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Lions Fans React Strongly to St. Brown Questioning Knowledge

Amon-Ra St. Brown defends Lions' hire of Drew Petzing.
Vito Chirco|
Jan 4, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) runs with the ball against Chicago Bears safety Jaquan Brisker (9) during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images
Jan 4, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) runs with the ball against Chicago Bears safety Jaquan Brisker (9) during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

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Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions have secured a new offensive coordinator, hiring former Arizona Cardinals offensive play-caller Drew Petzing. And some fans, to say the least, aren't happy with the decision. 

Petzing spent the past three seasons calling plays for the Arizona Cardinals, and his resume is a mixed bag of sorts.

In 2025, Arizona’s offense ranked just 23rd in points scored and 19th in total yards. Yet, those numbers don’t tell the full story.

The Cardinals dealt with instability at the quarterback position, with Kyler Murray limited to just five games and Jacoby Brissett suiting up under center for the rest of the team’s 2025 contests. That inconsistency inevitably limited the offense’s productivity.

While that is the case, Petzing did a commendable job tailoring his system to his personnel, and few coordinators deployed their tight ends more aggressively. 

Arizona led the NFL in snaps out of 13 personnel over the past three seasons, and tight end Trey McBride reaped the benefits. 

McBride produced a career-best campaign in 2025, recording 126 catches for 1,239 yards. 

Petzing also got the most out of running back James Conner when he was healthy for the Cardinals in 2023 and 2024. In each of those two seasons, Conner amassed north of 1,000 yards on the ground, along with 93 rushing yards per game. 

Subsequently, Detroit star running back Jahmyr Gibbs, coming off a 1,200-yard rushing campaign, should be in good hands with Petzing calling the plays.

However, after reports on Monday surfaced that Petzing was being hired, a large sect of Lions fans was up in arms. This group of Detroit supporters, at least to a large extent, wanted the organization to hire former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel to be its next offensive coordinator.

Detroit wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown was quick to come to the defense of Petzing, calling out fans who criticized the Lions’ new offensive play-caller.

On the latest episode of the “St. Brown Podcast,” the star wideout asked these same fans if they lack trust in Detroit head man Dan Campbell.

Ultimately, St. Brown, while coming to the defense of Campbell and Petzing, took a shot at the football acumen of Lions fans who criticized the hire.

Detroit fans, to no surprise, didn't take too kindly to those comments, referencing the failed one-year stints of coordinators Anthony Lynn (2021) and John Morton (2025). 

Here now is just a sample of the strong reaction from Lions fans to St. Brown calling them “crazy” and questioning their knowledge: 

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Vito Chirco
VITO CHIRCO

Vito has covered the NFL and the Detroit Lions for the past five years.  Has extensive reporting history of college athletics, the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Mercy Athletics.  Chirco's work include NFL columns, analyzing potential Detroit Lions prospects coming out of college, NFL draft coverage and analysis of events occurring in the NFL.  Extensive broadcasting experience including hosting a Detroit Tigers podcast and co-hosting a Detroit Lions NFL podcast since 2019. 

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