LB Ernie Sims steps to front while Cowboys wait for Sean Lee to return from hamstring injury

IRVING, Texas – Ernie Sims is the man in the middle while Dallas waits for linebacker Sean Lee to come back from a hamstring injury.

The eighth-year pro leads a struggling defense into an important NFC East game at the New York Giants on Sunday. It's perhaps as close to the spotlight as Sims has been since starting his first 50 games as a top 10 pick by Detroit.

He says "a lot of eyes are on me" a little more than a year after the Cowboys picked him up off the street when Lee was sidelined for the season by a toe injury.

Sims doesn't have much experience at middle linebacker but says he's "not afraid" taking the league's worst defense into a crucial game.

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