Lions Still Confident Offense Will Eventually Click
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
ALLEN PARK (CBS DETROIT) - Going into the season, the Detroit Lions knew it would take time for players to grow comfortable with the new system and with each other. Few must have imagined, however, that midway through November the Lions offense would rank 26th in scoring even with most of its top players recovered from injuries.
Throughout the season's first half, Detroit had to adjust in the extended absence of wide receiver Calvin Johnson and also missed - at various points in the season and for varying lengths of time - running backs Reggie Bush, Joique Bell and Theo Riddick, tight ends Brandon Pettigrew, Joe Fauria and Eric Ebron, and offensive linemen LaAdrian Waddle and Larry Warford (not to mention Corey Hilliard, who was lost for the season early on).
As the Lions prepare to face the New England Patriots, who rank second in the NFL in scoring, quarterback Matthew Stafford acknowledged the shuffling of personnel has likely played a role in Detroit's offensive struggles.
"For a good portion of the season, we were without the majority of the weapons that we have now, so the more you get back, the more different ways you've got to find ways to get guys the ball and put guys in position to succeed," Stafford said Wednesday, "and for quite a bit of time there we were doing it with the guys that we're not doing it with now.
"The more reps you get, the better you should be at execution," Stafford continued. "There's no question about that, so we're looking to be as sharp as we possibly can all week in practice, and hopefully that carries over to game day."
Lions head coach Jim Caldwell said the offense has clicked in segments of different games but has yet to put it all together. That it has not happened yet, of course, does not mean it never will.
"We just haven't been consistent, and often times that happens, but you don't like it, and you work to try to improve it, and that's all you can do," Caldwell said. "You just keep working at it and keep trying to get better. We've had our spurts, now. It'd be different if we just had done nothing at all this entire time, but the fact of the matter is just the matter of being able to put it all together.
"My first year [with the Baltimore Ravens], we sputtered along, had great games, had poor games, then we got on fire at the end, caught on fire, and we were tough to deal with," Caldwell added, "so we're hoping to light that match here shortly."
The Lions will not make any drastic adjustments in an effort to spur a breakthrough, however. Caldwell said the development of the unit will happen gradually.
"You see it happen all the time – they get familiar with what they're doing a little bit more, better execution, it just kind of falls in place," Caldwell said, "but often times if you make a lot of dramatic changes along the way, you're going to find that you'll lose that. You just have to stay with it ... We have the guys in place to do it. We've just got to keep working at it and get it done."
Wide receiver Jeremy Ross said he believes the Lions offense will eventually hit its stride, and he hinted the results will be impressive.
"We're definitely going to have a moment like that," Ross said, "and once that happens, I think we'll be unstoppable."
