TEMPE, Ariz. -- Phillip Sims didn't know what a tryout with the Arizona Cardinals would lead to back in May.
Was it a real opportunity for the quarterback to win a roster spot? Or was it just his chance to be a training camp body? Whatever the Cardinals' initial intentions were, Sims forced them to take him seriously as early as Arizona's rookie minicamp because of how fast he absorbed and processed the verbiage in the huddle.
"He could spit it out as soon as Coach called it," Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said. "He didn't ask twice. Boom, he called it.
"He had a very poised attitude about him and he was accurate, and [we were like] 'Hey, maybe we'll keep this guy around."
Sims has been fighting for a job ever since.
On Thursday night, Sims will start the Cardinals' preseason finale at Denver, giving coach Bruce Arians one last chance to make a decision between Sims and Logan Thomas for Arizona's third quarterback spot.
If the Cardinals are looking for experience to support starter Carson Palmer and backup Drew Stanton, Thomas is their man. If they're looking a mature quarterback who hasn't looked like a rookie who went undrafted and entered the league as a free agent, Sims will be tough to beat.
His poise has been unflappable this fall. He's led Arizona on three touchdown drives and one that resulted in a field goal in three preseason quarters.
"The No. 1 thing in playing quarterback is poise and confidence," Arians said. "He's displayed every time he's gone out there that he's got those on game day. That's what [we're] looking for."
Sims has been that poised since he was at Alabama in 2010 and 2011, said Cardinals guard Anthony Steen, who was Sims' Crimson Tide teammate those seasons.
They were reunited in May and Steen said Sims hasn't changed. At all.
"He seems like the same guy that he was in college -- calm, always kept his composure and anytime he got pressure he's got the feet and the agility to run out the pocket and get himself out of trouble," Steen said. "As an offensive linemen, you've got to like that."
Even though Sims was at Alabama for two seasons before transferring to Virginia and then to Winston-Salem State, Steen believed his experience with the Crimson Tide -- playing in high-pressure situations and in front of large crowds -- was the right preparation for Sims' NFL career.
That poise has kept Sims in the hunt for Arizona's third quarterback job.
He's approached training camp and the preseason with a no-holds barred attitude. Any hesitation may give Thomas the opening he needs to secure the job.
"You can't play scared," Sims said. "You play scared, you [can get] hurt, you make mistakes. Let it all hang out. Have fun enjoy the moment. Just play. Like B.A. said, he don't want you to be scared.
"If you're scared find another job."
After Thursday night, Sims hopes he won't need to.
