Bussin' With The Boys – "Best of the Bus: Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown & Penei Sewell On The Detroit Lions"

Date: October 25, 2025
Podcast Hosts: Will Compton & Taylor Lewan
Guests: Penei Sewell, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Kenny Golladay

Episode Overview

This special “Best of the Bus” episode brings together Detroit Lions stars Penei Sewell (OT), Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR), and Kenny Golladay (WR) for candid conversations with Will Compton and Taylor Lewan. They cover Detroit’s football renaissance, go deep on team culture, leadership, and mentorship, and share their perspectives on personal growth, family, and the changing landscape of both college and pro football. Sprinkled throughout are anecdotes on coaching, locker room vibes, and the "little joys" of NFL grind, all delivered in the bus's signature blend of heartfelt candor and locker room humor.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Detroit Lions: The Cool Team Surge

Timestamp: [02:00]–[03:53]

• The hosts open by declaring the Lions “cool,” a major cultural shift for the long-maligned franchise.
• Penei Sewell shares he never saw Detroit as a negative landing spot in the draft, especially with current leadership:

  “Let’s just get that out the way… You didn't have Campbell, you didn't have Holmes… I think it's the best decision of my life, to be honest.” — Penei Sewell [02:43]

• He expected to be picked by Cincinnati but quickly embraced Detroit.

2. Breaking the Losing Culture – The Blueprint & Leadership

Timestamp: [03:53]–[05:46]

• Sewell reflects on the emotional toll of the rookie season’s losses and the slow, deliberate cultural change. The team began with a long winless streak in his rookie year:

  “Never been a part of something like that... Just to see our growth from there… it just makes you love the game.” — Penei Sewell [03:53]

• Credit to GM Brad Holmes and coach Dan Campbell for fostering a new, positive environment.

On Dan Campbell’s Coaching Style:

• Coach Campbell is beloved, but players joke about his meandering, motivational meetings:

  “[He’ll] go on a spiel… take a break… [and] totally just veer off another direction… talking about football… then suddenly about his dog.” – Penei Sewell [04:31–05:12] “Then dog love steak or something like that... That’s probably the one thing, you know.” — Penei Sewell [05:14]

• “You can see his heart racing too. He’s just like breathing heavily…” — Sewell, on Campbell’s passionate delivery [05:33]

3. O-Line Culture: Standards & Traditions

Timestamp: [05:46]–[08:19]

• The Lions’ offensive line is described as one of the league’s best. Sewell says they don’t discuss their status much—“just be about it.”
• Rookie duties: Stocking fridges and snacks (Little Debbie’s a must), and sometimes getting special requests like espresso machines for vets.
• O-linemen do a big “white elephant” gift exchange at Christmas ($1,000 minimum), and rookie holiday decorations, but not much for Halloween (though rookies must dress up for the full team) [06:58–08:19].

4. Penei Sewell’s Journey: American Samoa to Detroit

Timestamp: [08:39]–[12:00]

• Started football on the islands, with makeshift equipment. Dad was a coach, mom ran the academics ship.
• Early hardship playing with older, bigger kids shaped his toughness and frame of mind:

  “[Playing] with 13, 14 year olds… I got killed left and right… but that moment is what really set me up for success.” — Penei Sewell [09:00]

• Picks Oregon because of Mario Cristobal and the O-lineman connection.

5. Training Camp Necessities (Tier Talk Segment)

Timestamp: [12:00]–[13:32]

• Penei’s essentials: Phone, Xbox (for NCAA), and being “simple.” No Gold Bond or special rituals for him.
• Hosts joke about rookie traditions, long practice days, and hotel life.

6. Contract Splurges & Personal Life

Timestamp: [19:01]–[20:11]

• Sewell’s rookie contract used sensibly—bought a house, then a “TRX” truck.
• His “big contract” splurge: jewelry for his wife, noting he just got married two weeks prior (“Not yet” on the honeymoon, but “Bali’s calling my name a little bit”).

  “Honestly, not much. Other than jewelry.” — Penei Sewell [19:49]

7. Amon-Ra St. Brown: Upbringing, Family, Motivation

Timestamp: [20:35]–[24:55]

• His father’s unconventional, motivational tough love is recounted:

  “The car ride home is always hell. That’s the last thing you want to do after a bad game…” — Amon-Ra St. Brown [21:33]

• Dad’s constant coaching didn’t stop after Amon-Ra reached college or the NFL:

  “He just wants me to, you know, keep going, keep going. And I get it, but I love him to death.” [22:32]

• On his dad’s viral sayings:

  “You can either listen to me or listen to yourself, but if I were you, I would listen to me” [24:09]

• The “Saint Brown Podcast” is their family’s pod, dropping every Wednesday during the season.

8. Playing “Pissed Off” and The Infamous “Chip on the Shoulder”

Timestamp: [28:39]–[33:35]

• St. Brown describes always having a chip on his shoulder, fueled by competitiveness, sibling rivalry, and being a 4th round draft pick despite five-star high school status.

  “I hated losing… I can’t let my brother outdo me…” — Amon-Ra St. Brown [28:57]

• He’s aware of doubters, but has outgrown worrying about them:

  “Now I'm at a point in my career where it's like, I'm worried about… the Super Bowl. That's the biggest thing…” [32:31]

• He’s trying to grow as a “vocal leader” but prefers to lead by example:

  “That’s not who I am… when I DO say something, people are listening.” [34:52]

9. Big Ten Realignment & College Football Banter

Timestamp: [35:26]–[41:09]

• The group debates USC’s chances in the Big Ten and lampoon the conference realignment headaches, getting in some cross-coastal rivalry jokes.
• Amon-Ra on his recruiting visit to Michigan:

  “It’s raining like crazy… Vibes were low. Recruiting coordinator wasn’t feeling. I’m good, bro.” [40:10]

10. Professional Accomplishments & Wide Receiver Talk

Timestamp: [41:09]–[42:49]

• St. Brown humbly reflects on breaking Calvin Johnson’s “youngest to 1,000 yards” record.

  “Being in the same conversation as him is an honor, but I gotta keep going...” — Amon-Ra St. Brown [41:09]

• Top 3 WRs he likes to watch (not a literal ranking): Davante Adams, Keenan Allen, Justin Jefferson [42:20].

11. Locker Room Culture & Locker Room Guys

Timestamp: [46:23]–[47:03]

• Amon-Ra shouts out Jamar Jefferson, Khalif Raymond, and Kirby Joseph for locker room vibes.
• Kenny Golladay gives love to Graham Glasgow, Tavon Austin, and David Montgomery as some of his all-time favorite teammates ("Graham's one of my favorite teammates of all time.” [48:56]).

12. The Dan Campbell Question: Pet Peeves

Timestamp: [49:50]–[50:25]

• Golladay plays it safe:

  “Just how consistent he is. He’s hard to keep up with.” — Kenny Golladay [50:04]

  • Admits Campbell will “get long winded, pause and take a break for like a minute, yeah, three minutes long.” [50:13]

13. Midwest vs. West Coast Fans & Atmosphere

Timestamp: [50:44]–[52:09]

• Golladay compares hardcore Detroit fans to laid-back LA:

  “The people around here just live, breathe, die football… In LA, there’s just a lot of things to do that aren’t football.” [50:48]

• On winning the division:

  “Our fans deserve it… They’ve been through a lot here and we were able to give them a little slice of joy...” [51:51]

14. Playoff Runs, Trade Emotions, and the Business Side

Timestamp: [52:09]–[54:55]

• Golladay details the range of emotions facing his former team (Rams) in the playoffs; his focus was on what the game meant to the city.
• On being traded from LA:

  “There was just no true communication… As soon as I talked to Brad and Dan... it flipped very quickly…” [53:44]

• Realization of the NFL as a business:

  “You were a high-paid quarterback… There’s always, like, once you taste that or you get cut… you’re kind of shunned by it.” [54:32]

15. Super Bowl Aspirations & Mindset

Timestamp: [55:23]–[56:58]

• The team openly aims for the Super Bowl, a departure from “one game at a time” clichés:

  “We’re not afraid to say that, like you said. And I think it’s because, you know, we did taste it last year.” — Golladay [55:42]

• Once they won a playoff game, the goal instantly became “let’s go win the Super Bowl.” [56:42]

16. Funny Locker Room & Training Camp Moments (Shout Out – No Free Shout Out)

Timestamp: [58:01]–[63:41]

• Small joys and jokes: downtime with teammates, rookie antics (faking rumors of canceled practice), surprise practice off, cloud coverage during dog days, hiding hot dogs at halftime.
• The importance of camaraderie and pranks in surviving camp.

  “Shout out no free shout out: cloud coverage… All of a sudden clouds just start rolling through and you have a nice breeze during practice. That is a godsend.” [60:24]

• Revealed: Charlie’s a “hot dog” (glizzy) guy—so is Golladay, secretly.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “This rookie class has been great, honestly.” — Penei Sewell on rookies upholding O-line traditions [07:35]
• “I’m always in the dark, the sweat and dead sh—” — Amon-Ra St. Brown [14:16]
• “As a kid… Our football was like a bottle, we’d fill the bottom with sand… that’d be our football.” — Penei Sewell [11:22]
• “You can either listen to me or listen to yourself, but if I were you, I would listen to me.” — Amon-Ra St. Brown imitating his dad [24:09]
• “We just want to win a Super Bowl. Whatever it takes.” — Amon-Ra St. Brown [32:31]
• “The stadium’s got to be one of the loudest stadiums in the league now.” — Kenny Golladay on Detroit home crowd [51:42]
• “You definitely should get an O lineman. They all perform very well.” — Podcast Host, on beer games success [47:51]
• "Would you cut your dick off for a Super Bowl?"
  "I like to think I have enough life ability to do it without doing that." — Kenny Golladay [57:11]
• “If you're just doing it, like leaving behind some chaos... that’s not cool. But to your buddy, yeah, it's great.” — Kenny Golladay on salt pranks [61:33]

Fun & Lighthearted Segments

American Ninja Warrior Locker Room Candidate

If you needed to save the world, who would run the Ninja Warrior obstacle course?

• Nominees: Khalif Raymond (springy + explosive), David Montgomery (built like a "created player" and sneaky athletic).

Training Camp “Shout Out No Free Shout Out” Picks:

• Surprise practice off
• Cloud coverage on hot days
• Downtime/hanging with teammates between meetings
• Rookie pranks/gaslighting about “movie day”
• Coach pulling you for reduced reps

Closing Energy

The episode radiates optimism and self-deprecating humor, but also honesty about the grind and expectations in Detroit. Players are humble but driven, committed to the new standard for the franchise—and aware of the “special” Lions vibe among both locker room and fans.

Additional Topics & Segments

• College football travel and conference realignment woes
• Locker room pranks, fantasy football, and preferences (Amon-Ra doesn't play, Golladay is a hot dog guy)
• Favorite Eminem tracks, being in the Michigan-Michigan State crossfire, and random team/beer games banter

For Listeners New to the Podcast

This episode offers a blend of football insights, locker room culture, and personal backstories, giving fans a rare look into the personalities and rituals that define Detroit’s resurgence. You’ll get both the laughs and the leadership lessons, and a taste of the city pride that’s fueling the Lions’ Super Bowl-or-bust mindset.