The Detroit Lions pulled off one of the biggest moves in franchise history earlier this year, sending quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for quarterback Jared Goff and a bevy of draft capital.
And while new offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn will be looking to put his own mark on Detroit’s new-look offense, one thing he’ll be looking to fix will be Goff’s pre-snap motion stats, which were the worst in the NFL in 2020.
Per TouchdownWire’s Doug Farrar:
“Sean McVay has one of the more interesting set of pre-snap concepts — everything from jet motions to motion to trips and bunch. So why is it, you may ask, that Jared Goff, McVay’s former quarterback, managed to complete 152 of 237 passes for 1,559 yards, 669 air yards, eight touchdowns, eight interceptions, and a passer rating of 80.1? Well, you have to see how the defense adjusts to that motion, so it could be said that for some quarterbacks, pre-snap movement can be just as confusing for them as it is for those defenses.”
How about former Lion Matthew Stafford?
“Matthew Stafford, who now replaces Goff, completed 147 of 226 passes with pre-snap motion for 1,734 yards, 852 air yards, 13 touchdowns, five interceptions, and a passer rating of 98.2.”
