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Matthew Stafford has been in total control of the Lions offense during OTAs.

(Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)

ALLEN PARK -- Eric Ebron had a bunch of words to describe Matthew Stafford's performance when the Detroit Lions returned to the practice field this week. But two really stand out.

"Complete control," the tight end said. "My man's been in complete control."

Platitudes of all shapes and sizes are thrown around like Stafford fastballs this time of year, but this one stands out, if for no other reason than TJ Jones used the exact same words a few minutes later.

"He has complete control of it," the receiver said.

Coincidence? Perhaps.

But Stafford certainly seems to have some kind of control over the Jim Bob Cooter offense.

He had three days of practice in the offense before playing in it for the first time against Kansas City, and the results -- really bad -- were predictable.

Then he had a bye week to soak everything in, and although that should not have been nearly enough time to pick it up, his game began to spike. He helped Detroit hold on for an elusive win in Green Bay. Then he beat Oakland with a fourth-quarter touchdown. Then he had the best game of his career against Philadelphia, completing 27-of-38 passes for 337 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions.

His passer rating was a career-best 137.8 -- which he shattered again three weeks later, hanging an astronomical 148.6 on New Orleans on Monday Night Football.

On, and on, and on.

By the time it was over, Stafford had put together the greatest eight-game stretch by any quarterback in Lions history. He threw 19 touchdowns against just two interceptions, and did it while completing 70 percent of his throws.

His passer rating of 110.1 would have led the league, if extrapolated for the full season.

Not bad for a guy who was learning an offense on the fly.

Which begs the question, just how good could he be once he has a chance to learn the system properly?

"I mean, we had three days and a bye week to install an offense," Stafford said. "Kind of built it piece by piece -- building it off some stuff that we're either going to continue to do, or no longer do, but this offseason (Cooter's) had time to install it the way he likes it."

While it's unfair to expect Stafford to maintain his torrid pace from the second half of last season, it's clear there's something to this system that agrees with his game, even if the Calvin Johnson safety net isn't at his disposal anymore.

Stafford has been sharp all week, according to players, and looked like it when practice was opened to the media on Thursday. His arm was powerful and accurate, and he had total command of the offense.

"The offense looks good," said Ebron, who did not participate Thursday due to a minor injury. "They were firing on all cylinders. Matt looked great -- he's looked great all week man. He's been huge for us. He's our leader and steps up in big ways for us, as far as making sure everyone knows what they're doing."

Perhaps that latter point -- his ability to control all the other pieces on the field -- is the greatest sign yet of how well Stafford has taken to the offense.

"If you give him kind of a blank stare, he can tell you what to do without hesitation," Jones said. "I think it's really having that half of a season, and a full offseason, and now coming into OTAs, it's given him a lot of time to take complete control."

There it is again. Complete control.

It's impossible to say how much truth there is to that when players are running around in shorts. The hitting won't pick up until training camp opens in August.

But at this early juncture, there is a lot to like about Stafford's game.

"It's only the beginning," he said. "There's only been three practices. There's quite a bit more to go. A lot of opportunities to get better and learn this offense and make it our own."

Detroit Lions OTA - May 26, 2016 50 Gallery: Detroit Lions OTA - May 26, 2016

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