Drew Petzing likes where his offense is with training camp less than a month away. The Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator talks frequently about the communication necessary while installing an offense so that players are able to execute without thinking.
Of course, controlling what happens is the quarterback, and Petzing noted how productive this offseason was, compared to a year ago, with Kyler Murray on the field on a daily basis.
Noting the overall difference from 2023, Petzing said Thursday, “I think you’ve done it once, so you feel a little bit more prepared, you learn from a couple of the mistakes maybe you made, or didn’t make the first time around and just try to iron some of those things out. And then certainly having Kyler out there helped. So you’re using real reps rather than, ‘Hey, what are you thinking about this? Have you seen that on tape? What do you feel?’
“I think that certainly helps when it’s not those conversations. It’s what did you see? How did that feel? Did you like that route? Did you like that combination? Are you seeing it the way we want to? Where do we need to change things? Are you happy with where the system’s at because it’s a collective effort. And certainly those communications, those reps are important.”
Surely, Petzing was able to hit the ground running this spring thanks to the eight games Murray played in the second half of the 2023 season.
When asked if Murray is the kind of player that wants to put things on his shoulders or if he’s finding the balance to trust his teammates and get them the ball, Petzing said, “I think it’s a mix. I think any great player, especially of his talent levels, is always going to want the game on their back. And to some extent, they should and I should. He’s that type of player. But I do. I think he’s found a really nice balance of when to make his plays, but also when to let the talent around him provide. And I think he did a nice job there towards the end of the season of knowing when to mix back and forth on that balance to allow us to be successful.”
Different players have lauded Petzing’s straightforward and learned approach. Murray recently referred to him as “a genius.” Tight end Trey McBride told NFL Network this week, “I think he’s a remarkable coach. He’s so good at scheming up defenses, getting guys open. The way he calls the offense and the way he calls the game is very promising. You know exactly what you’re going to get from him, you know what he’s going to do, and like Kyler said, he’s a very smart coach — he’s a genius is what he said — but I think it’s awesome. He’s able to get so many guys open in so many different ways. It’s a lot of fun to play for him.”
When asked about his style of teaching, and Murray’s “genius” reference was mentioned, Petzing laughed and said, “I fooled him” and then continued, “No, I think it’s just getting to that connection. One of the things I’ve always told him is if we’re ever going to get to really where we want to be, when I call something, you know exactly why. And to the point where you’re almost anticipating the call before I do and I think that’s really important for the quarterback position, probably more than any other position. At the end of the day, the 10 other positions, it’s plays called and I need to go execute the play. For the quarterback, there’s a little bit of a higher-level thinking there.”
Petzing said that’s why pro football is so singular, but incredibly challenging.
“I think that’s what makes the sport and the position so unique,” he said. “I think we’ve gotten closer to that, to the point of, are we ever going to be there perfectly? I don’t know, but I think that relationship and that understanding is really important. I would say the same thing about him. I think he sees the field really well. I think he understands the game really well to the point where I think a lot of times he does know why I called something or, in the moment if I — and I have those where I’m like God that wasn’t the greatest call at that moment — he might go like, ‘What were you thinking, dude?’
“Believe me, that was not what I wanted. It was the first thing that came out of my mouth with 40 seconds on the play clock. So I think, or vice versa, I might call the play and like, ‘Dude, check it down,’ (in that) situation and he’s like, ‘Yeah, I wasn’t thinking.’ So those moments happen. I think that connection and that relationship has been really fun to build and will continue to build here moving forward.”
After noting that he believes the players have “really bought into what we’re doing and how we’re doing it,” Petzing was asked how that’s grown in a relatively short amount of time where players trust him and he trusts the players.
He explained, “As you said, I think it goes both ways. I want everybody in that room to have full belief in me to put them in position to succeed and win games. Period. You know, does that mean that everyone’s always going to feel that way all the time? No, probably not and I can’t even get my wife and my daughter to agree with me on a regular basis, right? But I think at the end of the day, those guys know that I’m here to help them win and help them be great football players and nothing else.
“And I want them to feel that every single day we’re in the meeting room, every single day we’re on the field. And I think the more we’re around each other, the more they’re starting to see that and believe that, which is awesome. And then, as you said, I want to trust them. I want to know when I call your number, that you’re going to do it the right way. Go make the play. Do it. Whatever the job is that we’re doing has to (be done) to help us win. And I think we have a good blend of that and certainly we’re going to continue to develop that through the training camp and into the season.”
One reality is that most outside narratives revolve around the quarterback and play-caller as if that’s all that matters when there are eight assistant coaches on offense that are close to their units every day.
Petzing emphasized how he and those coaches have to be on the same page so a consistent message is communicated to the players.
“It’s big,” he said. “I mean with the staff, those are guys; I probably spend more time with them during the season than I do anybody. So that relationship, that bond that understanding of like, look, at times, I’m going to tell them things they don’t agree with or want to hear and they may have an opinion for me that I might not agree with.
“You have to have those conversations and discussions during the course of the season if we’re going to be successful. But to have those productively, you’ve got to have guys that understand that we have each other’s back, we’re in it together and we’re all moving in the same direction.”
Time will tell if this team is truly headed in the right direction. It feels like they are and we’ll begin finding out for sure soon enough.
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