The Detroit Lions have desperately tried to improve what has been a weakness, signing and drafting players to improve their running game.

Detroit ranked last in the NFL last season in rushing offense and has been among the league’s worst on the ground offensively in recent seasons.

Lions general manager Bob Quinn has made it a priority to fix the problem.

He signed veteran LeGarrette Blount in free agency and moved up in the draft to select Kerryon Johnson in the second round.

Related players: Ameer Abdullah, Theo Riddick, Zach Zenner, Dwayne Washington

The story said the newcomers will compete with or perhaps push out Abdullah in what has become a crowded backfield with running backs Riddick, Zenner, and Washington also on the roster. The team also selected lineman Frank Ragnow 20th overall to help give the run game a boost.

Lions running back Ameer Abdullah said last week that he hoped for a chance to finish the season strong after sitting out a pair of games with a neck injury and he was back in the lineup against the Bears last Saturday.

Abdullah didn’t get much of a chance to finish strong, however. He only played eight snaps on offense and saw Tion Green get most of the work at running back after Theo Riddick left the game with a wrist injury.

Abdullah said Monday that he “wouldn’t know why I would be” in the doghouse and suggested questions about his role would be better suited for head coach Jim Caldwell, but he did admit to being frustrated by the change.

This year Abdullah has run for just 3.4 yards per carry, the story pointed out. The story also added Riddick is a much better receiver out of the backfield. So far, Green has proven to be a tougher runner who has had a knack for finding the end zone in short-yardage situations, mostly during his college career but it seems as if the Lions want to see if this transitions to the NFL.

Lions running back Ameer Abdullah has not played the last two weeks, but said on Tuesday that he feels 100 percent recovered from the neck injury he suffered against the Vikings on Thanksgiving.

That may not be enough for him to return to his spot in the lineup, however. Abdullah participated in practice last week before being declared inactive for the game against the Buccaneers and Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported that his spot on the bench had more to do with his play than his health.

Related players: Tion Green, Theo Riddick

As the Lions have struggled to run the ball again this year, the story noted that the team called passes on 71 percent of their plays against the Bucs last week. Riddick carried the ball 10 times for just 29 yards but did have two TDs.

The Detroit Lions spent half a year championing Ameer Abdullah as their No. 1 running back, then changed course abruptly on Sunday.

Lions coach Jim Caldwell declined to name Abdullah his starting running back after Sunday's 24-21 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, when Abdullah did not play despite being cleared to return from a neck injury.

Related players: Theo Riddick, Tion Green

The team said Abdullah is still nursing his injury but didn't go into detail about that. Riddick played a big role in the team's win over the Bucs so it's quite possible he continues to see a key role in the offense.

Tion Green said it hurt his heart to see the Detroit Lions' struggles at the goal line, knowing how productive he was in those situations back in college.

He wasted no time showing what he meant.

On a day when the Detroit Lions had little else to smile about in a 44-20 loss against Baltimore, the rookie running back shined bright. He ran for 33 yards on his first touch, then turned his first red zone touch into a six-yard touchdown.

He finished with a team-high 55 yards on 11 carries, and had the one score.

Related players: Ameer Abdullah, Dwayne Washington

We had a story on Green here at 4for4 just last week, with the coaching staff saying he was getting better in practices. Green prides himself on being a successful goal line back, something the Lions struggled at this season. Green hadn't seen the field after being an undrafted rookie out of Cincinnati. Both Abdullah and Washington were unavailable this week so it remains to be seen what Green's role will be if those guys are able to get back on the field.