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Jaguars not concerned about Mike Thomas sharing information with Lions

New Lions WR Mike Thomas will face his old team this week, but the Jaguars aren't concerned that he'll give the Lions any inside information.

Sam Greenwood

The trade sending wide receiver Mike Thomas from the Jacksonville Jaguars to the Detroit Lions was finalized on Thursday, and he should be available to play against his old team on Sunday. Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey isn't concerned that Thomas will be providing his new team with any real inside information on his old one, though:

"It's a different scheme going in this week," Mularkey said. "He hadn't heard anything for this game plan. No, I have not been involved in anything like this where a player has been traded the same week. It's hard to give a lot of information. then for a defense to not only know what they're doing, then process what the offense is doing and have to adjust to it all in a short amount of time. That's a very difficult thing to be able to do."

The Lions were in a similar situation last year, when they signed running back Joique Bell right before playing his former team, the New Orleans Saints, in the playoffs. Head coach Jim Schwartz downplayed the impact of these types of situations:

"Everyone pretty much runs the same stuff. We have 16 games worth of film on them and experience playing them," Schwartz said. "I think stuff like that is overblown.

Thomas signed a five year, $19 million contract with the Jaguars in 2011, and has since struggled to produce on the field. While the Lions weren't exactly hurting for wide receiver depth, some think that a simple change of scenery will help Thomas reclaim his form.

The Jaguars host the Lions at EverBank Field on Sunday. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.