Mailbag: Has Sims Earned A Spot For Next Season?

DERRICK CARTRETTE
BAYBORO, SC

With Ernie Sims playing so well, is there a spot for him next year on this team?

Nick: I think that’s a little premature. Lots of factors involved there, like free agency and the draft. You do have two starters returning but I don’t know why Sims couldn’t come to training camp with this team. Imagine what he could do if he has an entire offseason. He could possibly be a better third backer than Dan Connor. Not a bad question at all.

Jonny: I think that's something that the Cowboys will really consider. Obviously there will not be a place for him as a starter assuming that Sean Lee and Bruce Carter come back at full strength, but he has certainly proved to be a reliable part of the defense with his ability to pursue the ball. The Cowboys have had bad luck with injuries, but you can't just expect your four starting linebackers to stay healthy for 16 games. Sims would be a nice insurance policy moving forward.

MICHAEL WALKER
UNION, SC

Playing with a fractured finger shows toughness, but how effective do you feel Dez Bryant could be in this offense while playing injured?

Nick: He’s obviously not going to be 100 percent even if he plays. It’ll have to be taped up enough to protect it, and that’ll be difficult for him to get off the line of scrimmage, much less catch the ball. But Dez is a freak on the field. He’s in beast-mode right now and I wouldn’t discount him at all. That’s why I think you have to at least let him try to play and see if he can handle the pain. If anyone on this team could do this, I think Dez can and he’s playing so well, it’s worth a shot.

Jonny: I think that's really hard to determine right now since we don't know exactly how much pain he's in. Part of me thinks he would be significantly less effective considering the guy has an injury that makes it tough to play Madden let alone a real NFL game. But on the other hand (no pun intended), Dez plays with his emotions. He's been criticized for it in the past. But all he really thinks about is that ball in the air. I'm sure he'd be in a lot of pain after the game, but he might be able to distract himself in the heat of the moment.