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Lions offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, right, shares a laugh with quarterback Matthew Stafford during a practice last year.

(AP File Photo)

PHOENIX -- So just how much of the Saints offense did Joe Lombardi bring with him to the Detroit Lions?

Consider this.

"You could put a Detroit game from this year in front of me right now," New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees said, "and I could call 95 percent of the plays. And probably 70 percent before you even hit the play button.

"I'd just look at the formation and be like, 'All right, it's this.'"

Lombardi spent seven seasons with the Saints, the last four of which he served as Brees' quarterback coach. And that pedigree was a big reason why Jim Caldwell hired him as Detroit's offensive coordinator last offseason.

New Orleans has been one of the NFL's most electric offensive teams of the past half-decade. And the idea of exporting that system to Detroit was highly attractive.

"It's funny to watch their film, with Lombardi going there, because I know how that works," Brees said. "The coach comes, he's taking our offense, so probably all the tape they're watching is Saints tape to install.

"It's funny, I actually talked to (Matthew) Stafford at the Pro Bowl about it last week. And he's like, 'Man, I'm tired of watching Saints stuff. It's all we watch.'"

The offense is here, but the production is not. New Orleans continues to roll over defenses, while the Lions actually took a step back offensively in 2014. They averaged 340.8 yards and 20.1 points per game, their worst output since Matthew Stafford's injury-shortened rookie season in 2009.

Why did Detroit struggle so much in a system that has proven to work?

Brees suggested it was the Lions' injury problems at tight end, where Eric Ebron, Brandon Pettigrew and Joseph Fauria combined to miss 14 games. None of those guys were available for the Atlanta game.

Brees also mentioned Calvin Johnson's high ankle sprain, which hobbled him for five weeks.

Considering all those injuries, Brees said he thought Lombardi's offense looked "great" in his first season in Detroit, and emphasized he misses his old quarterback coach's presence.

"He's a great person," Brees said. "You miss the person, and the conversations we had that had nothing to do with football. We had a great dynamic in the quarterback room, so a lot of times we're talking about politics, we're talking about current events, we're talking about all kinds of stuff. I thought he had a lot of really great ideas, you know? And I felt like that really added something to our offense.

"You're always happy for a coach who gets that opportunity. I know he's been poised and ready for that opportunity, and again, he was ready for it. He did great. But of course you always hate to see that kind of guy go."