Jared Goff spent most of his first training camp -- and first season -- with the Lions dumping the ball over the middle. He's spent lots of his second hurling it down the field. In Ben Johnson's offense, the Lions might have discovered a new quarterback.
"Jared and Ben are on the same page," tight end T.J. Hockenson said this week on 97.1 The Ticket. "We got these deep balls going, we got wideouts going, a lot of throws going down the field and not just into the flat. Obviously there’s a time for that, three yards on a play is three yards on a play. It gets us in line with what we gotta do on the next one, keeps us on track. But we’re definitely trying to sling it down the field."
If you were paying attention at the end of last season, this won't come as a surprise. Goff was an entirely different quarterback -- indeed, one of the best in the NFL by passer rating -- after Dan Campbell took over play-calling from Anthony Lynn and elevated Johnson to passing game coordinator. Goff and Johnson proceeded to pore over film together in the offseason, channelling the QB who made two Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl with the Rams, and have picked up where they left off this summer.
Beyond Johnson, the difference in Detroit's offense from this time a year ago is obvious: DJ Chark and Josh Reynolds have replaced Tyrell Williams and Breshad Perriman. Amon-Ra St. Brown is no longer a rookie -- though he's still catching 202 passes on the JUGS machine after every practice. Jameson Williams is waiting in the wings. The only constant in Goff's arsenal is a tight end who remains one of the best in the game.
"I’ve loved it," said Hockenson. "Seeing DJ, seeing Amon-Ra, seeing Josh in the huddle is such a good feeling just because you know you have weapons everywhere, and the quarterback feels that. When he comes into the huddle, he’s looking to his left and he’s got an O-line and he’s looking to his right and he’s got all these skill guys."
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Of course Hockenson has loved it: he won't see double-teams wherever he goes. He's gone from the only downfield concern for opposing defenses to one of many, which has "really opened up the middle of the field for me," he said. We'll get our first peak at what this looks like against an actual opponent when the Lions open the preseason Friday against the Falcons; Goff and the first-team offense are expected to play the first quarter.
"Being able to have that one-on-one inside makes it a lot easier for me," said Hockenson, who had safeties sitting on almost all of his routes last season. "To beat one guy is easy, the second one is a little harder sometimes. That was really the issue last year and now we have guys that can make plays. It’s something that we’re really excited about."
Optimism in the Lions' offense should be tempered by training camp context. It's been exploiting essentially the same defense that allowed the third most passing TD's and the third highest passer rating in the NFL last season. Then again, that defense put the clamps on Detroit's passing game last summer. At the very least, Goff, Johnson and this improved cast of receivers have turned the tables.
"The thing that I love most about Ben, and I’ve been around him for three years now, is just his attack mentality," said Hockenson. "Everything that we’ve done and that I’ve learned from him is just to be on the attack: finish strong, finish on top and finish the right way. That’s something we’ll have as an offense. There’s not going to be a check-down play, he’s always going for the throat. He’s cutthroat. We’re excited to have that mentality as an offense."
Other highlights from Hockenson's interview on 97.1 The Ticket:
On where he wants to improve his own game: "I’m just trying to win one on one. My biggest thing is YAC. I’m trying to do that every year and this year I just have that in the back of my mind. I’m not oblivious to some things, so trying to get better with the pad level, run game. And obviously win one on ones and getting some run after catch. Listen, I’m looking forward to this year. I think we’re going to have a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to taking the next step as a tight end."
On what this season means for his next contract: "Everyone’s talking to me about contract and all that, that’s not really my focus. My focus is to win games, to play as well as I can play and just have fun. It’s football at the end of the day. I want to play this game for 10 years and at the end of it I’ll look at how much money I’ve made and all that. I’m not really worried about that right now. My focus is day in and day out just being able to play the best ball I can play."
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