The Detroit Lions will finally find out Matthew Stafford’s full potential

The Detroit Lions have been carried by Matthew Stafford over the course of the last few seasons, but how much better will he be with a ground game?

Matthew Stafford has been the Detroit Lions most crucial player over the last few seasons. As a matter of fact, it’s very hard to imagine the Lions winning very many games over the course of the past two seasons without him.

In a city where Stafford has as many detractors as he has supporters, that is still a very fair statement.

Consider this; what exactly have the Lions excelled at over the last few years, if not completely throughout his career?

This is an organization that has done nothing but look for ‘splash’ players in the draft and free agency and never truly developed depth to its roster either.

This was why everything seemed a little different after January 8th, 2016 when the Lions hired general manager Bob Quinn and his first draft highlighted offensive linemen. Fans still got some ‘splash’ when they signed the top receiver in free agency, Marvin Jones, but it was a need and not a ‘break-the bank’ contract either.

Then, last year, Bob Quinn spent money in free agency to further bolster the offensive line, followed by the draft which featured new middle linebacker Jarrad Davis, rookie return ace Jamal Agnew and receiver Kenny Golladay.

This year, the Lions had the linebacker free agency spree and a draft devoted to running the ball.

All in all, Bob Quinn and his staff haven’t ‘wowed’ us with their picks, but he inherited a team that had Matthew Stafford, Golden Tate and not much else.

Plain and simple when the cupboard is bare, it takes time to re-stock it completely.

Now the Lions aren’t there yet, but they do have a competitive team that also features more depth than it has in the past, although more work is still needed on the defensive side of the ball.

But offensively, we should finally have the opportunity to find out how good Matthew Stafford really is.