Detroit Lions OC film review, Part II: How might Drew Petzing's passing game preferences port?
After studying the Arizona Cardinals’ ground game under the direction of incoming Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, let’s shift our attention to the passing attacks he implemented with his former employer.
Remember, Petzing was molded under a varied schematic tree. Working closely with Norv Turner early in his career, Petzing was exposed to a pro style, play-action-heavy version of the Air Coryell vertical attack.
From there, Petzing worked under multiple coaches that utilized modern West Coast systems, from Pat Shurmur to former Browns and current Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski.
In Arizona, Petzing inherited a franchise quarterback in Kyler Murray, the former Offensive Rookie of the Year who earned Pro Bowl honors in his second and third season. However, Murray was coming off a sharp downturn with is performance and production in 2022, before he tore his ACL in December.
That left Petzing to install a system with backup Josh Dobbs under center for the first half of the coordinator’s inaugural season, while Murray rehabbed. Petzing would have his starting quarterback for all of 2024, with decent results individually and for the entire offense, which finished in the top 12 in yards and points. Murray, meanwhile, finished with a career-best QBR and a passer rating in line with his 2020 Pro Bowl campaign.
Petzing’s three-year tenure ended with another season of injury woes for Murray, who suffered a foot injury in Week 5 and never returned. That left the offense in the hands of another journeyman quarterback, Jacoby Brissett, who overlapped with Petzing in Cleveland, where the latter was coaching the position.
Compound the Cardinals’ injury issues at quarterback last season with the loss of the team’s top two running backs early in the season, and a defense that ranked 29th in scoring, and it can be difficult to evaluate the offense.
As a refresher to our methodology with this film study, we’re going to look at a sampling of games from the late stages of the 2024 season, the 2025 opener, and the Cardinals’ Week 11 contest against San Francisco, to understand how Petzing operated with a full deck as well as a roster leaning heavily on replacements.
Below, using video examples when appropriate, we’ll look at Petzing’s formational preferences, how frequently the Cardinals utilized motion, the team’s quick-passing game, play-action tendencies, deep passing concepts, versatile screen pass deployment, and, finally, how the operation potentially translates to Detroit’s personnel.
Formations and motion
As noted in the run game evaluation, the Cardinals had a preference for heavier personnel groupings under Petzing, ranking top 10 in 12 packages (two tight ends) the past two seasons, and top 3 in 13 packages (three tight ends) each of his three years with the Cardinals.
In terms of formations, the Cardinals showed a strong lean toward balanced looks the past two seasons, with two eligible pass catchers to each side of the quarterback more than 45% of snaps.