks has the best nickname on the team...

Sims: "Turbo. (Wide Receiver Devozea Felton) We call him 'Turbo'. He flies. In a blink of an eye, he's gone."



Alliance of American Football Stories from January 16, 2019


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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