There was always going to be the guy after Ben Johnson; John Morton was the unfortunate choice, and it ended with Morton being relieved of play-calling and culminated with Morton losing his job as the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator. Dan Campbell announced he would leave no stone unturned in identifying a new OC. Enter Drew Petzing, former Arizona Cardinals play caller. Some fans were up in arms by the hire, but those fans should pump the breaks on that. Here is why.
Petzing is considered an up-and-coming OC with a lot of promise. Known for a strong rushing attack, mixing in effective play-action. Petzing’s rushing attack has been ranked in the top-10 using the gap-scheme while rotating personnel, while his play-action elevated the Cardinals pass efficiency.
Quarterback Kyler Murray thrived in the offense. Under Ben Johnson, this was the Lions bread and butter, a balanced, strong run game with play-action mixed in. There were times when defenses loaded the box, and Arizona’s offense would struggle mightily. There are reasons for that. The Cardinals are still in rebuild mode and simply were over matched in some instances. The other was absolutely play-calling.
The reasons Lions fans should be somewhat optimistic is, Detroit has a better roster full of playmakers, they have a head coach who is in tune with the entire team and his coaching staff. The overriding reason for an optimistic view is that Petzing runs a system close to that of Ben Johnson, with some differences.
At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is results. The Lions front office, coaching staff, players, and fans know this. Until the Lions step on the field and Petzing is calling plays, everyone should relax and trust that Dan Campbell has found the right guy to lead his offense.
