What Lions Are Getting in New Offensive Coordinator Drew Petzing

Cardinals On SI reporter covered Drew Petzing the last three NFL seasons.

Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing talks to his players during training camp at State Farm Stadium | Joe Rondone / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Donnie Druin covers the Arizona Cardinals for Cardinals On SI.

He answered five questions about what the Detroit Lions are getting in new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.

What are Detroit Lions getting in new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing?

Donnie Druin: Drew Petzing, the more I think about it, makes sense for the Detroit Lions. When you look at what Petzing's best offense looks like, it was leaning on a strong running game and utilizing play-action to keep defenses honest. Jared Goff seems to be a really good fit for what Petzing's ideal offense looks like while Detroit already has a strong running game established with premier weapons in the passing game, too. Petzing's experience in Arizona didn't go anywhere according to plan, but if he can learn some valuable lessons — his tenure in Detroit shouldn't be a repeat of his first time calling plays for the Cardinals. 

Some Cardinals fans were quite unhappy with Petzing, even calling his play-calling predictable. Is that true?

Druin: I think it was a mixed bag of truth and fans just being unhappy with a poor football team. Just like any coordinator, Petzing would have some staple calls that fans didn't love (draw plays and screens on long distance downs just to eat some yards back) though situationally it felt like the Cardinals were at the bottom of the league. In "gotta have it" moments, numerous opposing defenses were able to sniff out Petzing's play call and spoke on how film study really prepped them. That's not new in the NFL, and execution does trump all, though the offense is already at a disadvantage if that's the case. There were many problems in Arizona this year, and while Petzing may not have been the number one option, he very clearly was not a solution for this football team. 

What are his strengths and weaknesses as a coordinator?

Druin: When Petzing's offense gets going, it's tough for defenses to really predict. He really strives for a balanced approach and so long as Detroit is able to run the football, the Lions' play-action game should be among the best in the NFL with Goff running the show. If Detroit needs to churn some clock and wear a defense out in the final minutes of a game, Petzing's offense is set up to do just that. On the other side of the coin, Petzing's biggest downfall has been his inability to adjust. Petzing, for lack of better terms, is stubborn in his approach to game-planning. Defenses quickly figured out if you load the box and force the Cardinals into obvious passing scenarios, Petzing's attack quickly becomes one dimensional. Good offensive coordinators adapt to their weapons while Petzing simply tried to force his weapons to adapt to his system which only generated more frustration from everyone involved. Petzing's rushing attack quickly went downhill once offensive line coach Klayton Adams departed Arizona this offseason, which was disappointing given Petzing's background in that department. Adding to that, his passing schemes are simply not on par with modern day NFL offenses, and too many times it felt like the Cardinals weren't prepared to win a track meet if they had to. 

Do you think he will keep his play-calling duties all season for the Lions? Dan Campbell has yanked play-calling duties for an OC twice.

Druin: That's a great question, as Petzing never really had any viable options to replace his play-calling in Arizona which afforded him the luxury to keep his position through the end of this season. Former Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon failed to intervene with Arizona's offensive issues. I think this question boils down to if Petzing has truly learned from his shortcomings out here in the desert. The offense is fine but not quite high upside — Arizona didn't score 30 points once in a single game this season, though there were several other issues haunting them. At a minimum I wouldn't expect Petzing to have a long leash. 

What is something someone may not know about Drew Petzing? 

Druin: I hope Lions like tight ends! Before injuries swamped the Cardinals, Petzing's offense had 12 and 13 personnel usages higher than almost any other team in the league.