Who should be the next Lions OC?

[MichiganCardinal]

2 hours ago, Motown Bombers said:

Remember, Arthur Smith was runner up to Dan Campbell for head coach. 

 

When your own team says they’re not considering you to be the head coach after the old head coach steps down, you’re not “in the mix for multiple HC jobs”

Nice agent fodder though. I think he’d probably be an okay OC here, but the Steelers haven’t been lighting it up on offense.

[Shinzaki]

I think it's going to be Robinson

[Mr.TaterSalad]

Wasn't Arthur Smith heavily criticized in Atlanta for giving Tyler Algiers nearly as many carries at RB as Bijan Robinson, their highly touted, first round RB?

[slothfacekilla]

No thanks on Arthur Smith.  In my eyes he seems like someone who thinks they're a lot smarter than they are and he seems like he gets obsessed with random JAGs instead of feeding his top talent (which once again feels like he thinks he knows better than everyone else).  Maybe I'm off since I'm probably coming from a fantasy football slant but I've never been a fan of the guy.

[Mr.TaterSalad]

I think I'm out on Arthur Smith as well. His offenses were subpar and underperformed in Atlanta. That was with guys like Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts. That is a solid set of weapons. He also trotted out Desmond Ridder as his starting QB instead of getting himself a real NFL QB. There are several names I am interested in well before Arthur Smith. Not just the big names either like McDaniel, Roman, and Stefanski. Jake Peetz, the Seahawks Passing Game Coordinator, is a young up and coming name I really like. He made Sam Darnold work and their passing offense didn't really suffer even after trading Metcalf.

[Sports_Freak]

This guy apparently wants the job of OC and his highlights make him look like an All-Pro. Lion fans know better;

 

[MichiganCardinal]

25 minutes ago, Sports_Freak said:

This guy apparently wants the job of OC and his highlights make him look like an All-Pro. Lion fans know better;

 

Orlovsky has a sharp football mind. The whole Orlovsky for OC thing is a joke that started on the McAfee Show but I’d give him an analyst or assistant to the assistant role.

He probably makes more on television.

[Sports_Freak]

19 minutes ago, MichiganCardinal said:

Orlovsky has a sharp football mind. The whole Orlovsky for OC thing is a joke that started on the McAfee Show but I’d give him an analyst or assistant to the assistant role.

He probably makes more on television.

But getting any job with the Lions would be a foot in the door. Im not sure if he'll ever get over the stepping outta the end zone mistake.

[MichiganCardinal]

10 minutes ago, Sports_Freak said:

But getting any job with the Lions would be a foot in the door. Im not sure if he'll ever get over the stepping outta the end zone mistake.

I think if he wanted a job coaching he would have one. I think he’s just happier on television and spending every night at home with his kids. I don’t think anyone seriously holds that moment from nearly 20 years ago against him. He has an autistic son, Madden, who’s an amazing dude. He’s been on TV with his dad before. Really heartwarming stuff.

 

[MichiganCardinal]

This is the one that fills the room with pollen no matter how many times I see it.

 

[Sports_Freak]

48 minutes ago, MichiganCardinal said:

I think if he wanted a job coaching he would have one. I think he’s just happier on television and spending every night at home with his kids. I don’t think anyone seriously holds that moment from nearly 20 years ago against him. He has an autistic son, Madden, who’s an amazing dude. He’s been on TV with his dad before. Really heartwarming stuff.

 

Maybe people don't hold it against him but many folks say it's what he's remembered for best. I remember watching that game and calling him horrible names...lol

[MichiganCardinal]

17 minutes ago, Sports_Freak said:

Maybe people don't hold it against him but many folks say it's what he's remembered for best. I remember watching that game and calling him horrible names...lol

It's definitely what he's most remembered for. That's NFL infamy and was the most memorable moment of that season. But I don't think one moment as a backup QB would keep you from being a coach 15-20 years later.

[Sports_Freak]

12 minutes ago, MichiganCardinal said:

It's definitely what he's most remembered for. That's NFL infamy and was the most memorable moment of that season. But I don't think one moment as a backup QB would keep you from being a coach 15-20 years later.

Oh..I agree. And there have been other quarterbacks who have stepped outta the end zone for a safety but not as remembered as Dan. I like him as a talking ESPN head, he's insightful with a common sense approach. Plus...he always talks up the Lions...😆

[lordstanley]

The irony is that I think taking a safety and giving away 2 points, if it had been deliberate, when you have 3rd and 10 at the 1 is arguably a smart move. You’re not going to convert that 3rd down, you’ll be punting from the back of the end zone, at worst the other team will get the ball just inside your half and almost be in field goal position already for an easy 3 points. Whereas after the safety you get a free kickoff from the 20 and have a chance to get the opponent into more or less normal field position. I think if you get called for a safety you should have to kick off from the goal line. 

[MichiganCardinal]

Joe Brady deserves an interview with McDermott out in Buffalo.

[NYLion]

On 1/16/2026 at 9:54 AM, Sports_Freak said:

This guy apparently wants the job of OC and his highlights make him look like an All-Pro. Lion fans know better;

 

That doesn't mean anything. The NFL landscape is littered with successful offense first coaches that were failures as NFL players. Not saying that Orlovsky would be my first choice but him being a bad QB doesn't mean he'd be a bad coordinator. He's not leaving that cushy TV gig anyway that pays extraordinarily well.

[Mr.TaterSalad]

2 hours ago, MichiganCardinal said:

Joe Brady deserves an interview with McDermott out in Buffalo.

Brady was high on my list for Michigan coaching candidates, so I'd have no problem with him being considered here for OC. Do you fault Brady's play calling for Allen fumbling the ball twice and throwing multiple INTs in the playoff game against Denver. I suppose on one or two of them you could link it back to play designs and whatever. But I don't look at Brady's playcalling as the reason Buffalo lost that game or failed to get past the Kansas City hump each of the last few seasons. He's a young, up-and-coming coordinator who I would love to have here as an OC now that he's likely available.

[MichiganCardinal]

15 minutes ago, Mr.TaterSalad said:

Brady was high on my list for Michigan coaching candidates, so I'd have no problem with him being considered here for OC. Do you fault Brady's play calling for Allen fumbling the ball twice and throwing multiple INTs in the playoff game against Denver. I suppose on one or two of them you could link it back to play designs and whatever. But I don't look at Brady's playcalling as the reason Buffalo lost that game or failed to get past the Kansas City hump each of the last few seasons. He's a young, up-and-coming coordinator who I would love to have here as an OC now that he's likely available.

I think the biggest downside - like Kingsbury - is that the Lions offense is very different from Buffalo's. Granted, Brady cut his teeth in the NFL as an analyst in New Orleans with Brees at the helm, so it's not like he's a foreigner to Goff's style.

Campbell and Brady actually overlapped in 2017 and 2018 with New Orleans. I didn't know that.

[Motown Bombers]

 

[Shinzaki]

I know nothing about him...can't wait for Valenti and Riger to get all spastic on 97.1 because he isn't McDaniel

[Mr.TaterSalad]

Under Petzing's watch in Arizona the Cardinals had the following offensive rankings . . .

FYI sack % is essentially what percentage of the time does the QB end up getting sacked. A higher ranking means your QB was less likely to be sacked and a lower rankings in the 20s or below means he was more likely to be sacked.

2025: 19th in yards/game, 5th in total passing yards, 31st in total rushing yards, 23rd in total points, 21st in EPA with -.02 EPA (Expected points per play), 25th in sack %.

2024: 11th in yards/game, 21st in total passing yards, 7th in total rushing yards, 12th in total points, 10th in EPA with .06 EPA (Expected points per play), 5th in sack %.

2023: 19th in yards/game, 26th in total passing yards, 5th in total rushing yards, 24th in total points, 21st in EPA with -.07 EPA (Expected points per play), 21st in sack %.

[Mr.TaterSalad]

Apparently Petzing has a run-heavy scheme and runs lots of play action with two TE sets. Sounds like a guy tailored made for Goff.

[Mr.TaterSalad]

Valenti is saying this guy was a Groosman in Ben Johnson's wedding and was close friends with Ben.

[StrangeBird]

I will wait to see the results on the field, but this not an inspiring hire. I see no track record of success or innovative thinking with this guy.

I’m starting to wonder if MCDC has what it takes to lead this team to sustained success and a Super Bowl. Is it possible that the successes of 2023 and 2024 were more Ben Johnson’s offensive play-calling and less MCDC?

[TP_Fan]

Wait and see I guess, but this leaves a lot to be desired.