Allen Park – Matthew Stafford went through a quarterbacking transformation last season.
His final numbers were stellar, and his second-half statistics were incredible, but his receivers and coordinator Jim Bob Cooter’s offensive scheme deserved a significant portion of the credit. That’s because Stafford and the Lions’ offense leaned heavily on the pass-catchers doing so much of the work after the catch.
Despite the reputation of possessing one of the NFL’s strongest arms, Stafford finished dead last in average distance his passes traveled through the air, 6.47 yards. He had never averaged below eight yards per throw any other year in his career.