DaytonDailyNews.com

CINCINNATI — Bengals rookie defensive tackle Pat Sims fancies himself as the next Warren Sapp, the seven-time Pro Bowl player whose career spanned 13 years with Tampa Bay (1995-2003) and Oakland (2004-2007).

"He was unstoppable," Sims said. "I want to be like that real soon."

The third-round draft pick from Auburn is coming on strong.

Inactive the first five games because of a sprained big toe, Sims has delivered 12 tackles (6 solos) the past two games. That's the kind of production the defense needs to improve on its No. 27 ranking against the run (152.3 yards a game).

"We'll continue to get him more and more snaps," head coach Marvin Lewis said. "He's having fun and realizing, 'You know what, I can do this. And they brought me here for the right reasons.'

"That's a good thing for a young player because being injured like he was in the preseason, he didn't get a lot of looks. All his time was spent without pads."

Sims (6-2, 320) gets good leverage with his strength and quickness. He's keeping his pads level low and using good hand placement to shed blocks. He's expected to be in the rotation with starters Domata Peko and John Thornton at Houston on Sunday.

"I haven't been caught by surprise on anything," Sims said. "It's football. I've been doing this since I was a kid. I'm loving the playing time. I've got to keep pushing for it and working to get better. I accept the challenge."