Getty Amon-Ra St. Brown during a game against Washington in 2022.
The Detroit Lions will enter the 2023 season in a very unique place. No longer is the team thought to be a doormat, but they are expected to contend in the NFC North while winning plenty of games.
That’s a feat that hasn’t happened in the Motor City since 1993, and when combined with the fact the team hasn’t won a playoff game since 1991, the task at hand can seem quite daunting. Expectations can become a bit overwhelming for a team, but not to Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, April 18, St. Brown was asked about the expectations for the Lions. As he said, nothing even has to be said about what is being expected for the team, and the Lions expect to continue to push things in the right direction even as the narrative will change around the league.
“I think it’s just understood. There’s not much to be said. We know what we did last year, the media knows, everyone saw what we did. For us as a team, we feel like it’s only up from here,” St. Brown told the media. “We can use that same momentum that we did going into last year going into this year. The way we finished the season, building off that and just understanding that we’re only going to be better as a team. But they’re not going to hand it to us. Nothing’s going to be given. Teams now know we’re not just a walk-over team and it’s going to be tough, but I think we’ll embrace the challenge.”
As St. Brown explained, there is no hiding and teams aren’t going to overlook the Lions. Just because the team is favored does not mean that they will be guaranteed to win games. The Lions will have to bring the hunger week in and week out, something St. Brown is looking forward to doing.
“I don’t think anything is given in this league. People might say ‘the Lions are going to make the playoffs.’ At the end of the day, we still got to go get it each week. We got to win each game, whatever it is,” St. Brown said. “Everyone has social media, everyone sees what everyone else does. Teams are just not just gonna let us walk over anymore. ‘Oh it’s the Lions, we can take it easy this game.’ They know the Lions are projected to win the NFC North, whatever it is. We understand that and I think it’s just going to make it that much more fun for us this year.”
Expectations haven’t been a way of life with regards to Detroit football for some time, and with a new season on the horizon which many to figure will be positive, the challenge for the team will be remaining hungry while staying confident in their abilities on the field.
With this mindset, St. Brown is clearly a player that can help the Lions do that already. He seems to understand what the team needs to hear, and knows they will be striving for goals in 2023.
Amon-Ra St. Brown Embracing Lions’ Expectations
In terms of the expectations the Lions have, it’s something that St. Brown embraces. The wideout likes a challenge, and for his part, appreciates having a major goal to strive for during the course of a season playing out.
As St. Brown explained, his personality leads him to being excited by the challenge of trying to live up to expectations. It’s something that can help drive him and some of his teammates to continue to improve on the field.
“I personally look forward to it. I love having something to look forward to something to attain, something to reach. That’s just my personality,” St. Brown said. “I think us as a team, we got a lot of young guys we’ve had since I’ve been here that are hungry that have seen what we did two years ago only winning three games. I think it was my rookie year to last year, to (see) what we can do. This year I think just being a part of that journey is going to help us that much more throughout the year.”
Detroit has improved the last two seasons, going 3-13-1 in 2021, and finishing 9-8 in 2022 following a 1-6 start to the season. The Lions have climbed up from the depths as a team, and St. Brown seems to think that will help them stay hungry as they try to push further up the league’s food chain next season.
Amon-Ra St. Brown Appreciates Lions’ Defensive Moves
How will the Lions attempt to get over the hump schematically? With a top-four offense, the most obvious way would be seeing improvements within the team’s defense that finished 32nd overall.
The good news? Detroit already made some big moves this offseason, and the team has noticed how they can help for the future. Already, defensive tackle Alim McNeill compared the additions to his team playing Madden during the offseason.
St. Brown, for his part, also seems very fired up about what the Lions have added to the mix on that side of the ball, and how it can not only help the team win and prepare, but get better on offense.
“I’m excited to go up against them each week in practice once we start going up against each other but not even that, just (watching) during the season I already know. It’s already an upgrade I can tell just off you know who we have, watching some guys work already so I’m excited to see you know what our defense does we already have some Ballers on defense so just adding more guys to it it’s only going to make the competition better in OTAs during camp going to make everyone better, so it’s only gonna help us,” he explained.
The Lions added names like Cameron Sutton, Emmanuel Moseley and C.J. Gardner-Johnson to their backfield, while retaining key free agents like defensive lineman John Cominsky and Isaiah Buggs and linebacker Alex Anzalone.
Having stronger depth will help the Lions as they attempt rise up in the standings and achieve the kind of success that has not been seen in Detroit in decades. St. Brown is clearly embracing the pressure of trying to chase down that success.