Sims Calls First Lambeau Leap ‘Special Moment’

Green Bay Packers tight end Ben Sims didn’t deny that there might have been a tear in his eyes following his first career touchdown and Lambeau Leap last week.

“It was just such a special moment,” Sims said after Thursday’s practice. “Your adrenaline is so high that you really don’t know what’s going on. So, I was pretty emotional.”

It’s been quite a journey for Sims. He took a predraft visit to Green Bay but ultimately signed with the Minnesota Vikings after going undrafted in April. Sims failed to make their roster. The Packers, already with the youngest tight end corps in the NFL after drafting Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft, added Sims off waivers after teams cut their rosters to 53 players.

Musgrave and Kraft learned the offense through the offseason and training camp installs. Sims didn’t have the luxury of time but did have the luxury of landing in a welcoming room.

“It goes to show what kind of team we are and what kind of offense we have,” Sims said. “The offense really welcomed me in. Every day since, I’ve been trying to earn their respect and earn the right to be able to be on the field with them. The credit goes to the offense, goes to the coach. I’m just showing up and working hard.”

Sims learned the playbook one game plan at a time. By about Week 4 or Week 5, he thought he had a good handle on “about 95 percent” of the offense.

Sims played 46 snaps on offense through the first nine games, with the overwhelming majority of those snaps coming as a run blocker. Then Musgrave suffered a lacerated kidney in Game 10 against the Chargers. The last three games, he’s played 50 snaps. That includes a career-high 20 against the Chiefs.

“Big credit to Luke,” Sims said. “He was a leader in our room and he still is. He’s the reason that I feel like I’ve been confident and been able to play well. Same goes for Tucker. Those guys treated me like one of their own when I first got in that room. That speaks volumes to the kind of guy that Luke is and the kind of guy that Tucker is and what kind of culture we have on this team.”

Sims caught one pass against Las Vegas and one more against Denver. He went four consecutive games without being targeted and five consecutive games without a catch until the opening drive on Sunday night.

On second-and-goal from the 1, coach Matt LaFleur went about as big as possible. Sims and Kraft lined up as tight ends, as did guard Royce Newman. Rookie Henry Pearson lined up as a fullback in front of burly running back AJ Dillon. Rather than run the ball, LaFleur dialed up a play-action pass to Sims.

Sims sold it perfectly – engaging in a block for a moment before working himself wide open in the flat.

For the 23-year-old Sims, who spent five seasons at Baylor and had dreamed of being an NFL player for most of his childhood, the opportunity of a lifetime was floating his way.

Sims caught Jordan Love’s pass, sprinted into the corner and dropped the ball – Kraft picked it up, with the ball destined for a display case – before joining the celebrating fans in the north end zone.

“You try to talk yourself into it’s just another routine catch,” Sims said. “I’ve probably caught hundreds of thousands of footballs throughout my life and this one is just the next one. For Coach LaFleur to call my number like that and trust me with that play, it had to be just another routine coach. That’s how I think of those kind of things.”