Le Journal

When the PODcast was last live, the new of the Detroit Lions’ hiring of Drew Petzing as their new offensive coordinator broke right in the middle of the show. Admittedly, it left us scrambling to provide as informed of an opinion on the hire, while also trying to gain as much information on a coach we didn’t know much about prior to the hiring. So on this week’s Midweek Mailbag podcast, Erik Schlitt and I tried to provide a much more informed take on the hire with a couple days to research and digest the selection. While the entire podcast is not all devoted to Petzing, a large majority of the 80-minute show is devoted to the new Lions’ coordinator. One of the more interesting topics is the notion that if this hire fails, it could jeopardize Dan Campbell’s job. One one hand, Campbell has pulled this team from irrelevancy, won more playoff games than in the team’s entire Super Bowl-era history, and has produced four straight winning seasons. On the other hand, if Petzing fails, Campbell will have fired three out of his four offensive coordinator hires in a relatively short time. Erik and I debate that topic around the one-hour mark of the show. Here’s a smattering of topics we discuss on the show, in chronological order: Jeremy and Erik offer their initial takes on the pick How is this selection different than John Morton? Were there any candidates—outside of Mike McDonald—we liked better? How long was the Lions’ OC search? Can the Lions run 13 personnel concepts with 11 personnel? Will the Lions’ tight end room change significantly under Petzing? Is David Njoku a possible free agent addition now? Are any other coaching changes coming for the Lions? Does Petzing’s hire impact the likelihood David Montgomery returns? Does Dan Campbell’s future with the Lions hinge on Drew Petzing’s success? What did John Morton do wrong? Was he just a victim of circumstances? Should the Lions target veteran centers and left tackles? Which should be a priority in free agency? What lessons can the Lions learn from the remaining playoff teams? You can also catch video of the podcast with extra discussion about Petzing and other Lions topics by catching the show on our YouTube page or via our Twitch channel.

The NFL playoff field is down to just four teams. In the AFC, the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos will fight for a spot in the Super Bowl. While in the NFC, it’s between the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams. With no NFC North rival team to root against, Detroit Lions fans no longer have a clear rooting interest in the two conference championship games. And if you’re the type that roots for the ever-struggling franchise with little-to-no historic success, you’re out of options there, too. Here was the last championship for each franchise: Patriots: 2018Broncos: 2015Rams: 2021Seahawks: 2013 Ugh. Some fan base that has already celebrated a Super Bowl in the past dozen years will get to do so again. Maybe one year… Anyway, for those reasons alone, it doesn’t really seem like there’s a team to really get behind, but I’m curious if any of you feel differently. Today’s Question of the Day is: Is there any playoff team still worth rooting for? My answer: I guess I’m still rooting for the Rams. I’ve mentioned this before, but as a lifelong Matthew Stafford fan, I would like to see him build out his resume enough to get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He may get his first MVP this year, which would be a huge help to get him his gold jacket, but a second Super Bowl ring—and maybe a Super Bowl MVP—would really be the push over the top. But even Stafford getting into the Hall of Fame would provide some mixed feelings. With the majority of his team success coming with the Rams, I’m not sure he’d even be recognized as a Lion in his HOF induction. That wouldn’t completely spoil it for me, because I’m simply a fan of the player, but it certainly would feel strange. And the Rams’ success would also bring out some frustration that the Stafford/Goff trade that was supposed to eventually set Los Angeles back due to the loss of draft capital, has proved to be a huge win for the Rams. They’ve managed to climb themselves out of the draft pick hole to surpass the Lions again after it appeared Detroit had jumped them. That is all to say that I have mixed feelings about rooting for the Rams. But I’m still rooting for them over a Seahawks franchise that has caused the Lions a lot of recent pain, a Patriots team that is impossible to root for even with Brady/Belichick gone, and a Broncos team led by a coach who seems like a jerk. So… yeah. This group of teams is pretty unlikable. Do you see it differently? Offer your thoughts in the comment section by scrolling down and sharing your thoughts.