Detroit Lions

Lions WR Jones: Everyone is 'more comfortable' under Jim Bob Cooter

Published Dec. 21, 2015 10:37 a.m. ET

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Detroit Lions interim offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter is growing on the team. Detroit's offense has steadily improved since Cooter took over for Joe Lombardi after Week 7, and the players are taking note of the changes.

Wide receiver T.J. Jones said everyone is more comfortable in Cooter's offense.

Via ESPN's Michael Rothstein:

It’s been a shift in our actual playbook so a lot of things have been, not simplified, but we’ve cut down a lot of things we’ve had to learn and we’ve focused on perfecting the few things that we needed to learn. So I think it’s allowed everyone to get more comfortable with the playbook on both ends -- quarterback, receiver, O-line -- and it’s allowing everyone to be on the same page, which is allowing us to click better.

The Lions lost their first game with Cooter calling the offensive plays, but he helped them go on a three-game winning streak after that. Although the team has dropped two straight games since then, the offense has still been more efficient than it was under Lombardi. The most noticeable difference is the ground game, as Detroit's previously inept rushing attack eclipsed 100 yards in four straight outings leading up to Week 15.

Although the Lions appear to be headed toward a coaching-staff overhaul, Cooter is proving himself to be fit for an offensive coordinator role in the NFL.