Column: Hot take frustration with Detroit Lions' OC pick mirrors disappointment with hiring of Dan Campbell 5 years earlier
The Detroit Lions have found their offensive coordinator, and as is the way of the world, visceral reaction flooded the internet within minutes of the initial reports.
Tweets, Reddit threads, comments heavy on CAPS LOCK, selfie videos on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all in a rush to let the world know what you think of the team’s decision to hire Drew Petzing. And, while there’s no such thing as a uniform opinion on any topic, it’s safe to say this decision has been met with overwhelming disappointment by those weighing in.
Forgive me, I don’t feel compelled to force an aggressive take. For better or worse, analytical patience is kind of my brand. I recognize how much I don’t know, so I put effort into understanding the logic behind the team’s decisions.
In the NFL, it’s hardly bold to suggest something won’t work out. Very few franchises are able to establish sustained success. And, as this offseason is proving, even that’s not a safe bar.
Nearly a third of the league will have a new head coach next season and more teams will have new coordinators. That includes Pittsburgh, which hasn’t had a losing season since George W. Bush was president. Baltimore, which won its division four of the past eight seasons, and Buffalo, which won no fewer than 11 games the past six years.
You want to shout from the rooftops that Petzing is going to fail? I mean, sure, that’s a pretty sturdy limb. Most coaches do. And if you’re wrong, like most who voiced similar opinions about the uninspiring hire of Dan Campbell five years ago, you are just a voice in a sea of bad opinions lost to time. Who cares?
Sure, there were more appealing names on the market for this coordinator vacancy. Again, there wasn’t a agreed upon solution from that collective, but the tone would have been far more celebratory on Monday if the Lions were hiring Mike McDaniel.
If you came here for someone to validate your opinion that the Lions botched this addition, you’ve come to the wrong place. But I’m also not going to blindly cheerlead a hire of a candidate who was off my radar until it leaked through the typical bunch of national reporters.
What I will do is share my thoughts about why the Lions made the decision they did.