The Detroit Lions officially opened their preseason schedule last night at Ford Field, hosting the Atlanta Falcons in an aura of anticipation after the premiere of HBO’s “Hard Knocks”. Of course, being the preseason, the Lions aren’t going to give their upcoming regular season opponents any time to prepare for their offensive attack by demonstrating their playbook. According to head coach Dan Campbell, he told offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to do as he wished.
“No, I told Ben, ‘Just call it. Just let it roll. Let’s go,’ ” Campbell said. “I don’t care if he called 10 passes. I just wanted us to flow and move it a little bit.”
“We certainly wish we could have finished that off, but we did get a good look at our guys in different situations,” he continued. “I was pleased with the way our offense started the game.”
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Dan Campbell explained Detroit’s offense in their exhibition opener
Lions quarterback Jared Goff saw limited action, going 3 of 4 for a total of 47 yards. Meanwhile, backup Tim Boyle was 9-for-16 for 111 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, while David Blough finished 18-for-28 for 141 yards. So, when can Lions fans expect to see a better demonstration of Johnson’s offensive playbook?
“I think some of that is predicated on when the defense will allow you to do it,” Campbell said. “We asked him to throw it really four times today. We kind of mixed it in, and so we had a couple plays in there.
“But the defense wasn’t really just designed to take the shot, if you will. But those will come as they come. We’ve done much better this year than we did last year. We got a lot of good looks in camp, and so I feel pretty confident when the times comes, as we get more reps it will come in the games.”
The Lions continue their exhibition schedule next week when they visit the Indianapolis Colts.
