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Lombardi wants Stafford to take more chances

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http://www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2015/04/01/matthew-stafford-big-plays/70789966/

 

The conservative approach the Detroit Lions took to their offense is going by the wayside this year. Maybe.

 

Lions offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said Tuesday at the team's town hall meeting that he wants Matthew Stafford to take more shots downfield this fall.

 

"Our biggest thing is in order to win football games you've got to first not lose them, and I thought that he played smart football (last year), and sometimes to a fault," Lombardi said. "We'll look to him to maybe take a few more chances this year with the football. He's got the arm to do it and he's got the receivers to throw it to."

 

The Lions, despite adding Golden Tate and Eric Ebron to a receiving corps that already included Calvin Johnson, pulled back the reins on Stafford last year and asked him to be more game-manager and less big-play maker.

 

He responded by cutting down on his turnovers – Stafford threw just 12 interceptions last year, his fewest since his injury-shortened 2010 season – but the Lions' offense struggled to consistently generate points.

 

Under Lombardi, Stafford attempted 68 passes of more than 20 yards last fall, completing just 21 with eight touchdowns and six interceptions according to Pro Football Focus.

 

From 2011-13 under former coordinator Scott Linehan, he averaged 82 attempts (and 28.7 completions) of 20 yards or longer, per PFF.

 

"He just, in his second year, is going to be that much more comfortable," Lombardi said. "I think that we as coaches certainly after looking at the season and the film, we've been able to dial in a little bit better at 'Hey, what is he most comfortable and most successful at.' So we'll be able to tailor the offense a little bit more to what he likes and what he's good at."

 

Though Lombardi said he'd like to see more explosive plays out of the passing game, Stafford seems unlikely to produce significantly better numbers in his seventh NFL season.

 

Lions coach Jim Caldwell said at the owners meetings last week that he hopes to throw the ball less, not more in 2015, and he said Tuesday he wants to see Stafford improve his 60.3% completion percentage this fall.

 

"You can see he made some improvement last year. I think you'll see him make a little bit more improvement next year," Caldwell said. "He threw a little bit over 60%, if he can get to that 62, 63 percent, I think everybody's going to be happy with the way in which he plays."

 

 

More chances + fewer attempts doesn't seem like a good combo.

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Ladies and gentlemen, your leader in INTs for the 2015 season.

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What? I saw no mention of Jameis Winston at all in that article.

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Fuck all that noise. I've BEEN waiting for him to go back to turning it loose. I hate all that conservative stuff. The Lions have enough weapons on offense (assuming Ebron and Riddick continue growing) to be truly explosive, and to withstand a couple turnovers with potentially a top 10 defense (or at least top 15).

 

Maybe I'm wrong, but he's getting paid all that bread to what? Dump off passes after passes? Where they do that at. >_>

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Does your defense maintain it's intimidation and smothering style without the beasts of Fairly and Suh? Ngata is a very good player, but that is a lot to shoulder for one guy.

I don't think the Lions can really afford to do this. They probably lose out 2nd in the NFC North to the Vikings this season. Matt Stafford is a gunslinger, but this league is about playing smart and efficiently. Trust me, I know all about living with a gunslinger at QB.

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Did someone say Jameis leading league in INTs?

 

Bill-Murrays-Grin-Wink-Of-Vanity.gif

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Does your defense maintain it's intimidation and smothering style without the beasts of Fairly and Suh? Ngata is a very good player, but that is a lot to shoulder for one guy.

 

I don't think the Lions can really afford to do this. They probably lose out 2nd in the NFC North to the Vikings this season. Matt Stafford is a gunslinger, but this league is about playing smart and efficiently. Trust me, I know all about living with a gunslinger at QB.

 

Even if Suh was back, I don't see the Lions being as dominant. I'm a strong believer in numbers, and everything points/pointed to the Lions this upcoming season on defense regressing to the mean.

 

I don't see the Lions defense being bad either though. And a bigger chunk of the cap space is being spent on offense then anywhere else. I think because of that the offense has to be better. And they won't get any better if Stafford plays mega conservative this year like he did last year. I'm just not a fan of it. Lol.

Edited by DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F

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Even if Suh was back, I don't see the Lions being as dominant. I'm a strong believer in numbers, and everything points/pointed to the Lions this upcoming season on defense regressing to the mean.

 

I don't see the Lions defense being bad either though. And a bigger chunk of the cap space is being spent on offense then anywhere else. I think because of that the offense has to be better. And they won't get any better if Stafford plays mega conservative this year like he did last year. I'm just not a fan of it. Lol.

 

Ya, I suppose. I mean when you are dealing with a poor decision maker it's probably better to just take him for what he is rather than try fitting a square peg in a circle hole. So I at least understand your perspective. Maybe we should all just come to the realization that Stafford just isn't that good.

 

giphy.gif

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Right in the feels JD... Right in the feels. >_>

 

All of TGP has been trying to tell you Stafford sucks for years now. It's just now sinking in?

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Stafford is like an evolved improved form of Jay Cutler but still has the same genes.

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All of TGP has been trying to tell you Stafford sucks for years now. It's just now sinking in?

 

I'm still a believer. Lol. I admitted that I no longer am going to defend his often average play. But he's got all the potential to still be a top 10 QB. His 2011 season wasn't entirely a fluke imo.

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