Lions notes: QB Stafford praises Cooter's aggressiveness

The first call offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter made was an all-slants route.

The Detroit Lions had a 10-point lead late in the first half, were getting the ball to start the third quarter, and on third-and-17, the last thing Cooter wanted was to give the reeling Philadelphia Eagles life.

But at the last second, Cooter changed his mind.

"He said, 'Ah, screw that, let's go be aggressive,' " Matthew Stafford said. "And he gave me four verticals and I was fired up for it, I loved it."

Stafford hit Calvin Johnson with a perfectly placed pass down the left sideline for a 25-yard touchdown and the Lions tacked on three more scores in the second half to route the Eagles, 45-14, at Ford Field.

Stafford had a huge day, throwing five touchdown passes — three to Johnson.

And after the game he tipped his cap to his new play caller for calling "a great game."

"Jim Bob and I have a good relationship," Stafford said. "He's a smart guy. He communicates well with the guys on our offense. He's young in this job, but he's not afraid. He's aggressive and that's fun. That rubs off on guys when a guy's aggressive and trusts us as players to go out and make those decisions.

"Hey, you call that play at the end of the half, I throw a pick, everybody's not happy. You call that play and you score a touchdown, then his trust in us builds and vice versa."

Cooter is just four games into his tenure as offensive coordinator after Joe Lombardi was fired in late October.

The results haven't always been pretty — the Lions got trounced in London in Cooter's first game on the job and scored just 18 points in wins each of the last two weeks.

But it's apparent that Stafford is playing with renewed confidence under Cooter's command.

"I think the more important thing is that our quarterback is comfortable," Lions coach Jim Caldwell said. "I think it's given our playmakers a chance to do something with the ball. Theo (Riddick) and Ameer (Abdullah is) coming along and developing. And then the guys on the flanks that catch it and run with it for us, Calvin and those guys, are getting it with regularity."

■ This close: Stafford completed 27 of 38 passes for 337 yards, and his five touchdowns were one shy of a new single-game team record.

Stafford said he knew the record was on the line when Joique Bell was hauled down at the 1-yard line after a 39-yard screen pass early in the fourth quarter. Bell scored one play later on a short run.

"Yeah. I gave Joique hell about that," Stafford said. "No, I was happy for him. I'm glad he got in the end zone the next play."

Stafford said he never thought of checking out of the play to a pass.

"No," he said. "I told Jim Bob a couple drives before, I said if he wants me to stop throwing fades, he better stop calling them. He gives me the option, I'm throwing it. So it was good."

■ Quin hurt: Safety Glover Quin was in a walking boot after he suffered a left ankle injury in Sunday's first half. Quin gave little indication whether it might be a long-term injury.

"I mean, we'll see," he said. "We'll see."

Quin suffered the injury late in the first quarter while trying to tackle Eagles tight end Trey Burton near the sideline. It's the same ankle on which Quin had arthroscopic surgery in February 2014.

Quin had his ankle taped on the sideline and tested it a little. But he soon headed to the locker room in the second quarter and never returned to the game.

James Ihedigbo played the rest of the game in Quin's place.

"Yeah, I mean, it eats at you," Quin said. "I'm a competitor. I want to be out there. It's my first time probably missing game action since probably since my rookie. It's difficult.

"But, I mean, at the time it's what I've got to do and the team was playing well, the defense played well. They didn't miss a beat."

■ Briefly: Right guard Larry Warford left in the fourth quarter Thursday with a brain injury and must make it through the NFL's concussion protocol before he can return. Receiver Lance Moore suffered an ankle injury and was on crutches after the game. "Just got my leg rolled up on a little bit. I'll be all right," Moore said.