The Detroit Lions are entering the 2026 season with their third offensive coordinator in as many years. However, quarterback Jared Goff is enthusiastic about the change to Drew Petzing this year. When discussing the change with Brian Baldinger of NFL Network, he pointed out how adaptable Petzing has been as the reason for this hire to be successful.
“The best thing he’s done so far is build something tailored to the guys we have,” said Goff. “It may be something he loves, and if it doesn’t fit for us, he won’t do it.”
Goff appreciates that Petzing has been able to blend his style with the personnel on the field. However, he also made it clear that Petzing is pushing this group to grow, and there are some things that might work for their personnel, but they need to adapt.
“At the same time, there are some things that he does love that we need to learn how to do better,” said Goff. “It’s a great blend.”
Plenty of offensive coordinators will come in and try to run their scheme. This can end up with square pegs fitting in round holes. However, Goff made it clear that Petzing is allowing his group to do what is best.
Detroit Lions Quarterback Jared Goff is High on New Offensive Coordinator Drew Petzing
GettyJared Goff
This is becoming a pivotal season for Goff and the Lions. The team rode with Ben Johnson to multiple playoff runs. However, he is with the Chicago Bears now. Johnson and the Bears made the playoffs last year, while Detroit sat at home.
The Lions hired John Morton to take over for Johnson, and it did not work. Whether Goff was discussing Morton when thinking about the differences that Petzing brings is unknown. However, it is clear that the Lions were looking for a coordinator who could add a bit more flavor to the unit after they appeared to have missed on Morton.
Goff needs a big season to show that he can continue to be in the top half of quarterbacks in the NFL. Meanwhile, the Lions need Petzing to be a hit to get back into the contender conversation.
Lions Hope to Hit Big With Drew Petzing
It was not long ago that Petzing was viewed as one of the rising head coaching candidates in the NFL. He was with the Minnesota Vikings and worked under Norv Turner, Klint Kubiak and Kevin Stefanski.
He followed Stefanski from Minnesota to the Cleveland Browns, where he rose to quarterbacks coach. That is when Jonathan Gannon and the Arizona Cardinals brought him out west to call plays for them.
Things did not go well for Gannon or Petzing with the Cardinals. However, it is easy to blame the personnel and other varying factors for how things unfolded. Now, Petzing is given another chance to prove himself with better options.
If Petzing can prove that the plays were right and the team was not running them well enough, he could be on the Ben Johnson path to being a head coach soon.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Jared Goff Reveals Key Difference With Lions’ New OC appeared first on HEAVY.