On the surface, the Detroit Lions still had one of the NFL's best offenses last season, finishing tied for fourth in scoring, fifth in total yards and third in passing yards. But the run game was not as prolific as it had been, and third down proficiency also fell off.
Overall, the offense felt disjointed and never got fully on track.
After head coach Dan Campbell took over play calling in the middle of last season, a third offensive coordinator in as many seasons was coming this year. Drew Petzing was not publicly known to have interviewed for the position before the news came he was being hired, which is quite a trick in today's environment.
Based on his last two seasons as the Arizona Cardinals' offensive coordinator, a lot has been made of Petzing's affinity for using multiple tight ends. While that fits the league-wide trend, Petzing has made it clear he will adapt what he does to the personnel at his disposal.
Jared Goff says it all about how Drew Petzing will be different
NFL Network's Stacey Dales and Brian Baldinger visited Lions training camp on Friday. Jared Goff was one of their guests, and Baldinger asked him what he likes about Petzing so far.
"The best thing he's done so far is build something tailored to the guys we have" , Goff said. "And I think that's difficult, coming from another building. Something you did somewhere else, does it fit for us, or not? It may be something he loves, and if doesn't fit for us, he won't do it."
"And I think that's been the best part, is him learning that about us. And then at the same time there are some things that he does love, that we need to learn how to do better. It's a great blend. He's been awesome. His teachings have been awesome. The way he holds guys accountable has been awesome. His leadership ability, all of that. It's been great."
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Last year's offensive coordinator, John Morton, technically came from outside the building after two years as the Denver Broncos' passing game coordinator. But working under Campbell's mentor Sean Payton in Denver, after being on the Lions staff in 2022, he might as well have been an internal hire to replace Ben Johnson.
It was immediately worth wondering if Morton, who had hardly called plays or been an offensive coordinator during a lengthy coaching career, would mesh well with what Campbell wanted the Lions offense to be. Campbell offered a sign of a lack of alignment when he hinted at taking over the play calling, and it was confirmed when he did so the following Sunday.
Through last season and up to now, Goff had not offered anything that could be interpreted as criticism of Morton. But by lauding Petzing the way he did, he essentially revealed all the ways Morton fell short in his one-and-done season as the Lions offensive coordinator.
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