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Ex-head coach Schwartz to see Lions again in Philly

By ROB MAADDI

AP Pro Football Writer

PHILADELPHIA — Jim Schwartz struggled to remember any of his former players still on the Detroit Lions other than Matthew Stafford.

Long snapper Don Muhlbach, punter Sam Martin and cornerback Darius Slay also remain from the teams Schwartz coached from 2009-13. Schwartz, now a Super Bowl champion defensive coordinator for the Eagles, will see all his guys when the Lions (1-0-1) visit Philadelphia (1-1) on Sunday.

“It’s funny, I don’t recognize anybody on that team,” Schwartz said. “Stafford, the long snapper, the punter and then I think Darius Slay might be the only guys that were there. That shows you how much turnover there is in this league because it really doesn’t seem that long ago. Maybe it has been.”

Schwartz was a first-year head coach when Detroit drafted Stafford No. 1 overall in 2009. He was fired after going 7-9 in 2013, two years after helping the Lions reach the playoffs for the first time in 11 years. He was 29-51 over five seasons.

“He was part of that process, so I appreciate him a lot for giving me the chance,” Stafford said. “We went to playoffs for the first time in a long time in this franchise’s history and did a lot of good things in kind of getting us to where we are now, which I’m proud of, and I know he is, too.”

Schwartz has faced Stafford twice already. He was defensive coordinator under Doug Marrone in Buffalo when the Bills beat the Lions in Detroit. Schwartz was carried off the field by Bills players. Stafford led the Lions to a home win over Schwartz and the Eagles in 2016.

The Eagles will likely be without their two top receivers. Alshon Jeffery has a calf strain and DeSean Jackson has an abdominal injury.

Detroit hopes linebacker Jarrad Davis can play for the first time since injuring his right ankle nearly a month ago in a preseason game. Lions offensive tackle Taylor Decker has been playing through a back ailment, which he said feels good some days and not so good on others.

“Anyone who has had a back (injury), you know how they can be finicky,” Decker said.

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