Part of the problem with the Detroit Lions' offense last year came down to the struggles and injuries of the offensive line. Entering the 2015 season, guard Larry Warford believes things will be different.
"We have to be more aggressive," Warford said Monday, per the Detroit Free Press. "We can't be as technical as we (tried to be last year). The biggest thing is we tried to break everything down, we tried to focus on a bunch of stuff at once, down to the smallest detail. With offensive line play, that's cool but at the end of the day you have to whoop somebody's (butt) and we weren't necessarily being the players that we were trained to be from the start."
The Lions' line will experience change: long-time center Dominic Raiola is gone -- replaced by youngster Travis Swanson -- former left guard Rob Sims remains a free agent and one of the tackle positions is up in the air -- which could be filled via a first-round draft pick.
Regardless of how the Lions' line questions shake out, Warford said the plan is for the unit to get back to attacking.
"(Offensive line coach Jeremiah Washburn), first thing he said was, 'We're coming off the ball,'" Warford said. "'We're running off the ball.' There's nothing else to that. We're going to set the pocket and run off the ball. He said that today. That's what it has to be. We're not going to focus every little step. You have to work that framework into what you can do personally. Everybody has as different skill set and they have to make it work for them. That's the biggest thing. It's not going to be too chaotic or whatever, but we're going to play."
The Lions' struggles along the offensive line in both the running and passing game -- 45 sacks allowed -- during the 2014 season were puzzling given the team's solid play in 2013.
If the Lions' front gets back to "whooping somebody," it'll make the entire offense flow more fluidly in 2015.
The latest Around The NFL Podcast breaks down Adrian Peterson's return and discusses the Cleveland Browns' new uniforms. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.
