ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Larry Warford and LaAdrian Waddle will walk out of the huddle toward the line of scrimmage and won't say much to each other. They don't need to.

The Detroit Lions' starting right guard and right tackle, both in their second seasons, have developed their own code. It comprises short language and non-verbal cues to communicate things they see before the snap.

"It's code," Waddle said. "But we know. It's based on the look and how things are set up, we already know what we have.

"Sometimes, we just don't want to give away stuff."

This is what the Lions have missed for the past three weeks while Waddle has been sidelined with a calf injury. In his place, Detroit rotated rookie Cornelius Lucas and veteran Garrett Reynolds, sometimes by the quarter.

Even as the Lions' coaches and players tried to downplay it -- and they all praised the work Lucas and Reynolds did -- continuity and chemistry were factors.

Waddle has yet to give up a sack in his career. His presence also makes Warford more comfortable. The two understand each other's games well. They know where each other is going to be and have gravitated to each other since they both arrived following the 2013 draft.

"Me being selfish, in a selfish way, having LA [back] does, it changes things up for me," Warford said. "I completely understand his game, I know where he's going to be. He knows where I'm going to be. The communication, we don't even have to communicate that much, you know.

"We'll just be walking up to the line and just give each other looks sometimes like 'I know what he's doing.'"

This happens during games because of how Waddle and Warford practice. During the week, Waddle said the two almost "overcommunicate" to try to drill everything they believe they might see into their heads.

They do this so that when Sunday comes, they can revert to their unspoken head nods and short-hand language to pick up anything they might see. It is that sort of chemistry that can't be duplicated when the team doesn't have line consistency.

This consistency is critical for the Lions. This is a unit that allowed just 23 sacks last season but has already given up 11 over four games in 2014. The numbers, though, can be misleading. While there are times the Lions' offensive line has been beat, they are also running a riskier offensive system than a season ago.

The Lions focused on Matthew Stafford getting the ball out quickly last season, while this year, the routes sometimes take longer to develop. This means there are more plays during which, if something goes awry downfield, a sack can occur. While a tenth of a second might not seem like much, that Stafford is averaging a tenth of a second more before a pass is a difference for an offensive line.

In 2013, Stafford got rid of the ball in 2.42 seconds on average. This season, he is at 2.53. So it leads to more risk, but also more reward if the blocking holds up.

"It's just the design of the play," Warford said. "There are certain plays that leave people in a high-risk situation. If you can block it up, it's completions and a big gain. That's the cool thing about Joe [Lombardi], he's willing to take risks.

"Sometimes you get caught doing it. It happens. It's part of football."

It is a part of football the Lions are looking to improve at and should take a big step with as Waddle comes back. The Lions felt they were doing a good job before, but Sunday they'll have a chance to play with their starting offensive line for more than just a series.

"In our eyes, we were doing a pretty good job, you know what I mean," left guard Rob Sims said. "We think Garrett and [Lucas] came in and did pretty well, but LaAdrian is our starter.

"He is going to get it done."