Detroit Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown: Big games against brother 'always means a little more'
Amon-Ra St. Brown has gone from underdog to All-Pro (almost), but the third-year Detroit Lions receiver said his job hasn't changed despite his higher profile.
"I think for me, like you said, consistency is the biggest thing and that’s I think one of the hardest things in this league is to be consistent," St. Brown. "And that’s really what I pride myself on is trying to be consistent, so trying to do it every week is tough, it’s hard. But I think I put the work in every week to try to go out there and do it, to give myself the best chance to do it, and to go perform."
A fourth-round pick by the Lions in 2021, St. Brown famously used his draft day snub as fuel for the impressive start to his NFL career.
The 17th receiver taken, St. Brown leads all 2021 draft picks with 261 receptions and is second with 2,894 receiving yards behind Ja'Marr Chase.
"Every week it might not be 100 yards, it might not be two touchdowns, whatever it is, but if I can impact the game in any way, whether that’s run blocking, making a block down the field after say Sam (LaPorta) catches a third-and-5, he catches it short, I make a block to help him get that first down, whatever it is, if I can impact the game, help this team win, that’s the biggest thing," St. Brown said. "The numbers, stats, all that, I mean it’s nice, but those’ll come with hard work and just keep doing your job every day. I think it’ll come, but for me it’s just being consistent as a player."
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With 65 catches for 821 yards and four touchdowns through nine games, St. Brown, who missed one of those games with an abdominal injury, is on pace for career-highs of 123 catches and 1,551 yards and eight touchdowns this year.
He remains motivated by his draft day snub, but also has found inspiration in personal goals. St. Brown said he keeps a list of long-term goals in a notebook that he reads before every game and every practice.
He declined to share those goals Thursday, but said they revolve around "everything" from stats to personal and team accomplishments. If he reaches 123 catches, he will tie Herman Moore's franchise record.
"For me it’s just taking it each week at a time, making sure I’m putting in my work and every day during the week get ready for the game and like I said, on gameday it’s just a time for me to kind of go out there and show everyone what I can do," he said.
Last week, St. Brown had a career-high 156 yards receiving against the Los Angeles Chargers. On Sunday, he'll square off against a Chicago Bears team that employs his brother, Equanimeous.
"It's a lot of fun," St. Brown said. "I get to talk to him before the game, after the game, so to have a good game against the Bears it always means a little more."
Injury update
Left guard Jonah Jackson missed his second straight practice with a wrist injury. Jackson wore a brace or cast on his right wrist when he entered the locker room at the end of Thursday's 45-minute open locker room period. Defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs missed his second straight practice with an illness, and the Lions held Frank Ragnow (toe/back) a veteran rest day.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown: Consistency is key to big season
