Don’t expect Matthew Stafford to just be a game-manager
By Robert Jones
The Detroit Lions will unveil a new offense this fall under the direction of Darrell Bevell, but will he really put the wraps on Matthew Stafford?
The Detroit Lions have stocked up on players in free agency and the draft. The next step is to mix them in with the players remaining from Matt Patricia’s first season as a head coach on any level and coach well until opening day.
General manager Bob Quinn believes the ingredients they have added will help create a team that can compete in the NFC North and perhaps beyond.
One of the biggest additions has been new offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell. A coach whose track record has been both successful and very run oriented.
After the biggest additions offensively this offseason have been a completely new stable of tight ends, it has led to one simple conclusion; Darrell Bevell will continue to mastermind an offense that is powered by the legs of it’s running backs and frown upon any thoughts of putting the ball in the air.
Yes, sir. Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is now officially the games highest paid game-manager. It is now his job to make sure he hands the ball off to Kerryon Johnson and Detroit’s other complimentary backs early and often to grind out yards, wear down opposing defenses and control the clock.
And if for some reason they don’t score, no big deal, just punt the ball to their opponent and let Patricia’s defense do its job to get the ball back.
There is no disgrace in winning games by a score of 10-7. After all, the most important thing is winning the game. It doesn’t matter whether they win by one point or 10, it still all counts the same. A win is a win, right?
So the media have had a field day dissecting the new Lions offense and how they will approach games this fall when even the players are still just in the initial stages of learning it themselves.
This leads us to one tiny, insignificant question; is the offense really going to be just that simple or is there much more to it that the media is missing?