Lions OC Jim Bob Cooter believes Matthew Stafford could be at his best in a no-huddle offense.
It has been one of the most dramatic changes this season. Detroit was in the bottom third of the league in offensive pace under former coordinator Joe Lombardi, because he wanted to shuffle in personnel and packages at a dizzying rate.
Now, though, Detroit has been in the no-huddle 62 percent of their plays during the preseason. That's up from just 7 percent in the regular season last year.
"I think if you do it right -- if you do it well in general -- it's a more efficient way to go about your business," Cooter said. "Now does that mean we're always playing extremely fast? Absolutely not. But it also doesn't mean we never do that. We like to have all the options at our disposal. Sometimes we play fast, sometimes we don't. Sometimes we're in the huddle, out of the huddle."
The Lions’ offense really took off after Jim Bob Cooter took over as the play-caller, but that probably had more to do with the strength of schedule than anything he did. The Lions played Minnesota twice, Arizona, Seattle, Kansas City and Denver in their first eight games, and the schedule was significantly softer after the Week 9 bye. Still, Stafford was the #4 QB over the final eight weeks, averaging 21.5 points per game. The loss of Calvin Johnson will sting, but if Cooter’s influence is real, then Stafford could push for QB1 numbers if things break his way. Playing at a faster pace should only help, assuming the offense can move the ball effectively and stay on the field.
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