SAGINAW, Mich. -- A few of the Detroit Lions offensive players, including quarterback Charlie Batch and wide receiver Herman Moore, stood outside Ryder Center at Saginaw Valley State sounding like critics discussing the horrors of a Jurassic Park movie. Unfortunately, the scary dinosaurs were memories of the playbook of departed head coach Bobby Ross.

"Last year was ... interesting," Moore started. "Unfortunately for us, the system never seemed to get in a groove. Me, personally, it (Ross' offense) was one that had its time. It's had its flash."

	Johnnie Morton was Detroit's leading receiver last season with 61 receptions for 788 yards.

Added Batch, "Look at it. It wasn't any different than it was in San Diego when they won the Super Bowl. You didn't have a lot of checks at the line of scrimmage. Coaches now give you the freedom to do that. It's totally different. Wow, if you talk about throwing the ball downfield and you don't do it, then receivers don't believe in it. They come off the field frustrated. There was a lot of complaining going on."

Ah, the horror, the horror. Batch would drop back but on most pass plays he was mandated to work the play on one side of the field, giving him one or two options. "Receivers on the other side knew that there was no way the ball was coming to them, so they weren't going to run it as hard," Batch said. The rule limited Batch from throwing weakside when the play was strong side or vice versa. "Hot" reads weren't as defined in Batch's opinion.

So opponents played two-deep zone and tried to limit running plays to two or three yards. If the Lions ran well, they won. Players grumbled. Ross retired. The Lions went 9-7. Moore, the most frustrated Lion, talked of plays in which he'd do 5-yard squares out away from the play.

"It's hard to motivate 10 guys that don't believe the play is going to work," Batch said. "You've to 27- to 30-year-old guys, and if they don't believe it's going to work, it's hard."

The end of the Bobby Ross era was difficult on the Lions. They finished 9-7, but you'd hardly know it. Batch, Moore and company felt handcuffed by the offense. As soon as they reached the opponents' 35, they felt their aggressiveness was taken away from them. Passes turned to runs as the team didn't want to blow a chance at a field goal. They scored 29 offensive touchdowns. They attempted 30 field goals. The Lions grew tired of it.

"We put in on our defense to keep the score low," Moore said. "We weren't scoring points. We've got to have more production. We have to get more aggressive. We put a lot of pressure for the quarterback to throw to one side, and if that side didn't have anybody open, the play shut down."

Enter new general manager Matt Millen and new coach Marty Mornhinweg. Millen, the former great middle linebacker, wants physical football. Mornhinweg is installing the West Coast offense. Their mission is to make the talent fit.

Task No. 1 is converting Batch, who has missed eight starts in the last 34 games because of injuries. In the Lions' opening practice on Friday, Batch showed flashes. He'd drop into three- and five-step retreats and rifle passes with decent velocity. Accuracy seemed to be less consistent in the Friday afternoon system, so the successful conversion won't be overnight.

"Charlie and I have talked about his pocket management, and he has improved dramatically," Mornhinweg said. "He simply has to get better at accuracy. There, he has improved markedly."

Markedly, however, isn't enough for Mornhinweg. Most West Coast offensive coaches -- Bill Walsh, Mike Holmgren and others -- demand their quarterbacks to connect on all of their throws in practice. They want quick, correct decisions and 63 to 64 percent efficiency in games.

In Ross' system, Batch was a 55-percent thrower. His arm is good. He has tenacity. But he's not a gifted runner. That's why the West Coast offense should help. Because he's not a gifted runner, he's been vulnerable to more sacks that have led to injuries in his first three seasons.

"I know I can play, but now I must prove if I can stay healthy the whole season," Batch said. "If I can eliminate some of the hits I take during games, that will help. If this offense takes away one hit a game, that's 16 less I'd risk myself during the season."

Millen and Mornhinweg will use this season to determine if Batch can make this conversion. Receivers won't have much problem. Starters Germane Crowell and Johnnie Morton are the strengths of the team. Crowell gets the vaunted flanker spot. Morton draws the split end assignment. Moore, the longtime Lion, is the tall target Mornhinweg used to have with the 49ers in J.J. Stokes.

"I can get 80 to 100 catches in this offense," Crowell said. "Last year, a lot of times I was running downfield, but if I was on the side of the field we weren't throwing to, I wasn't going to get the ball."

Crowell noticed the difference in mini-camp when Batch hit him with a pattern down the seam. On that play, Crowell was the fourth read. Last year, Batch wasn't allowed to get past his second read.

"Now, if you are open on the backside, you can get the ball," Morton said.

Yet, as much as the Lions griped that Ross' offense might have been prehistoric, the team stayed in the playoff hunt. Not only does Mornhinweg have to convert the skilled players, but he must turn his big offensive line into a more athletic one. Right tackle Aaron Gibson, whose weight is into the 400s this offseason, is a "trim" 378. Left guard Stockar McDougle is an amazing quick blocker in the 360s.

The line was a disappointment last year, so it's vital that the starters adjust to a system that usually uses linemen 100 pounds lighter than Gibson and McDougle.

"I'm about 320 pounds, and it's great to have guys that are this big," right guard Brendan Stai said. "We're not going to be a zone blocking team. We're going to try to get a mix of angle blocks and traps. But our big guys have speed."

For now, the griping has stopped. But will the wins continue?

John Clayton is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.