Bowen: Eagles must respect Matthew Stafford, says Schwartz

AS DOUG PEDERSON has done with the Eagles, when Jim Schwartz began his five-year reign as head coach of the Detroit Lions, he started it in tandem with his franchise quarterback - Matthew Stafford, drafted first overall in 2009, the year Schwartz got the job.

Eight seasons and a couple of jobs later for Schwartz, Stafford still has elite tools, and sometimes he plays like an elite QB. He has appeared in one Pro Bowl, made a couple of playoff appearances. Though he's unquestionably the best QB of the 2009 draft class, Stafford hasn't quite become what Schwartz and the Lions envisioned when they drafted Stafford out of Georgia over Mark Sanchez, Josh Freeman, Brian Hoyer and the rest of that year's crop.

Sunday, during a 17-14 loss at Chicago, the Lions' third loss in a row, by a total of 11 points, Stafford admonished wide receiver Golden Tate on the sideline with the cameras rolling, after Tate ran the wrong route, leading to an interception just before halftime. Stafford later said he regretted having done that.

"I really was frustrated at the time, wish I wouldn't have shown my emotions as much as I did," Stafford told reporters in Detroit. "But I'm a competitor. I want to win. Felt it was a big play in the game, I should have just went over there and made the tackle and moved on.

"I want to build guys up as much as I possibly can and help guys out. Frankly, communication, anything like that is always going to be on me. That's my job, to make sure no matter what, everybody is on the same page."

On Sunday, Eagles defensive coordinator Schwartz will bring a unit giving up an NFL-low nine points per game for a 3-0 team, fresh off its bye, into Detroit's Ford Field to face Stafford and the 1-3 Lions, who feature the league's sixth-ranked passing attack.

"He's a smart guy. He's had a week to prepare for us, so I'm sure he's thought of some new stuff that we haven't seen on tape yet," Stafford said of Schwartz this week.

When he spoke with reporters Thursday, Schwartz seemed very happy not to be facing retired wideout Calvin Johnson - the central figure in last season's 45-14 Lions victory over the Eagles on Thanksgiving, during which Megatron caught eight passes for 93 yards, snagging three of Stafford's five touchdown passes. But Schwartz remained wary of Stafford, 28, who ranks fourth in the NFL this season in passing yards, averaging 299.5 per game.

Schwartz noted that the Lions have converted some third-and-long chances.

"You can only do that if you have a quarterback that can, No. 1, stay alive, and No. 2, that can rip a ball in there," Schwartz said. "We'll have our work cut out for us. Even though Calvin is not there, Stafford moves the ball around to all the receivers. He doesn't just have one favorite. He moves it around to all the eligibles, uses his backs, can make any throw on the field, and, like I said, he's moving in the pocket and scrambling maybe a little more than he has in the past, and it puts a little bit more pressure on the defense."

Eagles cornerback Nolan Carroll broke his ankle early in last year's Detroit debacle, so almost anything that happens this time will be an improvement. Like Schwartz, Carroll said he thinks Stafford (eight carries for 64 yards) is more of an outside-the-pocket threat now than in previous years. He hasn't averaged as much as 4 yards per carry since his rookie season, when 20 runs netted 108 yards.

"I think this year he's doing a good job of finding his playmakers," Carroll said. "He has a lot of playmakers . . . I think he's got a great arm. He's being more mobile than he was in the past; you can see that on film. He can run. I think it was the Tennessee game (a 16-15 Lions loss), he wasn't scared of contact at all. He trucked some dude, some DB, so he's not scared to tuck it and run it, but, at the same time, he has an arm, does a lot of back-shoulder fades to 11 (Marvin Jones, who has 23 catches for 482 yards and two touchdowns), a lotta deep balls over the top. You have to be on the same page with that.

"He finds his running back, finds the tight ends well. He's good at utilizing those guys, and seeing what's at the line, what the defense shows him, and then kind of checking into whatever the best play might be."

Marvin Jones, a fifth-year player from Cal, trails Atlanta's Julio Jones by 6 yards for the league lead. In a conference call with reporters covering the Eagles this week, Lions coach Jim Caldwell praised Jones' preparation and work ethic.

"You can see it on film - kind of an Energizer Bunny guy, he's herky-jerky, kind of, but he's explosive," Carroll said. "His one cut is very decisive. He gets up the field fast, gets out of his routes real well, catches the ball real well, too. Stafford likes that guy."

Eagles safety Rodney McLeod classified Stafford as a good, experienced quarterback who is "very streaky."

"Once he gets on, it's very hard to get him off track," McLeod said.

Eagles linebacker Stephen Tulloch was Stafford's Detroit teammate from 2011 through last season. He said Stafford hasn't had the kind of personnel around him that wins playoff games and titles.

"Stafford is a very good quarterback. A lot of tools, makes all the big-time throws," Tulloch said. "Obviously, he's one player. You have to have multiple players around you to be able to succeed. Having Calvin Johnson there, we had some good years, especially when I was there in Detroit; we were able to make it to the playoffs a couple times. You can't put it all on him.

"I think he's doing a good job of managing the game. Injuries are kind of hard to overcome. You lose your starting running back, Ameer Abdullah, (tight end) Eric Ebron's kind of banged up (and not expected to play against the Eagles), it throws you off. I think he's doing a good job of just trying to keep things together the best he can. I have a lot of respect for Stafford."

@LesBowen

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