One Offseason Move Made The Detroit Lions A Playoff Team

Could it be deja vu for Bevell in Detroit with his new guy Matthew Stafford? I believe so, Bevell did his due diligence with Stafford and thought he could win with him.

If I had to pick a past offense that Bevell might try to implement a lot of the same schemes here, it would be the 2009 Minnesota Vikings. Stafford is more comparable to Favre than Wilson, and Bevell was only the QB coach for Favre in Green Bay, whereas in Minnesota Bevell ran the show.

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The 2009 season also happens to be Bevell’s best year statistically as an offensive coordinator. The Vikings ranked 2nd in the NFL in total offense while ranking 9th in rushing attempts and 10th in passing attempts according to pro-football-reference.com. That’s the balance Bob Quinn, and Matt Patricia is looking for in their play calling.

If the Bevell experiment is successful and the Lions can run the ball while being less predictable. Defenses won’t be able to blitz nearly as much and key in on Matthew Stafford. Something that seemed to get to Stafford the past few seasons, both physically and mentally. In doing so, you open up opportunities to use Stafford’s best weapon. The gun sling he has for an arm, with fewer rushers and more respect for the Lions run game.

I don’t think it’s much of a secret anymore that Detroit’s defense is up to the challenge for a playoff run on in 2019. If Quinn’s latest puzzle piece Darrell Bevell can fix an offense with talent and prove to be his best offseason move. I think there’s a real shot at NFC North and/or a playoff win, with a real promising era of Detroit Lions football underway with Quinn and Patricia.

If the Detroit Lions haven’t shown improvement on the field and in the standings, it’s time to start looking for the exit strategy from the Quinn-Patricia-Stafford era. Even with three years left on all of their contracts.