Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford’s statistics have gone in the wrong direction since his breakout 2011 season, with his passing yardage trending downward each year and a failure to come close to the 41 touchdowns or 97.2 passer rating he had in his first full season as a starter.
Despite that, Stafford says that he can see he and the Lions’ offense are going in the right direction now, with the offseason program serving as a good yardstick for the team’s offensive progress.
“I mean, it’s obviously always a work in progress,” Stafford said, via MLive.com. “You’re always trying to find new ways to get better. “But there’s no question we’ve taken strides forward this spring.”
Lions coach Jim Caldwell also says he sees progress from Stafford.
“He’s improved,” Caldwell said. “He has a better feel for the system. You can see our timing’s better, receivers have a better sense of the routes that they’re running. All around I think we’ve made some improvement.”
Stafford must look good on the practice field because the Lions’ coaching staff and front office are always in his corner. But at some point he needs to make progress on Sundays. Most quarterbacks keep getting better in their 20s, but the Lions need Stafford to look as good at age 27 as he looked at age 23.