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Saints' Nick Fairley, Darryl Tapp looking forward to matchup against former team


New Orleans Saints nose tackle Nick Fairley (90) after stopping San Diego Chargers running back Melvin Gordon (28) during the game at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, Ca. Sunday, October 2, 2016. (Photo by David Grunfeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)

By Josh Katzenstein, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune\

New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Nick Fairley was a first-round pick of the Detroit Lions in 2011 and thought he'd be in Detroit for the duration of his career.

Defensive end Darryl Tapp spent the past two years with the Lions, experiencing a playoff berth in 2014 and then a disappointing 2015 that included a 1-7 start.

Fairley and Tapp are excited to see some of their former teammates Sunday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Fairley even asked Tapp for Lions defensive end Ezekiel Ansah's new phone number and plans to call him before the game.

Both of the current Saints defensive linemen had different experiences with the Lions and arrived in Detroit with different expectations.



As a first-round pick, the Lions expected Fairley to become a key piece of the defense, and he thought he would be there for 10-plus years. Instead, inconsistency in his first four seasons led Detroit to pass on the fifth-year option in his rookie contract, and he ended up with the Rams in 2015 and the Saints this year.

"I felt like I wasn't going anywhere, and when it happened, it was a downfall and a heartbreaker," Fairley said of the Lions declining to re-sign him.

Fairley wishes the Lions had been more patient with him, but understands that consistency was a problem in Detroit. He had 5.5 sacks in 2012 and six sacks in 2013, but much of that production came in a few games as opposed to making the same impact each week.

Fairley was a backup with the Rams last year, but he's been a starter every game for the Saints and is on pace to have a career year by just about any measure. He's glad he'll have a bigger role when he faces the Lions this time.

Saints' Nick Fairley, Darryl Tapp looking forward to matchup against former team | NOLA.com