Amon-Ra St. Brown Adjusts to Double-Team Coverage: 'They Have to Defend Me'

The third-year wideout is adjusting to increased defensive attention.

Amon-Ra St. Brown is no secret amongst the NFL circles anymore. The Detroit Lions wideout has emerged as a star in his third season. 

As a result, he has been drawing increased attention from opposing defenses. In Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs, he saw several double teams, including in key situations and on third downs. 

"There was a few doubles, yeah. Obviously on third down, but we kind of assumed that going into the game," the wideout stated. "So Ben (Johnson) does a good job of drawing up plays where you can assume, maybe third down, third-and-short that they're gonna double me and they did in that game and we kind of anticipated that going in. I would say a little different than the last two years but third down, Jared likes to throw to me on third down. You can tell if you watch the film. We did a good job." 

The third-year veteran faces a potential interesting test on Sunday. Seattle may choose to deploy rookie defensive back Devon Witherspoon on him. The Illinois product has no NFL tape as he missed the season opener. 

St. Brown said he focuses his preparation more on his personal play and putting the pressure on the opponent to adapt to him, rather than making decisions based on opposing tendencies. 

"Not really. For me, I feel like, our coaches do a good job showing us the tape, different tendencies on the defense and coverages they like to run," St. Brown added. "But for me, at the end of the day, they have to defend me. If I go right, they have to go right. So it's more so for me, making sure I do what I've gotta do because at the end of the day, the defender is gonna change, every play maybe. So you never know what you're gonna get out there." 

Witherspoon is a player who the Lions scouted throughout the draft process this offseason. He's a physical cornerback who can also excel in coverage. Should he debut Sunday and match-up with St. Brown, he could present a solid test against the budding veteran star.

"Yeah, it's challenging because there's just not much to go off," offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said. "I think, as a whole, you can see how the group is coached and the various techniques that they display based on the coverages and you kind of project that onto him as well. But yeah, there's a lot of unknown where (Witherspoon) will be, where he'll line up and where he'll play." 

Getting revenge

The Lions have struggled to keep the Seattle Seahawks in check over the last two seasons. In each of those years, Pete Carroll's team has emerged victorious over Dan Campbell's. 

Now, the Lions are hoping to ride the high of the home opener and bounce back from those previous defeats. 

"They have beat us the last two times we've played them and I think we know that. We understand that, they're a good team," St. Brown explained. "No matter what happened last week. Pete Carroll always has their guys ready to go, especially coming off a loss. We know that feeling, you want to go out there and prove everyone wrong and show them that you're not what you put on tape that last week. So we know they're gonna come out ready. They're a good bunch, they've got playmakers especially on offense and defense. It's gonna be a good game, I can't wait." 

Likely avoiding NFL fine

St. Brown has likely not been fined for his touchdown celebration against the Chiefs despite warnings from officials. 

If he does it again, he will be penalized. As a result, he is searching for a new dance for his next score. So far, he has yet to decide on his next move. 

"I'm still thinking about it. I've got to go in with a plan every time I touch that paint," the wide receiver said. "So I'll have a plan ready by game time." 

Cracking down on illegal alignment

NFL football rules analyst Dean Blandino revealed to Sports Illustrated the NFL sent out a training camp to all teams that revealed several infractions committed by offensive linemen. 

“On the tape this week at the very end, there are several examples of, and a couple from the Thursday night game with Jawaan Taylor, of tackles who are too far back. … That was emphasized on the training tape going into Week 2,” Blandino said. “I would expect, just from my experience, officials watch that training tape. It’s usually a very good learning tool, and it’s good for giving your officials direction. I would expect we will not see the egregious examples we may have seen in Week 1.”