PHOENIX — The Arizona Cardinals facility in Tempe has been buzzing over the last week with three introductory press conferences in the last seven days.
On Thursday, local media met the man tasked with maximizing Kyler Murray’s skill set: offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.
“I think he's a really talented player. That was one of the appealing things about this job to me, was being able to work with a quarterback of his caliber,” Petzing said. “But it's about the entire offense and ultimately, the entire team. It's not going to be just about him. He knows that; I think Jonathan knows that. I think as an organization, we will preach that.”
The 35-year-old first-time play caller comes to Arizona after working with the Cleveland Browns for the last three years. Petzing spent six seasons with the Minnesota Vikings where he and first-time head coach Jonathan Gannon worked together. Gannon, a former defensive coordinator, is excited about collaborating with Petzing to optimize Arizona’s offense in 2023 and beyond.
Murray is still rehabbing from major knee surgery and there’s no timetable for his return, but he was the focus of Gannon’s search for an offensive coordinator.
“I structured everybody that I interviewed around Kyler. The questions I was asking about, philosophically, how we're going to play on offense and what I think is really hard for defenses moving forward into 2023 and beyond. A lot of that had to do with Kyler,” Gannon said. “We know that’s the position that makes it go, so that was very centric around all the interviews, and I liked his [Petzing’s] answer.”
Both Petzing and Murray shared how impressed they’ve been with Murray’s competitiveness and how he's attacking his rehab. Gannon even mentioned seeing Murray working in the facility past 9 p.m. earlier this week.
Cardinals’ owner Michael Bidwill revealed on recent episode of The Dave Pasch Podcast that quarterback Colt McCoy is coming off an injury that will limit him this offseason. Gannon shared that McCoy had “a minor procedure” after the season ended but that McCoy “will be ready to go” for the season.
Gannon, whose already made an energetic and enthusiastic impression with the Cardinals, says both Murray and McCoy have already challenged him to play basketball 1-on-1 which seems to be a good sign for their recovery.
“Why do all these guys want to play me 1-on-1? I don’t understand. The quarterbacks, too? I said I’ll dunk on both you guys,” Gannon said. “I get some updates [on Murray’s rehab] and he’s doing what he needs to do and right on schedule.”
Petzing says being able to work with Murray and the talent on this Cardinals roster made this job attractive but being able to work under his friend, Gannon, should make for a smoother transition into this new role.
“I’ll lean on Jonathan. He’s a defensive coach and we’re trying to beat defenses. I think there’s a lot of knowledge to be gained from his experience as being a first-time play caller,” Petzing said. “Even though it’s on the other side of the ball it’s very much the same game so there will be a lot of people that I look to help in my process.”
Follow the conversation with Lina Washington on Twitter: @LWashingtonTV. If you have a sports story idea, e-mail Lina at LWashington@12News.com.
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