Amon-Ra St. Brown isn’t one to hold back-and this week, the Detroit Lions’ star wideout made that crystal clear when he stepped up to defend the team’s new offensive coordinator, Drew Petzing.
After some fans voiced frustration over the hire, St. Brown took to his podcast to call for patience-and to call out what he sees as premature criticism.
“Do you guys have no trust in Dan [Campbell] and the Lions?” St.
Brown asked. “Do you think they'd just hire a random dude?
Be for real.”
That’s the tone of someone who believes in the direction this franchise is heading, even after a rough 2025 season left fans feeling like the team had taken a step backward. The Lions moved on from John Morton after just one year as offensive coordinator, and while the decision to bring in Petzing-who most recently ran the offense for the Arizona Cardinals-didn’t land well with every fan, St. Brown made it clear he thinks the criticism is misplaced.
“Most of you guys don't really know much about anything, about any ball,” he said. “You're tweeting about a coach who was hired that you guys don't like because of X, Y, Z.”
Now, it’s easy to see where the frustration is coming from on both sides. Lions fans have been through the wringer.
This is a fan base that’s still waiting for its first trip to the Super Bowl. Every offseason move feels monumental-because, frankly, the stakes always feel high in Detroit.
So when a hire doesn’t immediately inspire confidence, some backlash is inevitable.
But St. Brown is asking for something that’s often in short supply during NFL offseasons: patience.
“Relax. Calm down.
Let the whole thing play out,” he said. “Just let it play out.”
And he’s got a point. Evaluating a coaching hire before the games are played is a tough business.
Petzing may not be a household name, but he’s not exactly a mystery man either. He’s been around the league, and Dan Campbell and the Lions front office clearly saw something in him they believe can help get this offense back on track.
It’s also worth noting that St. Brown, one of the most productive and respected players on the roster, isn’t just defending a coach for the sake of it-he’s defending the process.
Trust in the leadership. Trust in the locker room.
That’s the message.
So while the skepticism is understandable given Detroit’s long and painful history, there’s also something to be said for letting the new hire settle in before passing judgment. The Lions are trying to build something sustainable-and sometimes that means giving unfamiliar names a chance to prove themselves.
For now, St. Brown’s message is clear: Let the coaches coach, let the players play, and let the season unfold before rushing to conclusions.