Jared Goff didn’t need a long answer to make the point. When asked what he likes about Drew Petzing so far, the Lions quarterback zeroed in on the thing that matters most: fit.
“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.”
That kind of language tells you plenty about where the Lions are headed after an offense that still ranked among the NFL’s best last season - tied for fourth in scoring, fifth in total yards and third in passing yards - but never quite felt in rhythm. The run game wasn’t as explosive as it had been, third down efficiency slipped, and the whole operation had a disjointed feel.
Dan Campbell took over play calling in the middle of the season, and now Detroit is on to its third offensive coordinator in as many years. Petzing, who wasn’t publicly known to have interviewed before the hiring was announced, arrives with a reputation shaped by his last two seasons running the Arizona Cardinals offense and an obvious comfort with multiple tight ends. But Goff’s comments made the bigger point: Petzing isn’t trying to force a system into place just because it worked somewhere else.
That was the issue hanging over John Morton a year ago. Morton had spent two years as the Denver Broncos’ passing game coordinator, and while he technically came from outside the building, his time working under Sean Payton - Campbell’s mentor - made him feel like more of an internal continuation than a clean break. Still, there were fair questions from the start about whether a coach with limited play-calling and coordinator experience would match what Campbell wanted from the offense.
Campbell’s midseason move to take over the calls said plenty. So did the fact that he ended up doing it the following Sunday after first hinting at the possibility.
Goff had never publicly taken a shot at Morton, and he didn’t do that here either. But by drawing such a clear contrast with Petzing, he showed exactly what has changed: the Lions want an offense built around their roster, not one imported from somewhere else and squeezed into place.
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