Detroit Lions: Creating the Blueprint for Optimal Offense in 2015

The offense was the most frustrating part of the Detroit Lions' 2014 run to the playoffs. The hope, however, is that offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi laid the foundation for future success and that his unit will merely need a renovation instead of a demolition.

And the first step for any building project is a solid plan. I should know. While I've never built a house, remodeled a kitchen or updated a bathroom, I have a Master's degree in Ikea furniture. I'm the Aaron Rodgers of the Allen wrench.

Let's not get too far off topic. The offense needs some tweaking, so let's identify the weak spots and strap on the tool belt.

Consistency Up Front

If the offense was the thorn in Detroit's side, the offensive line was the railroad spike through the Lions' collective paw. 

The 2013 version had been spectacular in pass protection. Matthew Stafford enjoyed a relatively sack-free season, enduring just 23 over 16 games. That all flipped in 2014. The big guys up front—particularly Dominic Raiola and Rob Sims—started to show their age, and communication became a problem.

Twists and turns were a problem along the edges. Too often, the guard would ride the interior defensive linemen as he shot out toward the tackle, and by the time he reacted to the end swooping inside, it was too late to recover.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

But the confusion wasn't limited to the outside.

Here, you can see the Minnesota Vikings stood up two linebackers in front of Raiola. The Vikings opted to drop one and rush one at the snap. 

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Raiola didn't get the memo. The guards engage the defensive tackles on their respective sides, while Raiola fails to get a hand on anyone. What's worse, whatever he had communicated to the guards didn't resonate with anyone since the linebacker (circled here) rushes through the A-gap without so much as a look.

The Lions will go from one of the oldest lines to the second-youngest, but the above could still be a concern. There's a serious lack of experience at two of the three interior positions, as Josh Katzenstein of the Detroit News points out:

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Most questions today about Lions OL being better. I honestly have no idea. Tomlinson hasn't played LG. Swanson started one NFL game at C.

— Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) May 7, 2015"

If Lombardi wants to recreate the success he experienced in New Orleans, he'll need better protection and communication up front. Whether that requires a simplification of the protection calls, he must be willing to amend his game plan as needed, because it could take his young guys a couple of games (at least) to catch on.

Better Ground Gains

Above all, Lombardi had better learn how to adapt his running scheme to his personnel. And it appears guard Larry Warford has a lesson plan all worked out, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press:

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We have to be more aggressive. We can't be as technical as we (tried to be last year). The biggest thing is we tried to break everything down, we tried to focus on a bunch of stuff at once, down to the smallest detail.

With offensive line play, that's cool but at the end of the day you have to whoop somebody's (butt) and we weren't necessarily being the players that we were trained to be from the start."

"

Warford's offensive line coach seems to be on the same page. Jeremiah Washburn let his charges know that there won't be any of that awkward sideways dancing this year. His boys were going to attack.

That's precisely what this team needs. Warford and new arrival Laken Tomlinson are built to maul defensive tackles, while offensive tackles Riley Reiff and LaAdrian Waddle are also well-suited for forward motion instead of the laterally moving stretch play of 2014.

This style of attack will also benefit Joique Bell. He's much better at charging downfield while snaking his way past defenders than trying to burst through a seam moving parallel to the line of scrimmage.

Brandon Wade/Associated Press

Sharper Short-Range Execution

Obviously, better protection and a productive ground game will set the offense up for success. The play-action game will be revived and, more importantly, there will be shorter third-down situations.

That doesn't automatically equate with points, though. One of the knocks against Stafford is his inconsistency on shorter throws. This is partially due to his constantly changing arm angle as well as the need to unload the ball quickly (45 sacks last season). And his footwork must get better, which is an issue that head coach Jim Caldwell has been harping on since day one, per the MMQB's Peter King.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Not every throw was off the mark. When he calmly puts touch on the throw, he was able to place the ball in the perfect spot for his receivers, as he did here with Reggie Bush, who promptly ripped off 28 yards.

Unfortunately, that same game provided the opposite result on a later throw to the same receiver. The ball sailed behind and above Bush, who could only get a hand on it, which launched it into the defender's grasp. Those throws are the reason Stafford graded out as the 23rd-best quarterback on passes within 10 yards, per Pro Football Focus.

But that's what the quarterback-centric coaching staff was assembled for. And if the Lions can improve in the three areas above, opposing secondaries will have no choice but to creep up, giving Stafford a chance to do what he does best—let it rip to Calvin Johnson downfield.

The talent is there at every level for this offense to take a huge step forward in 2015. If it does, and the defense doesn't fall off a cliff (it shouldn't), there's no ceiling for this team, despite the remodel.

All advanced stats, grades and positional rankings are courtesy of Pro Football Focus.

Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist who has written about the Lions on multiple sites. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter about how wrong he is @BrandonAlisoglu.