When the Levy breaks: What happens to Sims?
The question I posed to Jim Schwartz today at his weekly press conference was a two-parter: What did he think of the play of rookie linebacker DeAndre Levy in his first NFL start? And could he hang on to that starting weakside LB job, even when Ernie Sims, who'd started 50 consecutive games before suffering a shoulder injury vs. Minnesota, is ready to return?
Schwartz answered the first part, not the second. But the way he talked, I think the answer to the latter question is obvious.
I thought Levy played a heck of a game Sunday, even ignoring the fact he's a rookie seeing his first signficant action. And it sounds like his head coach did, too.
"He finished with eight tackles," Schwartz said. "He had a couple really good plays: One zone drop took away a big play that was really a good play; one play where he dropped deep and they checked the ball down and he came and just unloaded on the running back.
"But probably his biggest play of the game was third-and-goal from the 7 on the first drive, (before) the play that we stopped them on fourth down. He was backside linebacker, they ran a screen and he came screaming across the field and left his feet and got (Clinton) Portis out of bounds. The ball was obviously inches short of the goal line. It got us to fourth down. They went for it on fourth down, (and) Larry Foote, Julian Peterson and Dwayne White did a good job of corralling Portis. But Portis tried to bury his way into the goal line and DeAndre was there to keep his shoulder, to get him from extending the football. He probably took away a scoring opportunity right there in those two plays.
"Those were huge plays in the game, because obviously being able to stop them, coming away with no points, and what the offense did going hard-count, 5-yard penalty, 99-yard drive, touchdown -- that was a huge, huge part of the game. He played well."
So, yeah, I'd say there's a chance the kid keeps the job, wouldn't you?
