It’s not the shoes, it’s the footwork.

One of the reasons Jim Caldwell was hired to coach the Lions is his ability to work with quarterbacks.

Caldwell watched game film of every throw made by Matthew Stafford last season before his initial interview. During the interview process he talked with Stafford but they didn’t go over the film.

Here’s what Caldwell told Peter King who writes Monday Morning Quarterback (mmqb.si.com):

“... We have used a set of drills in coaching over the years that I think has added some consistency to all the quarterbacks we’ve coached. The great majority of poor throws — people look at the arm, and that’s important obviously, but I think footwork is the key. I can pull up any game film and show you how our footwork drills help you. In a nutshell, the feet and eyes work together. If I’m throwing in a particular direction, my footwork is pointing in the same direction — directly at the target. We’ll work on it with Matthew, and he will do them flawlessly.”’

(Follow @PaulaPasche on Twitter. Order her book,  “100 Things Lions Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die’’ here. It’s also available at bookstores.)