The other day, D'Andre Swift was watching tape from last season. The Lions running back was the team's most electric player when healthy, but he didn't love what he saw.
"I’m real critical of myself," Swift said Thursday as the Lions begin their offseason training program. "The first six games, I feel like I missed a lot of runs. Can always be more patient, fall forward, run behind my pads a little bit better. Trying to be more crisp. A lot of details I can work to take my game to the next level."
There were also details out of Swift's control. Like left tackle Taylor Decker missing the first eight games of the season with a finger injury. Like Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow missing all but four games with a toe injury. The Lions had a vaunted offensive line on paper entering last season, but the starting five didn't play a single snap together.
Now Decker and Ragnow are healthy. Penei Sewell is coming off a terrific rookie season at right tackle. Jonah Jackson is coming off a trip to the Pro Bowl at left guard. Halapoulivaati Vaitai is settling in at right guard. Asked if he thinks about running behind this unit all season, the smile on Swift's face grew wider and wider.
"That crosses my mind at least once a day," he said. "But no, having them out there healthy, that would mean the world, getting Frank back and Deck back healthy. Penei going into his second year, his confidence has been amazing since he’s been in the building. So I feel like we’re going to be good. If we can stay right up front, we’ll be fine."
Ragnow isn't one for hyperbole, especially at this time of year. He knows the O-line is only as good as its play on the field. The season is still six months away. But when he sizes things up, he knows this unit can be one of the best in the league -- and he knows what that might mean for Detroit's offense as a whole.
"Definitely if you look talent wise and just look at the dudes across the line, we can be -- I mean, they were pretty dang good last year, too. So I'd love to help them and boost everything. If we all get going and we gel and stay healthy, I think we can be a pretty good O line," Ragnow said Thursday. "The sky's the limit there."
So it is for Swift. He put up over 1,000 scrimmage yards last season despite missing four games with a shoulder injury. He has a legitimate chance to be Detroit's first 1,000-yard rusher in nine years, and running backs coach Duce Staley would tell you the same thing. Staley wanted to get Swift at least 20 touches per game last season, but injuries forced a lighter load.
And there's the rub: Swift, who also missed four games as a rookie, is facing the same challenge as the O-line. When he talks about taking his game "to the next level," he means, first and foremost, "playing in every game." His talent -- and the five dudes in front of him -- can handle the rest.
"I know Duce is going to take me to that level," he said. "I trust him, he trusts in my ability and the guys around pushing me and pushing each other. Like I said, little stuff like making my routes crisper, falling forward, there’s a lot of hidden yardage out there when I look at the tape from last year."