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Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for 4,257 yards, 22 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2014.

(Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)

INDIANAPOLIS -- Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford led the team to 11 wins in 2014, including five fourth-quarter comebacks. He was selected to the Pro Bowl, as an alternate, and won the game's MVP award.

Not a bad campaign for the sixth-year signal-caller. Still, there's plenty of room for improvement.

Stafford completed just 60.3 percent of his passes while posting a passer rating of 85.7 last season, ranking 25th and 21st among qualified quarterbacks in those categories.

General manager Martin Mayhew firmly believes a second year in the offensive system, installed last year under new coach Jim Caldwell and offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, will lead to significant statistical improvements from the team's franchise quarterback.

"I can't quantify how much better (the offense is) going to get, but I do think the second year in the offense is going to be great, going to be big for the quarterback," Mayhew said. "Some of the routes and the way that we run them were totally different for Matthew. He hadn't thrown those routes in college or when Scott Linehan was our offensive coordinator, so some of that was a learning process for him. He had a bunch of new receivers out there, guys he hadn't really worked with that much. I think second year in the offense is going to be huge for him, individually."

Stafford quickly developed a connection with free-agent acquisition Golden Tate, who finished with a career-high 99 receptions for 1,331 yards, earning him a Pro Bowl nod as well.

Calvin Johnson chipped in another 1,000-yard campaign, his fifth in a row, even with a nagging ankle injury sidelining him three contests and limiting him in two others.

But beyond Tate and Johnson, Stafford didn't have a consistent connection with a third receiver. Slot option Jeremy Ross caught just 24 passes despite playing 709 snaps. Tight end Eric Ebron, Detroit's first-round draft pick, chipped in a disappointing 25 grabs. Veteran tight end Brandon Pettigrew and wideout Corey Fuller combined for a paltry 24 receptions.

Ebron is the most logical candidate to make a jump in production next season, but Mayhew also sees the offensive line making strides protecting Stafford and doing a better job opening up holes for the team's running backs.

"I think we'll see fewer sacks, a better run game and I think we'll see a lot better production in year two," Mayhew said.

The Lions surrendered 45 sacks in 2014, the most Stafford has absorbed in his career. On the ground, the Lions averaged just 3.6 yards per carry, good for 29th in the league.

Caldwell also anticipates improvement on offense, but as long as the Lions keep racking up the victories, he's not too worried.

"You know, we don't care about numbers and stats and all that stuff unless they tie into victory," he said. "But I would anticipate probably every single phase - special teams, offense, defense - that we have to get better."

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