Tag: Amon-Ra St. Brown

Amon-Ra St. Brown excited to play under new Lions PGC David Shaw

All-Pro WR Amon-Ra St. Brown is excited to play under new Lions passing game coordinator David Shaw, who tried to recruit St. Brown to Stanford back in the day

Lions All-Pro wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is a big fan of the team hiring former Stanford head coach David Shaw as Detroit’s new passing game coordinator. The St. Brown family, including Amon-Ra, has a long history with Shaw.

“I’ve known Shaw since high school,” St. Brown conversed with his brother, Equanumeous in the latest episode of their podcast. Shaw recruited all three St. Brown brothers–Amon-Ra, Equanimeous and Osiris–to play for him at Stanford. Osiris wound up joining Shaw with the Cardinal.

“I always thought he was a great guy, honest, and then you went to Notre Dame and Osiris always wanted to go to Stanford, so he ended up going to Stanford,” St. Brown stated. “I went to the camps at Stanford with him, with Osiris, saw Shaw there, and so we kind of got to know him.”

Shaw will work closely with new Lions offensive coordinator John Morton, who was with the Lions in 2022 and returned after two seasons in Denver. St Brown is pumped about the passing game concepts and potential with the new leadership on the offense.

“He was with Johnny (Morton) in Denver and Johnny Mo was doing a lot of good stuff when he was here in Detroit so I’m excited,” St. Brown said.

Amon-Ra St. Brown breaks down coach Antwaan Randle El’s departure for the Bears

Amon-Ra St. Brown breaks down coach Antwaan Randle El’s departure for the Bears

Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown isn’t normally known for breaking news, but maybe the “Sun God” needs to add that to his job title. He was in position to be the first to report that wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El was leaving the Lions to become the new passing game coordinator of the Chicago Bears.

In the latest edition of the St. Brown Podcast, the Lions All-Pro reveals he inadvertently learned Randle El was leaving for the Bears.

“I hit up the group chat, I go, ‘El, ain’t you from Chicago?” St. Brown said. “I sent that. Next one. ‘You following Ben?’ Literally, I sent that at 6:17 p.m. Two minutes later, I get a call from him. ‘The f***?’ I answer.

“He said, ‘What’s up, man.’ He goes, ‘Hey man. How’d you know? Did that get leaked?’ I said, ‘Nah, I was just messing around.’”

The surprised reaction from St. Brown was a genuine one. Randle El was in line to climb the coaching ladder in Detroit, but he opted to go to his hometown Bears with Ben Johnson instead. No. 14 has no hard feelings for his longtime coach.

“I get it. He’s from Chicago, too. So, it’s a step up, he gets to be receivers coach, knows the offense, knows Ben. It just makes sense for him,” St. Brown said. “I’m not upset. I’m not upset about it. I’m happy for him. It’s just funny how it all went down.”

 

Amon-Ra St. Brown strongly refutes notion coach interviews distracted Ben Johnson before Lions’ playoff loss

Amon-Ra St. Brown says the criticism Ben Johnson is getting is nonsense.

Just because a hot commodity NFL coordinator might leave for another job doesn’t mean they’re not focused on the task at hand. This point has become a weird conversation concerning new Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson.

The overarching assertion floating around is that because Johnson had coaching interviews on tap, he wasn’t focused enough on preparing the Detroit Lions before their divisional-round playoff loss.

Naturally, this sentiment is ridiculous. Coaches like Johnson are (successfully) juggling so much on their plate at one time. And as former NFL All-Pro offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz asserted on Twitter, it’s actually common for coaches like Johnson to start preparing for next week’s opponent a little early because they know the more they do, they risk overthinking their game plan.

So, why wouldn’t this idea also apply to head coaching interviews?

In response to this bubbling criticism about Johnson, Lions star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown vehemently defended his ex-coordinator on the latest St. Brown Podcast. He more or less echoed Schwartz’s peek behind the curtains of an NFL team’s operations. St. Brown shot down the idea that Johnson was distracted before Detroit was eliminated by the Washington Commanders, claiming that he was “as locked in as he can be for that game.”

Never mind that Johnson’s offense still put 31 points and over 500 yards despite three turnovers. It’s awfully funny to claim a coordinator is distracted when his unit performs that well:

Johnson was ready to run his own show in the NFL. That much is clear for one of the better head coaching candidates in recent memory. But it doesn’t mean he was going to leave his former team high and dry in a high-leverage playoff moment.

Still saying otherwise just screams sour grapes.

Amon-Ra St. Brown and Ben Johnson had a very NSFW goodbye after Bears hired Lions OC

Amon-Ra St. Brown clearly thinks the world of Ben Johnson.

It’s never easy for a hotshot assistant coach to leave something he helped build.

Over the last three years, former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was instrumental in helping revitalize a once-dormant franchise into a Super Bowl contender. Now, with the Lions on the potential verge of their own glory, Johnson has jumped ship to become the Chicago Bears’ head coach and hopefully have similar success.

If Lions star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is upset about this development, he sure isn’t showing it. He’s happy for the coach who helped him become a household name — even if his departure to the Bears now means they’re rivals and direct competitors.

On the latest episode of the St. Brown Podcast, St. Brown shared his and Johnson’s formal goodbye before the genius coordinator left for Chicago. Spoiler alert: the pair cussed each other out, but it was all in good fun.

(Warning: NSFW language in the video below.)

St. Brown’s continued support of Johnson and their fun together, even after he leaves for a division rival, speaks volumes. It shows what kind of coach and leader Johnson is and what sort of positive energy he inspires in his players. With all that said, I, for one, can’t wait to see Johnson and St. Brown interact twice a year as members of opposing sidelines.

It should be hilarious and wonderful at the same time. To quote another famous receiver: get your popcorn ready.

Commanders WR Dyami Brown has perfect response to Amon-Ra St. Brown’s past comments

Dyami Brown’s response to Amon-Ra St. Brown.

The playoffs have been a coming-out party for Washington Commanders wide receiver Dyami Brown. In the wild-card win over Tampa Bay last weekend, Brown caught five passes for 89 yards and a touchdown. In Saturday’s NFC divisional round win over the Detroit Lions, Brown caught six passes for 98 yards.

A third-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft, Brown’s career was disappointing through his first three seasons. In a game against the Lions back in 2022, Detroit wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, upset that 16 wideouts were picked ahead of him in the draft, threw some shade at Brown and the Commanders.

After the Commanders defeated the Lions on Saturday, Brown was given the opportunity to respond to St. Brown’s previous comments. He politely declined.

While St. Brown has emerged as one of the NFL’s best wide receivers in his four-year career, Dyami Brown had bragging rights on Saturday.

Two days after the game, Brown had some fun with St. Brown’s comments.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DFETIiUp5Kw/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

A simple, yet perfect response from Brown, who had every right to feel disrespected. Several of Brown’s teammates, such as Zach Ertz, Jeremy Reaves, and Frankie Luvu, responded to his post. NASCAR legend — and Commanders’ fan — Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn also responded.

Brown, a free agent at season’s end, has played himself into the team’s long-term plans with his improved play this season, especially recently.

Amon-Ra St. Brown did everything he could for the Lions this NFL season

Amon-Ra St. Brown did everything he could for the Lions this season. Other teammates fell short in big moments, not him.

It was a heck of a 2024 NFL season for former USC wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. Sooner or later, all great things must come to an end—and in this case, it was sooner. On Saturday night, St. Brown and the Detroit Lions suffered a stunning 45-31 upset loss to the Washington Commanders at home. The defeat knocked Detroit out of the NFL playoffs.

During the regular season, St. Brown and the Lions went 15-2 and earned the NFC’s No. 1 seed. However, they were eliminated in the divisional round, giving their season a premature end.

The loss could not be blamed on St. Brown, however. Against Washington, he caught eight passes for 137 yards, both the most of any receiver on either team.

It was not enough to overcome Detroit’s five turnovers and abysmal defensive effort. As a result, Washington will head to the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles next week, while the Lions will enter the offseason much earlier than expected.

There are several reasons the Lions fell short in pursuit of their first-ever Super Bowl appearance. Amon-Ra St. Brown certainly isn’t one of them. The Lions will be a top NFC contender next season. Expect St. Brown to deliver another big year in the NFL.

Commanders’ fans never forgot Amon-Ra St. Brown’s comments

Remember St. Brown’s comments on Dyami Brown?

It’s easy to keep receipts in our current digital age. That’s precisely what fans of the Washington Commanders have done after their 45-31 upset win over the Detroit Lions in the NFC divisional round.

What are we referring to?

Let’s go back to Sept. 18, 2022, when the Lions defeated the Commanders 36-27 at Ford Field. On that day, then-second-year receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown caught nine passes for 116 yards for Detroit.

Sometime after that game, St. Brown rightfully slighted at seeing 16 other wide receivers go before him in the 2021 NFL draft, threw some shade at the Commanders and Dyami Brown, who Washington chose at No. 82 overall, 30 picks ahead of St. Brown.

“The draft, it is what it is,” Brown said. “Even the Commanders, they got a guy before me over there. I believe his name is Dyami Brown. I don’t know how many catches he had. You guys can probably tell me that. Or how many yards he had. I don’t forget things like that. I see him across the sideline from where I’m standing during the game, and I’m going to give every team hell.”

St. Brown wasn’t done.

“I didn’t see him in the game much.”

St. Brown was correct. Brown wasn’t in the game much and did not register a catch. Over the past four seasons, St. Brown has developed into one of the NFL’s better wide receivers, while Brown has languished on Washington’s bench until recently.

On Saturday, Dyami Brown’s Commanders took down the top-seeded Lions 45-31 in the NFC divisional round, ending the best season in Detroit’s franchise history. Brown caught six passes for 98 yards, one week after catching five passes for 89 yards and a touchdown.

St. Brown was good, too, catching eight passes for 137 yards.

Which leads us to this question: Which performance will you remember more?

Of course, it’s Dyami Brown’s performance. For now, he has the last laugh.

Across social media, Washington fans did not forget St. Brown’s disrespectful comments toward Dyami Brown.

We aren’t sure what St. Brown will say about his previous comments, but Kevin Patra of NFL.com caught up with the always-reserved Brown, who wasn’t about to take a victory lap.

That’s Dyami Brown in a nutshell. While his career may not have started as he would’ve liked, he’s kept working and improving each year, finally becoming an integral part of the Commanders’ offense.

 

When they last met: Commanders and Lions

A look back at the last time the Lions and Commanders faced off.

“When they last met” is an ongoing series during the NFL season, recalling the preceding game between Washington and the next opponent on the Commanders’ schedule.

Detroit 36, Washington 27 – Week 2, September 18, 2022

Detroit pounced on Washington early and often, racing to a 22-point halftime lead and then coasting to a 36-27 win on Ford Field.

Jared Goff passed for four touchdown passes, including two to Amon-Ra St Brown of 13 and 11 yards. Josh Reynolds caught one from three yards and D’Andre Swift as well from 22 yards.

The Lions were quicker and more aggressive, looking like they came ready to play, whereas Washington was a step slow, getting manhandled up front, and even giving up safety when Carson Wentz was sacked in the end zone by Charles Harris.

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After the Lions led 22-0 at the half, they appeared to lose intensity, allowing Washington to at least make the score respectable at 22-15 and then 36-27 in the final.

Carson Wentz completed touchdown passes in the third quarter to Curtis Samuel of 15 yards and Logan Thomas of 20 yards, and then late in the fourth quarter to Jahan Dotson from 1 yard.

Goff passed for 256 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions, resulting in a 121.7 passer rating, while Wentz had 337 passing yards, three touchdowns, and one interception and was sacked five times for a 99.6 rating.

The win was the first for the 2022 Lions, evening their record at 1-1. Washington had defeated the Jaguars in the opener and thus fell to 1-1.

 

Commanders preparing for Lions’ potent offense

The Commanders will face their most difficult challenge yet on Saturday.

Joe Whitt Jr. is quite aware the Lions’ offense is imposing.

Detroit’s offense commands Whitt’s focus for this week. They led all 32 teams in scoring this season (564 points) and averaged 33.2 points per game. Watching the Lions’ game film of their offense must leave Whitt with an ominous or overwhelming feeling.

When asked about it Wednesday at his weekly press conference, Whitt replied.

“They test your discipline,” he said. “I think [Detroit Lions Offensive Coordinator] Ben [Johnson] does a really nice job of understanding coverages. He understands horizontal spacing as well as vertical spacing.”

Whitt is 100 percent accurate, as simply watching their highlights reveals how the Lions attack all areas of the field, forcing the defense to cover the entire field.

“He (Johnson) understands every player’s responsibility, and he’s going to test the discipline of those players and other coverage. And so, you have to be where you’re supposed to be and let your eyes be true. And if you don’t, he’s going to take advantage of it.”

The Lions are undoubtedly loaded. They are first in points scored and first downs made. They score on big plays and keep the chains moving. In ten games, they scored 30 or more points.

Amon-Ra St. Brown collected 115 receptions this season for 1,263 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 73 first downs. Add to this speedy WR Jameson Williams  (1,001 yards), TE Sam LaPorta (60 receptions), and WR Tim Patrick (33 receptions).

If that isn’t enough, running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery added 52 and 36 receptions out of the backfield! QB Jared Goff is now a seasoned age-30 veteran leading all of this passing production.

Perhaps even more daunting is the Lions’ offensive line. They are huge, they protect well, and they attack well in the running game. Whitt is certainly more than merely impressed.

“They have different types of runs that they can run inside and lean you. They’ll go 30-plus runs on multiple games where they’re just going to lean on you, lean on you. And then they make you soft because as soon as you start overplaying that, here comes the leak play, here comes this play, here comes the screen.”

What Commanders’ Kliff Kingsbury said about Dyami Brown

Could Dyami Brown have another big-time performance against the Lions?

Washington wide receiver Dyami Brown has played himself into the Commanders’ future. The fourth-year receiver was a third-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft. However, entering this season, Brown had appeared in 47 NFL games with 29 receptions, 476 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

This season, Brown has caught 30 passes for 308 yards and a touchdown. Sure, those aren’t dominant numbers, but Brown’s role has evolved throughout the season to where he is now Jayden Daniels’ second-best receiver.

In last week’s NFC wild-card win over the Buccaneers, Brown caught five passes for 89 yards and a touchdown. This wasn’t a case of Brown catching go balls. He was everywhere, running the complete route tree and even over and through one Bucs’ defender.

It’s the perfect time for Brown, who will be a free agent at the end of the season. Brown has finally found an offense and a coordinator (Kliff Kingsbury) who believes in his skillset. Kingsbury is Washington’s third offensive coordinator in Brown’s four NFL seasons.

Kingsbury appreciates the work Brown has put in and expects even more.

“Yeah, they’ve all stepped up when their number’s been called, and Dyami is the guy who, when we got here, I had known about him from North Carolina,” Kingsbury said of Brown.

“We obviously looked at him when I was at Arizona. And just, I guess the attitude and the approach really has gotten more business-like and more professional throughout this season and it’s paying off. I mean, he’s showing up over and over and over, always been able to run, always been able to be really good with the ball in his hands, but his route technique and fundamentals, things like that are really improving and it’s a credit to him and the way he is approached this season. And so, to have a game like that, in that type of environment was really cool to see that hard work paying off.”

Could Brown be in store for another breakout-type performance on Saturday against the top-seeded Detroit Lions in the NFC divisional round?

Brown is a quiet guy, but you can bet he remembers, or someone will remind him of Lions’ star Amon-Ra St. Brown’s comments about him after the two teams played in September 2022.

There’s no doubting St. Brown is a star. Just don’t sleep on Dyami Brown, either.