Stafford Says Youth Of Offensive Line Could Be Biggest Challenge For Him This Season
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
ALLEN PARK - With two veteran offensive linemen, Dominic Raiola and Rob Sims, not returning for the Detroit Lions in the upcoming season, quarterback Matthew Stafford expressed Thursday that the youthfulness of the line could be one of the biggest challenges for him as a quarterback this year.
"It's going to be a fun one, but we're going to have some young guys up front," Stafford said after the team's OTA practice. "It'll be a lot of fun just communicating and trying to make sure that we're all on the same page doing the right thing as much as we possibly can. I think that's going to be a big one for us and for me personally."
Stafford likes what he has seen from the group so far, however. Two young players who will likely see significant playing time are Travis Swanson, viewed as the heir apparent to Raiola at center, and Laken Tomlinson, the guard whom the Lions drafted in the first round this year.
Thirteen of the 15 offensive linemen currently on Detroit's roster have played two or fewer NFL seasons. Manny Ramirez, going into his ninth season, is the longest tenured member of the group, and next is Riley Reiff, who has three seasons under his belt. Larry Warford and LaAdrian Waddle, who have each played two seasons, are the next most experienced.
Stafford focused Thursday on the upside of the group's youth.
"They look extremely athletic," Stafford said. "Any time you have a bunch of young guys in there - I kind of equate it to young running backs. You watch them run, and they just have no regard for their body. They just go out there and they run and they play hard, they play physical, and o-line, I think, is the same way, so it's fun to watch these guys just move around. The athletic ability that we have up there right now at this point is pretty awesome."
Stafford declined to offer any more specific observations given the difficulty of evaluating players when the team has only had practices without pads to this point.
"There's always times where we can be better, there's no question, but at this time point in time, you're just looking for assignments," Stafford said. "It's assignments and technique. The physicality part of it just isn't there without pads on, so if guys are getting in the right position and putting their hat and hands in the right spot, that's really what you're looking for, and we're not perfect, but these guys are giving great effort and learning every day."
With Raiola and Sims departed, Stafford agreed that, while he has always tried to be a leader, the onus falls on him and players like wide receiver Calvin Johnson and tight end Brandon Pettigrew more than ever now. Accordingly, offseason team bonding is in full swing.
"This time of year is a lot of just building camaraderie off the field," Stafford said. "Been out to dinner a couple times with a bunch of the guys, took the o-line to a Tigers game, just do stuff like that to get to know some of these guys because whether they haven't played a lot of football for us or they're just coming out of college, it's important to make sure that we're all pulling for each other."
