Despite cracking the 60% mark for completion percentage for only the second time in his career, head coach Jim Caldwell has set a goal for Matthew Stafford to improve on that number in 2015, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “An improvement from where he was last year,” said Caldwell. “Get a little bit better, that’s the key.” Stafford was on a two-year decline since posting a career-best 63.5% in 2011.
Here are some other notes from around the Lions organization:
- An improvement in completion percentage could propel Stafford back on to the NFL’s Top 100 list after missing it this year. Stafford had made it the previous three seasons but was notably absent after the playoff campaign in 2014. Mike O’Hara of DetroitLions.com picks Stafford as one of the five players who missed the list this year who have a shot to make it in 2016, along with Ezekiel Ansah, Ameer Abdullah, Larry Warford, and Darius Slay.
- In her weekly review for DetroitLions.com, Lindsay Selengowski focuses on how a defense that lost key pieces in Nick Fairley and Ndamukong Suh is coming together in time for the 2015 season. Tyrunn Walker specifically is enjoying the freedom as a defensive tackle in Teryl Austin’s system to get upfield and make plays much like Suh and Fairley before him.
- As the writers of DetroitLions.com are working hard covering the team during the slower part of the offseason, Tim Twentyman puts together a list of the top-10 special teams players the Lions will face in 2015. Their biggest challenges could come against Kansas City and Philadelphia this year, both of which have two players in the top ten.