Why the Detroit Lions passing game is in good hands

Last season, the Lions were explosive through the air and that led them to being the seventh best scoring offense in the NFL. All while sporting the worst ground game in the league. Imagine if they had been able to muster an even semi-reasonable rushing attack?

This year they are aiming for a ground game that will not only be respectable, but able to move the chains and create time consuming drives.

This is the Matt Patricia vision. The ability to dictate to opposing defenses what this offense wants to do. Not what their opponents will allow them.

All of that is good in theory and if the pieces click together correctly, it can be a tremendous boost to the Lions chances at being almost unstoppable when they have the ball in their hands.

Yet, the fact of the matter is that Matthew Stafford has done nothing but improve over the last three years and ultimately, from an offensive standpoint, the passing game will still be the teams bread and butter.

The question is, outside of the help a balanced ground game will give the passing attack, how can they improve upon the success this team had through the air last year?

The answer can really be summed up rather simply; their personnel needs to get better.

That can be taken two ways. The first is for the returning players to continue to improve and the second is to add more talent which creates quality depth.

The additions to the offensive line were not only aimed at opening holes for the Lions ball-carriers, but to also keep Stafford on his feet as well.  Despite all the success this team had throwing the ball last season he was still sacked a career high 47 times.

Somehow he kept bouncing back and continued to make plays.

The ability for Stafford to truly feel comfortable in the pocket would help tremendously. It is very difficult for any quarterback to succeed when they are getting hit as much as Matthew was last year. But when he had time, his receivers made plays.