Sims looking to end victory drought Former Lions LB hasn't played in win since 2007 season By Chris McCosky The Detroit News Allen Park -- Jim Schwartz was asked Friday if the Lions would be an angry team come Sunday. 'I wouldn't say angry,' the coach said. 'Prepared and resolved would be better words.' Angry, though, might be the only word to describe the pregame disposition of former Lions linebacker Ernie Sims, now with the Eagles. 'I know his personality,' Lions linebacker Zack Follett said. 'He's going to be out there trying to kill people.' Consider what Sims has roiling around inside of him: He was the ninth pick in 2006 and led the Lions in tackles two of the four seasons he was in Detroit. And yet, he was traded to the Eagles which, in his view, meant Detroit thought he was part of the problem and not the solution. On top of that, he comes into Ford Field riding a personal 29-game losing streak. He lost 28 straight in a Lions uniform (he was injured and didn't play in the two victories last season) and he's 0-1 with the Eagles. 'I know he wants to win,' said running back Kevin Smith, who remains close with Sims. 'I talked to him (Thursday night) and he's jacked. He wants to take care of business. 'It's going to be fun for him to come back to Detroit and have a chance to make a mark. I am pretty sure he's going to embrace the environment.' That might be an understatement. 'There's a part of me, all part of me, wants to prove them wrong,' Sims told the Philadelphia Inquirer. 'Who wouldn't? They traded me for whatever reason, and my competitive nature is that I want to prove them wrong.' The Lions didn't just dump Sims. They used him as a valuable chip that ultimately landed tight end Tony Scheffler. 'We had a chance to get a player in Tony that fit exactly the job description we were looking for,' Schwartz said. 'If we were to get a player like that, we were going to have to give up something. We had given up a lot of draft picks on acquiring Chris Houston and Rob Sims, and we got to the point where we didn't want to part with any more draft picks. 'And Tony fit our job description better than Ernie fit here. We talked about getting bigger defensively, particularly on the defensive line and at linebacker. We made a big push in that direction.' That probably won't soothe Sims all that much. He can't get past the idea a team that was 12-52 with him had the audacity to trade him. 'I'd be lying if I said I haven't been thinking about it this week,' he said. 'I actually woke up more eager. I've been waiting for this for a long time.' His former teammates would expect no less. 'I am sure he'll be fired up, but that stuff wears off,' center Dominic Raiola said. 'You still have to play the game. But we can't take anything away from him. He's a great player, you know. He's not a top 10 pick for nothing. He's made enough plays and showed up enough on film that you've got to respect and know what he's doing.' Sims always has been an emotional, on-the-edge type player, without any added incentives. It might be difficult, at least at first, for Sims to stay in control. 'Ernie is a unique individual,' Follett said. 'I look forward to seeing him fly around ... but he's going to be hungry to get some revenge. But you've got to focus. He's one of those players that likes to play fast and he's got to be able to control it and not get out of control. 'If I was in his position it would be hard, man, because I would be looking to take somebody's head off every snap.' The last time Sims won was Dec. 23, 2007. To snap that drought in Detroit, Sims said, would be 'amazing.' 'I feel my time in Detroit was a good learning experience for me,' he said. 'I grew up as a football player and as a man. ... ' My emotions are going to take over. I know I'm going to be trash-talking out there, and everything else is going to take care of itself. I think it might be possible I'm going to get wound up.' chris.mccoskydetnews.com (313) 222-1489 SimsEagles at Lions Kickoff: 1 p.m. Sunday, Ford Field, Detroit TV/radio: Fox/97.1 Records: Philadelphia 0-1, Detroit 0-1 Series: Philadelphia 15-12-2 (Eagles 56-21 in 2007) Line: Eagles by 6Sellout: The game officially sold out Friday and is on TV.More online: Follow the live game blog. Join the discussion in Lions Talk. Find postgame reports, analysis and photos. Go to detnews.com/lions 