Big Bonus Player; Carl Sims, SF Storm

by Kolbe Nelson
July 11, 2011 6:38 PM


After leaving for the Canadian Football League in the middle of this season, Carl Sims, our Taco John's Athlete of the Week, left a fairly big gap in the Sioux Falls Storm receiving corp. But he decided to come back.

"It's a big boost I think," Sims said, "Obviously without me there's still a lot of big impact players, but with me, I just feel like we add another bonus."

A big bonus indeed.

"If our offensive line can protect," Storm Head Coach Kurtiss Riggs says, "Which they usually do very well, that allows Chris [Dixon] to survey the field and Carl stretches the field."

In just eight games this season, Sims had 22 catches, not eye popping numbers by any means aside from the fact that over half of those catches resulted in touchdowns. But part of the big bonus Sims brings to his team doesn't come in the form of big numbers.

"It really opens up the other guys too." Riggs says, "It allows James Terry to sit in the medium, Dusty Havorka to kinda get those check down routes."

Still, none of that would be possible if not for Sims' unbelievable talent.

"He's got speed like no one else in the league," Riggs says, "And we gotta find ways to allow him to utilize it."

And to this point the Storm have done just that, making the team a favorite in Saturday's United Bowl III against Tri-Cities. If the Storm do reverse last season's fortune and take the IFL Championship Game, it's a pretty good bet Sims will be a big part of it, even if he doesn't find paydirt.

Follow KDLT Weekend Sports Anchor Kolbe Nelson on Twitter at @KolbeNelson