When Ben Johnson departed Detroit to take the head coaching reins in Chicago, the collective anxiety across Motown was palpable. After a rocky 2025 transition year, Head Coach Dan Campbell found the play-caller to steer the franchise into its next era: former Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.
Petzing brings a distinct philosophy to the Lions. While the offense remains built around Jared Goff, a dominant offensive line, and elite skill talent, the delivery is shifting. Moving away from the high-variance, trick-play heavy "razzle-dazzle" that defined the previous regime, Petzing is instilling a structured, physical, heavy-personnel scheme designed to impose its will while expanding the field.
Less "Razzle-Dazzle," More Structured Power
Under Johnson, Detroit's offense leaned into misdirection, reverse passes, and clever backfield trickery to keep defenses guessing. Petzing's approach is far more fundamentally imposing. His calling card centers on heavy personnel packages, frequently deploying 12 and 13 personnel (two or three tight ends), to dictate defensive match-ups.
Rather than relying on pre-snap illusions, Petzing's scheme builds its passing game off strict, physical play-action. By pairing a downhill gap-scheme rushing attack with under-center play-action, the Lions can force linebackers to step up into the box, opening up pristine passing lanes in the intermediate and deep portions of the field. For a rhythm passer like Goff, this structured timing creates defined reads, higher-percentage throws, and cleaner pockets.
Optimizing the Blue-Chip Weapons
The cornerstone of Petzing's system lies in how he maximizes mismatch creators. Two key beneficiaries of this transition are tight end Sam LaPorta and wide receiver Jameson Williams.
Sam LaPorta: The Engine in Heavy Formations
Petzing has a proven track record of elevating tight ends into top-tier focal points. During his tenure in Arizona, he helped propel Trey McBride into a 1,000-yard All-Pro receiver by aligning him across the formation to exploit matchups.
In Petzing's system, LaPorta's role shifts from a traditional safety valve to a true focal point. Operating out of 12 and 13 personnel, LaPorta can disguise block-and-release concepts, seam routes, and crossers off play-action fakes. The added blocking presence on the line forces defenses to stay in base packages, giving LaPorta clear athletic advantages over linebackers in space.
Jameson Williams: Unlocking the True Deep Threat
Under previous iterations of the offense, Detroit's vertical game was underutilized relative to its potential, often relying on short-to-intermediate touches. Petzing's system looks to change that by unlocking Williams' elite top-end speed through max-protection play-action.
By keeping extra tight ends or backs in to block, the offense buys Goff the necessary time to let deep-developing routes unfold. Instead of manufactured touches near the line of scrimmage, Williams is positioned to attack single-high safeties vertically, stretching the defense vertically and creating massive light-box runs underneath.
Strategic Evolution
| Offensive Attribute |
Ben Johnson Era |
Drew Petzing Era |
| Primary Identity |
High-variance, quick-tempo, trick plays |
Physical, heavy-personnel, time of possession |
| Base Formations |
11 Personnel (3 WRs) |
12 & 13 Personnel (2-3 TEs) |
| Passing Game |
Razzle-dazzle misdirection, short/intermediate |
Structured play-action, intermediate-to-deep shots |
| Sam LaPorta Role |
Versatile slot/inline pass catcher |
Focal point mismatch off heavy sets |
| Jameson Williams Role |
Manufactured touches & gadget sweeps |
True vertical field-stretcher |
Sustaining the Firepower
Replacing a coordinator as popular as Ben Johnson is no small task, but Petzing's hire aligns with Dan Campbell's core identity: toughness, execution, and relentless leverage. By pairing a physical ground game with a structured, vertical play-action attack, Drew Petzing isn't just trying to replicate past success, he's giving the Lions a more sustainable blueprint to remain one of the NFL's premier offenses.
