The Detroit Lions unsung new toys are the most important

Lions fans should be optimistic about the offense

There are several reasons why Lions fans should be optimistic about the ability of the Honolulu Blue and Silver to not only be a good offensive team next season but quite possibly a very explosive team.

It all starts with the return of Matthew Stafford. While having back injuries in consecutive years is a concern, we need to remember that Matthew was one of the NFL’s true iron men until he missed the second half of last season.

So while that back injury trend is a concern, it can certainly be lessoned if Matthew is able to keep himself on the field next season. Last year Matthew was outstanding despite the poor 3-4-1 record in the games he played, which wasn’t his fault.

The main culprit for last year’s disaster was the defense, but the offense, while brilliant at times, still needs to be more consistent.

The real strength of the Lions offense last year was the passing game. Matthew, as I already have mentioned, was brilliant and the receiving corps of Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, and Danny Amendola allowed the Lions’ offense to make plays all over the field.

That passing game should be even better with tight end T.J. Hockenson making progress over his rookie season and some help from the backfield.

A backfield that is perhaps the deepest the Lions have seen in decades. While they don’t have another Barry Sanders to show for their offseason efforts, they do have a stable of talented backs that should give the Motor City their most productive rushing attack since Barry ran wild in the Silverdome.

D’Andre Swift is a legitimate rookie of the year candidate. The former Georgia Bulldog is extremely talented and versatile. Something we can also say about Kerryon Johnson, but D’Andre may be more than just a complementary back for Johnson. He might just win the starting job.

Both Johnson and Swift are good receivers out of the backfield to help out the passing game, but rookie fifth-round selection Jason Huntley should definitely help out the passing game.

The small but electric former New Mexico State Aggie has blazing speed and great hands. He will become the Lions new Theo Riddick type, specialty back, and add depth to what has become a talented backfield.

A backfield that a friend of mine recently called the ‘most improved position for the Lions’. They certainly deserve to be mentioned in that category, but it is another unit that I believe is the most improved. A unit that literally creates the possibility of the Lions offense being explosive.