Brandon Pettigrew focused on fixing his mistakes

The 2012 season was a rough one for Detroit Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew. His numbers were down in categories for receptions, yards and touchdowns compared to 2010 and 2011. Even worse yet, he had a pair of fumbles and nearly a double-digit amount of drops. Pettigrew was far from a reliable target, and he admitted on Wednesday that he took a step back last year.

With an eye on making up for his mistakes this year, Pettigrew has been focused on addressing his weaknesses this offseason. He wants to eliminate the drops and fumbles and improve his blocking. From MLive:

"I can't put what I did on anybody else," Pettigrew said. "I took it upon myself to fix the drops, the missed blocks, the plays that weren't made, the fumbles. That's on me. I put that on myself. I blame myself. It's my problem to fix."

Pettigrew also said that he's lost 10 pounds since the end of last season in order to be a more explosive target for Matthew Stafford. He wants to put up big numbers in 2013, and he's getting "back to the fundamentals" to make sure this happens.

Considering Pettigrew is entering a contract year, he needs to turn things around in 2013. And considering the Lions are really entering a make-or-break season for this coaching staff and front office, they need an improved version of Pettigrew as well.