Opinion: Blake Sims And Jameis Winston Show Difference Between Work And Gifts

My father always told me that you appreciate something more when you earn it, rather than having it given to you. I hated hearing that as a kid, because it meant that I was in for some hard work. But as with many of his lessons, I grew up and found it to be true.

Blake Sims must be the most appreciative young man in the state of Alabama this morning.

The fifth-year senior has without question earned the starting quarterback job for the Crimson Tide. Working in the background and waiting in the shadows for the length of a presidential term, Sims was next in line for the job when Jacob Coker came riding into town. Led by a host of acolytes and riding upon a bed made of press clippings, Coker was immediately crowned the starter by the Alabama fan base. Meanwhile, Sims kept working.

Through spring and fall practice and a three-game audition process, Sims battled Coker for the job. Slowly, gradually, he began to win over fans, teammates and coaches. Still, everyone said, we wouldn’t really know if Sims was ready until Florida came to town.

Sims was ready.

Blake Sims may not be as gifted as Jameis Winston, but has earned the right to be where he is.

Alabama dismantled the Gator defense the way no team ever has, rolling up 645 yards and imposing their will in large part through the air. Along the way, Sims threw for four touchdowns and was 39 yards shy of breaking a 46-year old Alabama passing record. It was a coming-out party for Blake Sims, and fans who still weren’t sure last week if he should even start the game were calling him a Heisman contender.

When Sims landed hard on his shoulder and headed to the locker room, it seemed unfair that all that work would still be for naught. Jacob Coker came into the game and threw his own touchdown pass to phenom Amari Cooper, and fans wondered how many games Sims might miss.

The answer came on the next series, when Sims came back onto the field to finish doing his job, to the roar of an approving crowd.

Sims finally left the field with the game in hand, allowing Coker to get reps in mop up duty. There was no doubt he was the starting quarterback; he had earned it.

A few hours south of Tuscaloosa, another game took place without its starting quarterback. Florida State took on Clemson without Jameis Winston, who was suspended first for a half, then for the entire game for his latest “youthful indiscretion.”

Winston was given the starting job merely for stepping foot on campus. He’s immensely talented, to be sure, and was given the Heisman trophy as only the second freshman to be so honored. Despite the Heisman Trust’s mission to award “the pursuit of excellence with integrity,” Jameis Winston laid bare the truth – that a sexual assault investigation, video evidence of theft, and arrogance bordering on sociopathy can be overlooked if you have a rifle arm and legs like jet engines.

Another young man might have been chastened, or at least media-savvy enough to look humbled for the cameras that were fixed on him all night. Winston, on the other hand, dressed out with his teammates and began warmups before an incredulous Jimbo Fisher sent him to the locker room to remove his pads. It was as if Winston had no idea the suspension was supposed to be a punishment.

Florida State won the game, despite their best efforts to give the game to Clemson. And there was Winston, charging onto the field to congratulate his team, gold chain swinging around his neck as he embraced his teammates in a perfectly-lit money shot for the prime time audience.

There’s probably little doubt that Jameis Winston is more physically gifted than Blake Sims. But gifts are just that; unearned rewards that some men treasure and others assume is their birthright. Blake Sims may not be as gifted as Jameis Winston, but has earned the right to be where he is.

Which young man do you think has the greater appreciation of where he is today?