St. Brown: Playing Through Blisters 'Like Running on Needles'
Two days before the Detroit Lions' Monday Night Football showdown with the Las Vegas Raiders, Amon-Ra St. Brown was added to the injury report with an illness.
He wound up playing through it, catching six passes for 108 yards in the team's win. However, he shared details Thursday that made the feat difficult to compartmentalize.
"It was tough. I had blisters on my feet, on my hands, my mouth. Before the game, my hands and feet weren't really hurting. Hurting a little, but in the game, it got worse," St. Brown said. "I wore socks and gloves, so the blisters got swollen. I felt like I was running on needles. Catching the ball, it hurt a lot, especially towards the end of the game. I was in a lot of pain. But, (expletive), I had to play. I already missed one too many games. I knew we had a bye week coming up, too. So, I could just push through the game, and I'd be alright."
The third-year wideout said he didn't know what caused the blisters, while rest provided the remedy.
He's built a reputation of toughness and determination throughout the start of his career. In playing through pain against the Raiders, he once again showed his insatiable determination.
After enjoying the bye week, the Lions have become refocused and determined to make the most of the final nine games of the regular season.
"We feel good. There's still a lot of work left to be done. We've got these next nine games in front of us. But, we've got to just take it one week at a time," St. Brown explained. "That's the biggest thing for us going into each week, especially coming off this bye. We don't want to be too lackadaisical, too eased up because the Chargers just came off a big 'dub' against the Jets. They're gonna be ready for us, it's a big game for them, too. They can be above .500 if they beat us, so it's gonna be a good game but we've just got to take it one week at a time. Hopefully, in nine weeks, we'll look back and be playing for something bigger."
The Lions added another talent to their wide receivers room in Donovan Peoples-Jones. Though his production was limited with Cleveland this year, St. Brown believes the Michigan product can be a key piece in Detroit's offense.
"He's a big body. I asked him how much he weighs, he said 210. I'm like, 'Bro, you look 230.' Boy is swole," St. Brown said. "But, no, he should be a great addition for us. A guy that can make a big-body catch. He can run, is fast, he did punt return on the Browns. I know we have Kalif, but shoot, (if) anything happens to Kalif, he can step in and do that. He can do a lot of things, but you can never have enough weapons on offense."
