Akeem Jordan Wants To Compete With Sims For Starting Job

Andy Reid and his staff made former Detroit Lion Ernie Sims the starter at the Will or weakside linebacker spot immediately after they traded for him.

Despite that decision, last year’s starter at the position Akeem Jordan says he want’s to show the Birds’ coaching staff that he should continue to be the starter at that spot.

Jordan battled injuries last year and struggled to stay on the field.¬† He didn’t contribute much in the way of tackles or big plays and that’s the main reason that¬† Sims was given the starting job.

Late in the season a year ago when he came back from an injury, he was asked to move inside to the middle linebacker position, which proved to be a bad idea.

Jordan played two awful games against Dallas Cowboys and it obviously left a bad taste in the mouths of both Andy Reid and Sean McDermott.¬† There’s no question that Jordan has to prove himself to the decision-makers.

He’s eager for training camp to start so that he can get the chance to show what he can do while competing for the starting job at Will.¬† The young Eagles linebacker believes the competition between himself and Sims will help to make both of them better.

He made it a point to compliment Sims during an interview last week, but he still believes he can win the job.

“I know the guy in front of me doesn’t want to lose his spot and I want that spot, so we’re going to be competing for that spot”, Jordan told me last week.

“He’s been in league longer than I have and he knows the ropes”, Jordan said while talking about Sims.¬† “He can adjust because he’s a good linebacker”.

The former free agent admits that he has an advantage because he’s been here a few years and knows the system better, but he thinks that evened off because Sims has more experience from being in the league longer.

As far as I’m concerned, both of these guys need to learn to play smarter.¬† They need to do a much better job of anticipating what certain teams like to do in certain situations.¬† Jordan and Sims are both fast but they don’t do a good enough job of reading formations, personnel and tendencies.

You can be a star and All-American with athletic ability alone in college and but it doesn’t work in the NFL.¬† You’ve got to use your mind to make plays on the pro level.

I think it’s going to be very difficult for Jordan to take the job from Sims because Reid and his staff have made the former Lion the starter.¬†¬† At the same time I do think it’s possible that Sims loses the job if he struggles to pick up the system.¬† It’s Sims’ job to lose.

Remember that Sims wasn’t lighting the house on fire during his time with the Lions.¬† There has to be a reason for that.¬† If speedy Sims doesn’t start causing turnovers and delivering knockout shots for the Eagles, there’s no guarantee he will stay on the field.

The one that becomes a better student of the game will eventually be the starter at the position.  They each need to stop relying solely on athletic ability.