Ernie Sims III (born December 23, 1984) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, pl ...
and current coach. He played
college football at
Florida State
Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the sta ...
and was drafted by the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...
in the first round of the
2006 NFL Draft
The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with ad ...
. He also played for the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
,
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 20 ...
and
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...
.
Early years
A native of
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2020, the populatio ...
, Sims attended
North Florida Christian High School, where he began his
high school football
High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, partl ...
career by earning a varsity letter while only in the eighth grade, a feat not often heard of. A two-way player at
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball,
and block. The ...
and
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, pl ...
, Sims earned a total of five varsity letters. Playing in Class A, Florida's smallest classification, Sims led the Eagles to four state championships from 1998 to 2001. In his senior year, however, North Florida was eliminated in the region semifinals of the Class A playoffs, losing to
Jay 19–14. As a junior, totaled 180 tackles, 41 tackles for loss, 12 sacks and forced seven fumbles on defense and rushed for over 600 yards and 17 touchdowns as a tailback. During his senior year, Sims registered 133 tackles (73 solo stops), 15 tackles for lost yardage, six forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries and one blocked field goal attempt from his linebacker position and ran for 1,081 yards on 115 carries for 23 touchdowns as a running back.
Sims earned All-American honors by ''
Parade
A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of s ...
'' and ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virg ...
''. Regarded as a five-star recruit by ''
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel.
History
Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heck ...
'', Sims was ranked as the No. 1 inside linebacker in his class. In fact, he was also listed as the No. 1 prospect overall, ahead of
Reggie Bush
Reginald Alfred Bush Jr. (born March 2, 1985) is an American former football running back who now serves as an on-air college football analyst for Fox Sports. He played college football at USC, where he earned consensus All-American honors ...
and
Whitney Lewis. , Sims remains the only linebacker ranked atop of the ''Rivals'' annual rankings. Recruited by virtually every school in the nation, Sims took official visits to
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to t ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...
,
Auburn,
Miami (FL)
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at th ...
, and
Florida State
Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the sta ...
. On
National Signing Day
National Signing Day has traditionally been the first day that a high school senior can sign a binding National Letter of Intent for a collegiate sport with a school that is a member of the United States National Collegiate Athletic Association ...
, Sims chose the Seminoles over the Gators.
College career
At Florida State, Sims wore #34, a number that was retired in honor of former Seminole football player,
Ron Sellers
Ronald "Jingle Joints" Sellers (born February 5, 1947) is a former American football player. He played college football for Florida State University, where he was a two-time All-American (1967, 1968). Despite being limited to a total of 30 ga ...
. Sellers gave Sims and the university permission for Sims to wear the jersey number.
In 2003, as a
true freshman
Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...
at Florida State, Sims played in all 13 games of the season, including the
Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game in ...
against
Miami (FL)
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at th ...
, as a back-up outside linebacker. He finished ninth on the team with 42 tackles, and added two tackles for lost yardage, two pass break-ups, three quarterback hurries and a forced fumble. Sims was also one of the Seminoles' top special teams performers. He earned ACC Rookie of the Week for his efforts against
Wake Forest, which included a season-high 10 tackles.
As a sophomore, Sims played in all 12 games, and made the starting lineup by the second week. For his exceptional play on the field in 2004, Sims was named to the second All-ACC team and
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
named Sims to their first-team All-American team. He finished second on the team with a single-season career-high 86 tackles, behind only
A. J. Nicholson
A.J. Nicholson (born June 25, 1983) is an American football linebacker who has played in the NFL, the Arena Football League, and the Indoor Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. H ...
(88). Sims also recorded a single-season career-high nine tackles for lost yardage, 4.5 quarterback sacks, nine quarterback hurries, five pass break-ups, two forced fumbles and a blocked kick. In three games (
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...
,
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, t ...
, and
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...
), Sims recorded double-digit tackles, including a career-high 12 tackles against the Gators. In the Seminoles' 36–3 victory over
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...
, he had nine tackles, a career-high two sacks and a blocked punt. Sims followed that performance with eight tackles, one tackle for lost yardage, a sack and a pass break-up against
Wake Forest. Each of those weeks, Sims earned ACC Defensive Back of the Week, as the only player in the ACC to earn the ACC Defensive Back of the Week honors multiple times during the season.
In July 2005, Sims was arrested on charges of battery and resisting an officer, allegedly shoving his then-girlfriend “repeatedly to the ground” during an argument in the parking lot of a FSU residence hall. Expectations for his junior year were high, as ''
The Sporting News
The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...
'' and other publications named him to their pre-season All-American teams. Sims had a productive, but not spectacular junior season, starting all 13 games, including the
Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game in ...
.
Sims majored in
Environmental Studies
Environmental studies is a multidisciplinary academic field which systematically studies human interaction with the environment. Environmental studies connects principles from the physical sciences, commerce/economics, the humanities, and socia ...
at Florida State. In January 2006, Sims announced that he would forgo his senior season to focus on a career in the NFL.
Professional career
2006 NFL Draft
Described as a “three-down linebacker who plays bigger than his listed size,” Sims was selected as ninth overall in the first round of the
2006 NFL Draft
The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with ad ...
by the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...
. He was the highest selected Seminoles defender since
Corey Simon
Corey Jermaine Simon Sr. (born March 2, 1977) is an American politician and former professional football player. A member of the Republican Party, he has served as the Florida State Senator from the 3rd district since 2022. He previously playe ...
in
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
.
Detroit Lions
Sims was targeted by Lions
general manager
A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all ...
Matt Millen
Matthew George Millen (born March 12, 1958) is a former American football linebacker and executive. Millen played 12 years in the National Football League for the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, and Washington Redskins, ...
to bolster the Lions' defense at weakside linebacker. On July 30, 2006, he signed a 5-year, $15.735 million contract with $12.1 million guaranteed. Sims started all 16 games his rookie season at outside linebacker, collecting 124 tackles (81 solo tackles) and was credited with a half sack and one pass deflection. On December 3, against the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
, Sims had a career-high 13 total tackles. On December 31, Sims made a key tackle on fourth down to give the Lions a big win against the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...
. On September 3, 2007, Sims was named one of five captains for the 2007 Detroit Lions. The Lions former head coach,
Rod Marinelli
Rodney Marinelli (born July 13, 1949) is an American football coach. He has been a defensive coach for several college and professional teams, serving primarily as a defensive line coach when he has not been a coordinator. From 2006 until 2008, ...
, said that Sims' resembled that of
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
linebacker
Derrick Brooks
Derrick Dewan Brooks (born April 18, 1973) is an American former football outside linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brooks played college football at Florida State, where ...
in his early years, being described as a fast, punishing, sure-tackler.
Philadelphia Eagles
Sims was traded to the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
on April 19, 2010 in a three-team trade. The
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
sent tight end
Tony Scheffler
Tony Scheffler (born February 15, 1983) is a former American football tight end of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football and baseball at W ...
and a seventh-round draft pick in 2010 to the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...
, the Lions sent Sims to the Eagles, and the Eagles sent a fifth-round draft pick in 2010 to the Broncos.
Indianapolis Colts
On August 2, 2011, Sims signed with the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 20 ...
as an
unrestricted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
. He wasn't re-signed at the end of the year.
Dallas Cowboys
After the loss of
Sean Lee
Sean Patrick Lee (born July 22, 1986) is a former American football linebacker. He played his entire 11-year professional career with the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Penn State, and was selected by the Cowboys in the second r ...
to injury, on October 24, 2012, the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...
signed him as an unrestricted free agent to provide depth at
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, pl ...
. Sims quickly became a starter by his second game (against the
Atlanta Falcons) and eventually the unit's defensive play caller, after injuries decimated the position further. He finished the season with 42 tackles, one sack, 2 quarterback pressures and 3 passes defensed. He also recorded 10 tackles in the Cowboys’ emotional week 14 win against the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The club's home ...
, a day after the team received news of the death of
Jerry Brown
Edmund Gerald Brown Jr. (born April 7, 1938) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the 34th and 39th governor of California from 1975 to 1983 and 2011 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected Secretary of S ...
and the arrest of
Josh Brent
Joshua Aaron Price-Brent (born January 30, 1988) is a former American football defensive tackle who played in National Football League (NFL) for five seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Illinois and was selected by the ...
.
On March 18, 2013, Sims was signed to a one-year contract at the league minimum salary. He registered 42 tackles, a forced fumble and started 6 games while replacing
Bruce Carter,
Justin Durant
Justin Ryan Durant (born September 21, 1985) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) who played for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys and Atlanta Falcons. He was drafted by the Jaguars ...
and
Sean Lee
Sean Patrick Lee (born July 22, 1986) is a former American football linebacker. He played his entire 11-year professional career with the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Penn State, and was selected by the Cowboys in the second r ...
at different times. He wasn't re-signed at the end of the season.
Arizona Cardinals
On June 3, 2014, Sims signed 1-year deal to replace the suspended
Daryl Washington. He was later released on August 7.
NFL statistics
Key
* GP: games played
* COMB: combined tackles
* TOTAL: total tackles
* AST: assisted tackles
* SACK: sacks
* FF: forced fumbles
* FR: fumble recoveries
* FR YDS: fumble return yards
* INT: interceptions
* IR YDS: interception return yards
* AVG IR: average interception return
* LNG: longest interception return
* TD: interceptions returned for touchdown
* PD: passes defensed
Personal life
On May 29, 2009, Sims married Brooke McGriff, who is pursuing a degree in Education at
Tallahassee Community College
Tallahassee Community College (TCC) is a public community college in Tallahassee, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. As of fall 2017, TCC reported 24,639 st ...
.
Sims' mother, Alice Sims, formerly Alice Bennett, was an
All-America
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
n
sprinter on the Florida State
track and field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...
team from 1980 through 1983. His younger brother, Marcus Sims, a highly regarded high school running back, announced in February 2006 that he will also play his college football at Florida State before transferring to the
University of North Alabama
The University of North Alabama (UNA) is a public university in Florence, Alabama. It is the state's oldest public university. Occupying a campus in a residential section of Florence, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes ...
. His father Ernie, Sr. was also a running back at Florida State.
Sims owns a small collection of animals: 5 dogs and 1 type of reptile.
Philadelphia Eagles Ernie Sims full bio
/ref> Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelv ...
produced a segment for the Lions' game against the Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansio ...
in Detroit in 2007 which showcased his pets.
Sims currently resides in his home town of Tallahassee, FL, where he owns his own athletic training facility, called Ernie Sims' Big Hits Performance. He also has his own local sports talk radio show.
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sims, Ernie
1984 births
Living people
Players of American football from Tallahassee, Florida
American football outside linebackers
Florida State Seminoles football players
Detroit Lions players
Philadelphia Eagles players
Indianapolis Colts players
Dallas Cowboys players
Coaches of American football from Florida
Florida Atlantic Owls football coaches
South Florida Bulls football coaches