Amon-Ra St. Brown Brutally Calls Out Lions Fans for Criticizing the Appointment of Drew Petzing as New OC, Questions Their Ball Knowledge

The Detroit Lions’ hunt for Ben Johnson's replacement continues with a new offensive coordinator in Drew Petzing from Arizona Cardinals.

Amon-Ra St. Brown Brutally Calls Out Lions Fans for Criticizing the Appointment of Drew Petzing as New OC, Questions Their Ball Knowledge

Amon-Ra St. Brown, Drew Petzing (in circle) (Images via Fox News)

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Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown has come strongly in defense of the team’s new offensive coordinator. The NFC North team replaced John Morton with former Arizona Cardinals OC Drew Petzing.

The Cardinals haven’t made the playoffs since 2021. Although Petzing has only been in Glendale for two years, the fan base has been quite vocal about his offensive philosophy and brand of play-calling. The noise against the 38-year-old has shifted from Arizona to Michigan as the Lions signed on Petzing two days ago. The Cardinals’ paltry offensive performance this season is another reason why the Motor City is unhappy with their franchise’s latest decision.

In his podcast with his brother, Amon-Ra St. Brown questioned whether the fans have no trust in Dan Campbell to think he would bring a random dude in. He said on the St. Brown Podcast:

I see crazy Lions fans talking crazy like, ‘Oh, why would we do this?’ Do you guys have no trust in Dan and the Lions? Do you think they would just hire a random dude? Be for real.

He claimed there was no logic to the hate against Petzing, even before he had been given a chance to prove himself. In fact, the wideout called the fans who were speaking against Petzing as ones who lack ball knowledge. He added:

Most of you guys don’t really know much about anything about any ball, and you’re tweeting about a coach you don’t like because of X, Y, Z. Relax. Calm down. Let the whole thing play out.

The way St. Brown put it so bluntly and accused the fans of having no ball knowledge hasn’t gone down so kindly with them. They pointed out the fact that John Morton was a random dude they brought in last year. Despite his long coaching career, it was his first time being an offensive coordinator.

The early hatred for Drew Petzing could be unwarranted

Though fans might not agree with Amon-Ra St Brown’s way of shrugging them, he could be right. It may be early to write Drew Petzing off completely. While the Arizona Cardinals didn’t have a prosperous time with Petzing, he did have some positives.

Drew Petzing
Drew Petzing (Image via Imagn Images)

Petzing’s offensive philosophy of a run game is much more suited to the Lions than the Cardinals. He’s more aligned with the Detroit Lions’ ongoing philosophy of treating the third down as part of a two-sequence play. He’s focused on third down as a positioning and conversion on fourth down. The Lions have a roster with one of the best running back tandems in the league, Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery.

Furthermore, a glance at Petzing’s time in Glendale would spotlight Trey McBride. McBride has grown under the aegis of Petzing. McBride has transformed into the NFL’s most productive tight end in 2025, leading the position in receptions (126), receiving yards (1,239), and touchdowns (11). It has to do with Petzing’s usage of multiple tight ends in an offensive formation, favoring 12- and 13-personnel.

It’s just not about McBride. Petzing’s previous tenure as tight ends coach in Cleveland had elevated Austin Hooper and David Njoku. He also worked closely with Kyle Rudolph during his years in various roles with the Minnesota Vikings.

With Sam LaPorta returning in 2026, Petzing could be of much benefit for the tight end. The Lions could also be seen drafting a tight end in the latter stages of the upcoming draft to employ the 12 and 13 personnel packages.

Last but not least, the Arizona Cardinals beat reporter Donnie Druin noted that Petzing’s offense, once they get going, could be difficult for the defenses to predict. He might just be the one to bring the Lions back to the playoffs.

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