GM Bob Quinn promises running game will be better

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NFL: Combine
Feb 24, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn speaks to the media during the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

The Detroit Lions have a new coach for 2018, and while the organization and fans are excited looking to the future, one thing they’re more than happy to leave behind is their awful running game statistics.

Last season, the Lions ranked last in average rushing yards per game (76.3) and per carry (3.36). It certainly didn’t help their playoff aspirations as they missed the cut. General manager Bob Quinn took responsibility for that during an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio on Monday night, and promised that things would look different moving forward.

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“I think blame can get passed all around the organization and it starts with me,” Quinn said Monday night on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “I’m in charge of delivering the players and hiring the head coach.”

“If anyone wants to point a finger as to why the running game did not work last year, they can point it at me.”

 

Could the Lions be looking to add via free agency?

“I’m sure we’re going to add someone to the group there,” he said. 

Of course, Detroit’s chances were hurt as soon as left tackle Taylor Decker was injured during the offseason, and despite his return in Week 10, the Lions suffered additional injuries that they never fully recovered on the field from.

“When you talk about running the football, it’s the whole system,” Quinn said. “It’s the tight ends, it’s the receivers. Are they getting downfield to get the second level blocks? Is the quarterback making the right checks at the line of scrimmage to get us in the right plays? A lot of things go into the running game.”

Detroit’s 9-7 record qualifies as a winning one, but once again wasn’t good enough to earn the Lions a playoff berth. Quinn believes that it simply came down to a couple of games that they simply came up short in despite playing well.

“There were a lot of good points and a lot of disappointing games where I thought we had a really good chance to win close games and we couldn’t,” Quinn said. “We really didn’t perform really well in the clutch situations. I really think our season boiled down to a couple of games that could have gone either way and we ended up on the wrong side of the slate.” 

Still, Quinn is looking to the future and has assured the team that he’ll take responsibility for fixing the ground game.

“I promise our players and staff that I’m going to be leading the charge to fix that,” Quinn said.