"I don't read it as much as I read my Bible, but I read it enough that where I get sick of reading it," said Sims, acquired by the Eagles in a three-team trade in April.
Sims stayed on the practice field for a few minutes after yesterday's practice ended, getting extra feedback and questions into the coaches and making sure anything he hasn't grasped gets ironed out before the first preseason game Aug. 13 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
"It throws me off a little bit sometimes, but repetition and me being out here and me going through the plays in the meeting room, taking all my notes and everything, it's going to help me," Sims said. "The coaches are doing a great job of trying to fill me in. Even the players are doing a good job of trying to help me get accustomed to the terminology that they talk about."
Sims is expected to shore up pass defense and figures to team with returning middle linebacker Stewart Bradley to improve that area.
That leaves a stable of linebackers fighting for roster spots, including Omar Gaither, Akeem Jordan, and three rookies.
Gaither isn't taking Sims under his wing and showing him the finer points of the defensive scheme, not because of competition, but because the fifth-year vet and former No. 9 overall pick doesn't need a tutor.
"Ernie's what you call just a freak athlete, so he'll be fine in whatever system it is he has," said Gaither. "He's a physical guy. He's not the biggest guy, but he plays bigger than what he is."
Comfort zone
The Eagles appear set at cornerback with Asante Samuel and Ellis Hobbs, who is coming off a neck injury.
But Macho Harris sees himself capable of cracking the rotation after his move to cornerback from safety.
