In the wake of last week’s game against the Browns, coach Jim Schwartz and running back Reggie Bush both leveled criticism at the Lions for their performance and said that the fact that it was preseason didn’t eliminate the need for concern.
Wide receiver Nate Burleson added his voice to that crew on Monday, saying that the starting offense has to “create some momentum” after failing to score a touchdown in either of the team’s first two preseason games. Quarterback Matthew Stafford admitted that he’d prefer to score touchdowns, but that the offense’s efforts in the two games has done nothing to shake his confidence in a unit that he knows needs to keep getting better all season.
“Anytime you step on the field you want to put points up, no question,” Stafford said, via Chris McCosky of the Detroit News. “This is the time of year when you are still trying to jell, still trying to get better. We want to do that through the whole season. Hopefully you aren’t playing your best in Week 1. You want to play well throughout and be peaking toward the end of the season.”
The numbers for the Lions’ first-string aren’t impressive, but there was a Calvin Johnson-sized hole in the lineup against Cleveland and that certainly makes for a very different offense than the one that Detroit hopes to run this season. While there are issues to sort out on the line and with the receivers other than Johnson, it’s a good bet that a potent Lions offense will remain potent even after slumbering from the gate.