Detroit Lions: Matthew Stafford is a gunslinger once again

The Detroit Lions are still technically undefeated after two games. Much of that is due to the return of Matthew Stafford to his gunslinging ways.

The Detroit Lions 2018 season was a disappointment on so many levels. New head coach Matt Patricia and his staff, as well as his players, failed to meet expectations and the disappointment in the Motor City was palpable.

The 6-10 finish didn’t thrill anyone and the echos of ‘same old Lions’ could once again be heard wherever frustrated Lions fans gathered.

Yet if last year gave Lions fans anything positive to remember, then it would be the way the defense bounced back from an awful start to pick up speed and finish the season as the number 10  ranked defense overall.

Did it mean they were suddenly elite? No, but we could see the foundation of what Matt Patricia was building. Especially as a former defensive coordinator for the overly successful New England Patriots.

What the defense accomplished was worth noting. Probably even more so because of how forgetful the offense was.

While the ground game took some major steps forward towards respectability, the passing game disappeared. Jim Bob Cooter’s ‘read-along-with-me’ playbook was two steps behind every defense because apparently every NFL defense employs players that can read. Who would have thunk it?

The vertical passing game which had been so prosperous two years ago was suddenly omitted from the playbook. Only one season after the Lions deep passing game was one of the most efficient and deadly in the league.

So while Cooter spent the year roasting away in front of enraged fans, Matthew Stafford‘s new passing game wasn’t a hit. He would drop with the options of A) take a sack, B) throw a five-yard out, or C) get his back broken.

In the end, he did get his back broken, he did have a disappointing season and the Detroit Lions offense was nothing more than a waste of everyone’s time to watch.