ALLEN PARK -- With a high-octane offense centered around an explosive passing attack, the Detroit Lions have ranked in the top eight in plays per game each of the past five seasons.

That grueling pace is unlikely to slow down under new coach Jim Caldwell and offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi. In fact, it could pick up a bit more.

During Wednesday's practice, the team utilized a running play clock much of the session with substitution packages racing on and off the field.

"I think (pace) is extremely important," Caldwell said. "We think that pace puts pressure on the defense."

One element of offensive pace underutilized by the team under Scott Linehan was a no-huddle attack.

According to STATS LLC, the Lions ran no-huddle only 4.3 percent of their snaps in 2013, the 26th-lowest rate in the NFL. Compare that with Baltimore, where the Ravens were in the hurry-up 48.3 percent of the time with Caldwell serving as the team's offensive coordinator.

In Philadelphia, first-year head coach Chip Kelly took pushing the pace to an extreme. While the Eagles ranked just 12th in plays per game, no team was in no-huddle more often (72.1 percent) or quicker at snapping the ball.

According to data compiled by Football Outsiders, the Eagles averaged just 23.38 seconds per play, more than four seconds faster than the Lions.

Faster pace won't necessarily translate to more plays. An effective ground game, playing with the lead more often and fewer dropped passes could lead to the game clock stopping less frequently compared to previous seasons.

-- Download the Detroit Lions MLive app for iPhone and Android

-- Follow Justin Rogers on Twitter

-- Like MLive's Detroit Lions Facebook page