After they finished last season with a 9-8 record that saw them finish on the outside looking in at the NFL Playoffs, the Detroit Lions did what most expected them to do and parted ways with offensive coordinator John Morton.
Morton, who had been in his first season on the job after taking over from Ben Johnson, had his play calling duties taken away by head coach Dan Campbell midway through the campaign, and the writing appeared on the wall that his days in the Motor City were numbered.
Not long after Morton’s departure, the Lions hired former Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing as his official successor.
New Detroit Lions Offensive Coordinator Drew Petzing Issues Direct Challenge To His Players
Petzing, who is now in his first Training Camp since taking over the position of Lions offensive coordinator, wants the club to embrace a more of a physical identity and has directly challenged them to reach a level of dominance on the ground in their running game that opposition defenses will be left helpless against it.
“One of the things where I’ve challenged our guys, and I believe this, if you’re really good at running the ball you should be able to tell the other team you’re running the ball. And if they can’t stop it, that gets scary for a defense,” said Petzing during an interview on Monday morning on the Lions flagship station 97.1 The Ticket. “When they’re sitting there and they know it’s coming and there’s nothing they can do about it. I think that’s a little bit of a mindset, and a lot of execution and ability that goes into being able to do that.”
Petzing looked back to a 2024 matchup against the Lions while with the Cardinals, comparing it to a boxing match that went the distance.
“As a fan of the sport, you watch around the league and you look at organizations that you respect or teams that play a certain way,” he said. “We played the Lions in 2024 and it felt like a 12-round fight. It was one of the most physical games I’ve been a part of, a one-score game down to the wire.”
“And being part of that game, watching them on TV, knowing (offensive line coach) Hank Fraley, having worked for him for a couple years and some guys that have come in and out of the building as coaches with Dan, just so much respect for how the organization operates, how they do things and the way they play football. The opportunity to be a part of that and have an impact on that was second to none.”
Petzing hopes to get the Lions back to an elite rushing attack, as their numbers dropped in 2025 in comparison to where they were in 2024.
The Lions Have Experienced Multiple Injuries In Training Camp
As is the nature of professional sports, multiple injuries have occurred in the early goings of Lions Training Camp.
Alim McNeill exited early for evaluation of a neck injury, while rookie linebacker Jimmy Rolder is expected to miss some time with a leg injury. Meanwhile, Derrick Moore (groin) and Miles Kitselman (leg) are being evaluated after leaving practice with injuries.
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