Furrey is pleased with the direction of the Lions' offense

WEDNESDAY, MAY 28
Wide receiver Mike Furrey has had two different seasons since signing with the Detroit Lions in 2006.

In his first year, Furrey was Detroit’s No. 2 receiver, complimenting Roy Williams, and caught a team- and conference-best 98 balls for a personal-best 1,086 yards. Last year – after Detroit drafted Calvin Johnson and added Shaun McDonald via free agency – Furrey was part of a quartet of talented wideouts, finishing with 61 catches for 664 yards.

Furrey on his mindset after having two very different seasons: “I think the mindset is that this thing has got to turn over some time or another. We have a lot of great players and, especially on offense, we’re loaded. It’s just that we need to get our running game in there and we expect the same thing (out of the receivers).

“Hopefully three or four of us will be out there all the time playing, running around and catching balls, and hopefully Tatum (Bell) and Smitty (Kevin Smith) can pick the back foot up a little bit and we can be consistent in the run-pass and win some ball games.”

Now, as he heads into his third season in Detroit, things have changed once again for Furrey as the offensive coordinator he followed here – Mike Martz – is no longer with the team. But Furrey has been pleasantly surprised this offseason at the offense run under Offensive Coordinator Jim Colletto.

Furrey: “I didn’t know what to expect, to be honest. I knew what to expect from the defense in its second year under Joe (Barry), but I really had no expectations of what was going to happen here on offense. The first couple weeks it was just basic and simple and we were really cutting back, but now we’re starting to get a lot of chemistry.

“These last couple weeks have gone really well and mini-camp helped out tremendously. We’re just trying to feel each other out and get used to Colletto and get used to (Passing Game Coordinator Kippy Brown) and being able to put this whole thing together. I’ve been really pleased to see how this thing came together because I really didn’t know what to expect. I’m really happy right now.”

Though Colletto is taking a different approach in regards to the running game, Furrey doesn’t see much changing in regards to the scheme.

Furrey: “He’s taking the offense, which he understood, and he’s making it where it’s more feasible for guys to go out and just play the game. (There is) less thinking and it is a little bit more basic. To me, it makes it easier. Being in Coach Martz’s offense, I loved playing in it so I obviously know the offense. But with Colletto, he’s going to have a pretty good running game and hopefully we’ll be able to counter that with our passing attack. Nothing’s really going to change.”

While nothing is going to change from a schematic approach, there is no telling what will happen in regards to ball distribution.

Furrey: “We won’t be throwing the ball 70 times anymore, which I’m not complaining about because it was awesome to throw the ball 70 times (laughter). But in this league, you have to have a running game, especially in the third and fourth quarters, which we missed last year. Hopefully we’ll be able to control the game a little bit better with the running game.”

As far as his personal game is concerned, Furrey isn’t looking to tag any statistical expectations on himself. He is simply looking to get into the best shape possible and prepare as best as he can for training camp and the upcoming season.

Furrey: “I feel like I’m in better shape now than what I’ve ever been physically. I took some time off when the season was over and went down to Pensacola, Florida for a couple of weeks before we came back (for the offseason program). I did a program down there and I’m lean and feel good – I’m eating right for the first time. No more McDonald’s or Wendy’s so it’s been pretty good.”

Now, Furrey will focus on finishing the last two-and-a-half weeks of the offseason program.

Furrey: “The biggest thing that I try to work on is my strength and conditioning. I feel that I’ve been blessed to be able to run pretty good routes and catching the ball and that kind of stuff – I’ve had a knack for it for a pretty long time. So my thing is to just make sure the older I get, the better I get in shape going into the season. It’s good to do that now but it will be pretty neat here in a couple weeks when we start our six-week (break to) get ready for training camp.”

During that six-week hiatus, Furrey also participates in events with his foundation, The Mike Furrey Foundation (www.mikefurreyfoundation.com). Coming up soon is his annual fundraiser, the Mike Furrey Foundation Golf Tournament.

Furrey: “The foundation is doing great. It’s been blessed. It’s really booming right now and we’re excited. We’re getting ready to have our big tournament here at the end of June. It’s a great day, it’s a great event. We’re excited. It’s at Tarton Fields, Dublin, Ohio and we have a Hawaiian luau the night before for all the celebrities. So we’re picking Dominic’s brain right now about how to throw a luau. We’re excited.”