matthew-stafford.jpg

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford identities potential blitzers for his offensive line, one of his pre-snap responsibilities in the team's offense.

(Patrick Record | MLive.com)

ALLEN PARK -- The box score rarely comes close to telling the complete story of a football game. Sometimes the stat sheet will even cause a coach to do a double take.

Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, while glancing over the final numbers in the locker room following the team's 20-16 win against the Miami Dolphins, was surprised how little the team had run the ball.

The Lions had been picking up effective chunks of yardage on the ground, particularly with Joique Bell and Reggie Bush, before the starter left the game with an injury in the opening quarter.

But despite averaging 4.6 yards, the tandem tallied just 14 carries, fewer than Lombardi remembered calling. But then the coordinator quickly recognized the reason for the discrepancy.

"There were a number of called runs that we have these, hey if the run look is not good, or there's an easy throw out to the perimeter, (then change the play)," Lombardi explained. "We probably had five run calls that (quarterback) Matt (Stafford) ended up throwing it on and those were very successful for us. The guys that play in the run game kind of take credit for those yards, which they should. It was very encouraging."

There's a perception Stafford has more freedom to opt out of calls at the line of scrimmage than he did in previous years, while playing under Scott Linehan. But that's just not the case, according to the quarterback.

"It's about the same, I guess," Stafford said. "I don't think it's a lot more. Each week is different."

Stafford explained the amount of audibles he'll call in a game is reflective of the type of opponent the team is playing. If the defensive looks are standard and matching what the Lions have seen on film, they'll run the plays as called. If the opponent is running a more complex scheme, with multiple fronts, Lombardi will give his quarterback an option to check to, based on reads.

Stafford emphasized he does not have options every snap.

"He's just following our rules," center Dominic Raiola said. "Joe gives him specific rules, checks and he just goes with it."

Most of the checks result in quick throws to the outside receivers. The hope is those passes net yards after the catch against one-on-one coverage.

Stafford will also flip a pass to a run, if the look is favorable.

"Oh, absolutely," he said. "There are all sorts of different plays with options."

In addition to having multiple option calls in the playbook, Stafford remains in charge of protection adjustments for the offensive line, a role he took over from Raiola last season.

"He's our leader out there," Raiola said.

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

-- Follow Justin Rogers on Twitter

-- Like MLive's Detroit Lions Facebook page