Jim Caldwell: 'Matthew Stafford will get better with age'

New Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell is confident that quarterback Matthew Stafford will begin to mature as a player when he enters his sixth season in the NFL.

Stafford struggled at the end of the 2013 campaign as he threw costly interceptions, which played a huge part in his side's failure to reach the post-season as they slumped from 6-3 to a 7-9 finish.

Caldwell told NFL Network: "More than anything else, I think the maturation process settles in on a guy who is playing maybe the most difficult position in team sports.

"And once they get into their fourth, fifth, sixth year, you'll really start to see them climb, and I think you'll see his game escalate."

Caldwell was appointed as the Lions head coach earlier this week replacing Jim Schwartz, who was fired at the end of the season.