Detroit Lions: Five Important Questions as Training Camp Begins
By Zac Snyder
Dec 28, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; The Detroit Lions offense huddles during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Green Bay won 30-20. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
How will the offense grow in year two under Joe Lombardi?
Expectations were big – maybe too big – for the Detroit Lions offense last season. With Joe Lombardi taking over as the new offensive coordinator after spending time as the New Orleans Saints’ quarterbacks coach and the drafting of Eric Ebron to be the Lions’ Jimmy Graham, it didn’t take long for the Lions-Saints parallels to be drawn. However, the offense often felt disjointed and certainly didn’t reach a level of production to rival the high-flying Saints’ offenses of recent memory.
Lombardi has as much to prove as any player in 2015 and all eyes will be on Ebron to take a big step forward with his rookie year behind him. Lombardi will need to open up the playbook to try to get more big plays out of his offense and the Lions need a third receiver to step up to help make that happen. Guys like Corey Fuller, Ryan Broyles or Lance Moore could be that guy, but Ebron cementing himself behind Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate would be the best possible outcome.
Growth is needed in the running game even more than the passing game as the Lions were ineffective in that area a year ago. The revamped offensive line needs to prove itself vastly superior to the 2014 version – both protecting Matthew Stafford and opening lanes for Lions running backs. Swapping in Ameer Abdullah for Reggie Bush should help, but Joique Bell‘s declining production is concerning.
Next: Replacing George Johnson