Detroit Lions: Can Matthew Stafford Succeed in 2016?
By Erik Schlitt
Looking forward, life without Calvin
If you have read most national sports publications you’ll find few who have any faith in the Lions now that Calvin Johnson has retired. But fear not Lions fans, life isn’t as grim as they would lead you to believe.
Again, don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to be disrespectful to Calvin Johnson, he is amazing, but the offense will change and move forward without him, it has no choice. Will it be more difficult, of course, but if we examine the charts closely we can find reasons for optimism.
There will be a new scheme under Jim Bob Cooter. I expect it to be very similar to what we saw in the second half of last season. With an off-season to implement more components there is bound to be an expansion in several areas.
Will the Lions miss Calvin Johnson? Probably. But you can't dismiss the addition of Marvin Jones & a full off-season under Jim Bob Cooter.
— Brian McFlurrger ✈️ (@brianslionsblog) June 22, 2016
Marvin Jones was brought in along with several veteran slot receivers to help add depth in the areas Cooter deems valuable. Marvin Jones saw 20.4% of Cincinnati’s targets last season and accounted for 19.5% of their receiving production. If Jones can, at a minimum, replicate those numbers in Detroit, he will eat up a huge chunk of lost production.
I also expect Eric Ebron to see an increase in targets as he will attempt to clear out the middle of the field for the quicker players who will be running routes underneath him.
Jim Bob Cooter’s relationship with Matthew Stafford will be paramount. In Lombardi’s system, Stafford was asked to read and react on pre-snap cues and execute the designed play. With Cooter, you saw Stafford operate with less restrictive parameters and he was allowed to freelance more often.
Stafford has a gunslinger mentality and Cooter embraces that. While most plays will be designed to be quick in nature, Stafford will have the freedom to improvise and unleash the deep ball when he has the opportunity.
Next: Comparing the first drafts of Bob Quinn and Martin Mayhew
While this post was focused on the quarterback and those who receive his passes, I recognize that there are still questions surrounding the offensive line and the running game. Look for a future post addressing these issues as they are essential to the Lions success.