Here’s How Arizona Cardinals Drew Petzing Can Change Playcalling for Better Results in 2025

10 comments

1. dortch the torch great in the open

2. l dont trust drew to get it done

3. Wish JG and Drew could hear this! Nice pod Clancy!

4. Don't think Dobbs or Keenen get any meaningful targets/ snaps. Would rather not block young players development for little to no upside imo. Carter got more touches than demercado and some WRs tbf. I think i would prefer getting back to 50%run 50% pass offense. Threw the ball a little too much last season trying to force it to MHJ imo

5. I agree Alex, all of those things may improve the offense. However, at this point fans are also missing the point somewhat…for the last 2 years the staff has told fans what type of offense they want to run, nad its not one that includes the passing game in any front line fashion. They don’t want to run 3 & 4 wr sets etc, they don’t want to take chances on 2nd down they’d rather take the guaranteed yardage over ending up in 3rd & long etc. the offense is, in my opinion, always going to be a heavy run 1st system that will occasionally take shot via play-action. The offense is conservative by design and intentionally so. This teams staff wants an old school style offensive philosophy…Smash-mouth running game backed by an elite defense. The staff has told fans what type of offensive system they’re going to run with their player moves, and lack of such moves over the last 2 years.

6. The throw to MHJ to extend that drive wasn't a "jump ball". He was running a comeback and had smoked the CB, but the blitzer was charging towards Kyler so rather than evade, he fired as he got hit. It was a great play by Kyler. I complained by mid-season that MHJ rarely ran crossing routes. Whenever he did, we got big plays. He threw a ball to McBride in a nearly identical situation and route. When I listen to pundits and fans comment on QBs, I typically hear that these were great plays if done by Rodgers or Mahomes or even Cousins.

7. I don't agree with you very often, but I do agree that Petzing needs to modify his passing scheme this season to open up the offense for Kyler. As long as Drew is going to be our OC, we're going to be a run heavy team and that's fine. That's a great philosophy to have but Drew needs to be more creative in the passing game if we're going to see the offense operate at its full potential. We have sufficient WR's it's just that they weren't used properly, especially Marvin. Drew never seemed to want to mix things up, he simply lined him up outside and had him run 3 or 4 different routes and that's it. You pointed out the crossing route, which I was screaming for all last season, it allowed Kyler to hit MHJ in stride and that's when Marvin is at his best. Why didn't Drew try to hide Marv from opposing teams' best corners, why didn't he put Marv in motion more, there was no creativity whatsoever in the passing game. Drew has the run game down perfectly, but he was also way too predictable for opposing defenses. We led the NFL in rushing on 1st down, why not mix it up and throw it more on first down?

   I'm in the same camp as JG & Monti in that the offense is fine, they didn't need to make big adjustments or to draft a bunch of offensive players, they're good with what we have. Albeit they did draft Conner in the 6th round (which CBK below wanted to see more of) and I think the offensive line will be good, we just need to avoid any major injuries.
   Offensively, there are 2 things that must happen in 2025. First, Drew needs to modify the passing game if we want the offense to be more efficient. Second, Marvin needs to return to his normal catch rate of 70-75%, which should be easy. Last season Marv had a 53.4% catch rate, which was the lowest on the team and outside of the top 100 catch rates in the NFL. Marv is the first one to admit that his rookie season didn't go like he wanted, and he'll improve his catch rate. That 53.4%n was an anomaly for him, and it won't ever happen again. MHJ is simply too good of a receiver, he works too hard, he's too dedicated to his game for it not to happen. Everyone will agree that MHJ is definitely inside the top 100 catch rates in the NFL, so getting back to his normal catch rate of 70-75% is a given. Move MHJ around, line him up in the slot, put him in motion, use him properly, don't just line him up wide and run go routes. Marvin is improving his part now Drew needs to do the same.

   If nothing else changed this season offensively, other than MHJ coming back to a 75% catch rate, that would have meant another 28 receptions for Marv from 62 to 90. It would have meant another 400 yards (28 x 14.3ypr) and another 4 TD's (TD every 7.75 catches) and his season stats would have read 1,285 yds, 12 TD's, 116 targets, 75% catch rate. That would have been better than Nabers or Thomas or McConkey. It would also have increased Kyler's stats to 4,251 yds., 30 TD's to go along with his 572 yards rushing. The offense would have looked so much better, with only one thing changing. This is why the offense is going to be fine. Marvin definitely comes back to his normal catch rate, he's no longer a rookie, the pressure will not be a great as it was last season and the game has already slowed down for him. The rest is up to Petzing, he doesn't have to change the run game, just be more creative with his passing scheme and move MHJ around more often. The 2025 Arizona Cardinals offense will be just fine.

   It's the new front 7 that's a game changer. That new front 7 is going to make the entire team better, how you ask? Well, it all starts with pressure on the QB, that was our biggest weakness last season on defense. We let 3 games slip through our fingers down the stretch, the MN, CAR & LA games, all for lack of pressure. We were playing so well in the first 10 games but after the bye week our weakness started to be exposed. Especially in the 2nd half of games down the stretch, we couldn't put any pressure on QB and they simply picked our secondary apart. Not anymore!!!!! We'll be able to put pressure on opposing QB's all game long, we can rotate linemen to keep them fresh without having to worry about a drop in talent. That pressure will make the entire team better, it will mean less time that our CB's will have to cover receives, it will create more hurried passes, bad decisions, bad passes, more INT's and more turnovers. That will also lead to shorter drives which in turn will mean more offensive plays for us. I'm expecting an extra 6-8 plays per game, which will lead to more scoring and more wins. The new front 7 will make the entire team better, everyone except Petzing, he'll have to design a better passing scheme and more plays for Kyler to get outside of the pocket and use his legs. K1 was at his best when he was running more and getting outside of the pocket, that's when he's truly at his best.

   So, my take is that the offense will be just fine this season. As long as Marvin returns to his normal catch rate and as long as Petzing modifies his passing scheme. The defense and our new front 7 are really the key to everything, if MHJ & Drew do their part, then this team is going to be very tough to beat. 🏈🏆

   Happy Memorial Day.

8. I like Dortch in the short pass game. But in terms of a needed deep threat I would like to see Zay jones get some opportunities. Has decent speed and is taller.

9. Petzing might be a run game and McBride merchant. Michael Wilson barely gets any targets and he didn’t help Marv either.

10. Really well said. Cardinals have the talent to do damage, just need it to click on both sides