Lions' offense ready for challenge of post-Megatron era

Matt Williamson is a former scout for the Cleveland Browns, and spent the last 10 years at ESPN as a scout and co-host of "The Football Today Podcast."

The NFL is a year-to-year league, with major changes sweeping nearly every team. The Lions made a major switch midway through the 2015 regular season after winning just one of their first seven games, replacing Joe Lombardi with Jim Bob Cooter as the new offensive coordinator and play-caller.

A lot more has changed since: Calvin Johnson retired, Detroit signed Marvin Jones and Anquan Boldin to try to replace the all-time great, and the Lions used their first-round pick on Taylor Decker, who's been inserted as the starting left tackle, which moved Riley Reiff to the right side.

Though the Lions got crushed by the Chiefs the week after firing Lombardi, they went back to the drawing board in the subsequent bye week. The changes in the offense were immediate and obvious and should continue into 2016. Cooter did a terrific job at his new post.

Detroit’s running game under Lombardi was one of the league’s worst. Cooter implemented far less zone blocking than Lombardi, instead utilizing man-blocking schemes that got the Lions' big heavy guards on the move and coming downhill at their target on pulls.

The offensive line doesn't lack talent: It's currently made up of three former first-round picks (Decker, Reiff, and Laken Tomlinson) along with third-round starters Travis Swanson and Larry Warford. The Lions used a third-round pick on Graham Glasgow, a center, to turn the heat up on Swanson. However, the makeup of the line is much more about mauling than agility. Therefore, the change in rushing tactics made perfect sense.

The changes in protection and passing concepts also had a lot to do with the makeup of the big men doing the blocking for Matthew Stafford.

Stafford might have the best arm in football and is a major talent. He's had an up-and-down career, and certainly has some gunslinger qualities. Though Johnson's presence helped him quite a bit - Johnson bailed his quarterback out a lot - being able to rely on the future Hall of Famer stunted Stafford's development in some ways.

With Cooter in charge of the offense, the passing game was much quicker, as is becoming so popular in the league. The line didn’t have to hold its blocks as long and Cooter gave Stafford a lot of freedom at the line of scrimmage. Things were happening faster, and it worked extremely well.

The Lions leaned more heavily on their screen game and allowed their playmakers to make plays with the ball in their hands. A stuttering offense became a very efficient one, and some of Stafford’s risk-taking tendencies were reeled in a bit without going overboard and having him go into a shell or become complacent.

As for the playmakers, much was made of Ameer Abdullah’s fumbling problems going back to his college days, and it might remain an issue for him. However, he improved in this area with Cooter in charge.

Cooter also preferred to get a variety of ball-carriers involved. That should continue with Zach Zenner or Stevan Ridley as the power player, Theo Riddick as top receiving threat, and Abdullah somewhere in between with the chance to take a big step forward in his second season. Riddick is a heck of a weapon who's very difficult to cover and account for in an opponent's defensive schematic.

The departed Johnson is irreplaceable, but Boldin’s sharp routes, veteran savvy, strength after the catch, and blocking quickly endeared him to Stafford and Cooter. Jones has more field-stretching ability, but isn't just a pure perimeter burner. Golden Tate will be the go-to option, a role he excelled in when called upon to do so with Johnson out.

Eric Ebron isn’t healthy and is approaching a career crossroads. How Ebron’s path unfolds could make the difference between a mediocre passing game and a well above-average attack.

With Cooter in charge, the turnovers - both fumbles and Stafford’s interceptions - fell drastically. In fact, the Lions committed the most turnovers in the league before Cooter took over and the fewest with Cooter in charge. That is drastic!

The personnel were utilized far more effectively and efficiently. Everything was simplified and both Detroit’s running and passing games improved dramatically.

After winning six of their final eight games to finish out 2015, expect the Lions to stick with Cooter’s strategies. They might be even better at executing them after an entire offseason to practice and bring in players that fit this new system.