Former Alabama quarterback Blake Sims traveled the globe looking to get a shot at professional football before signing with the team down the highway just a bit from his hometown of Gainesville.
Sims, who guided the Crimson Tide to the college playoffs after the 2014 season, signed with the Atlanta Falcons as a practice squad running back on Tuesday.
He tried to catch on in the Canadian Football League and even with to Australia to play for the Wollongong Devils in the National Gridiron League.
In Canada, he had brief stays with the Toronto Argonauts and the Saskatchewan Roughriders, but never played in a game.
“The Canadian experience went well,” Sims said on Thursday. “Going to see another country was very good. I was just happy to be up there. It helped me a lot.”
Sims played running back and quarterback at Gainesville High and Alabama.
The Falcons view him as a running back.
“For a guy that has great flat speed, he really has a very good change of direction,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said. “He caught the ball well. He’s an athlete, who’s played a number of spots. He had a real sense of urgency about him the way he was working out.”
Sims took his first hit in a while in practice on Wednesday.
“I had a blank jersey on (at Alabama),” Sims said. “The first hit was a good one. It was a welcome back to running back moment right there. It felt good to get hit. I was thinking, I wish (Alabama coach Nick) Saban was still behind me saying ‘Don’t hit the black jersey.’ ”
The Falcons carry three running backs on the 53-man roster and Sims is the lone running back on the practice squad.
“It’s just really more about getting the rust off and getting back to the little things of playing running back,” Sims said. “That’s the main thing that I’ll be focused on. I’ll be trying to learn how to do it the right way.”
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