PHILADELPHIA — There was a second in A.J. Brown’s much-discussed media session following the Eagles-Carolina Panthers recreation in Week 14 when it seemed as if he practically broke character.
He had simply stated “passing” was the problem on offense — a terse response that may later be perceived as a shot at quarterback Jalen Hurts, most notably by teammate Brandon Graham.
A reporter then requested how exhausting it was for a receiver to get right into a rhythm when the offense was not passing the ball a lot.
“Extremely robust,” Brown stated with a straight face, earlier than wanting away and letting out a smile and suppressing amusing that did not match the supposed seriousness of his remarks.
Because the drama raged over the following days and Brown’s deserves as a teammate have been debated by numerous pundits, he modified his Instagram profile picture to a picture of the Joker from the film “The Darkish Knight.”
Brown did not anticipate the kind of firestorm ignited by his authentic feedback, however he did acknowledge final week that his phrases have been intentional, designed to shift the main focus to the slumping cross recreation so it may very well be mounted earlier than it was too late. It is a part of his distinctive management model that has led to him being misunderstood publicly however appreciated by his friends internally over his two-plus years with the Eagles.
“I am OK with being no matter dangerous man I’ve to be for the town, the city, regardless of the case could also be,” he stated, “to carry all people accountable, be accountable, and to get higher. If I am that man I might be that man, gladly.”
The scrutiny from the surface helped spark what fellow receiver DeVonta Smith stated have been lots of “robust” and “uncomfortable” conversations main into final week’s recreation towards the Pittsburgh Steelers. Brown spoke of additional conferences between gamers and coaches that emphasised bettering particulars and communication within the passing recreation.
The outcomes could not have been extra clear: After three straight weeks of being held below 180 yards by the air, Hurts went 25-of-32 for 290 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 27-13 win over Pittsburgh, marking the Eagles’ 10th straight victory. With issues over the aerial assault largely alleviated, Philadelphia seems arrange in addition to any group within the NFL to make a run at a championship.
Brown will not be shy about wanting the ball, and his feedback actually appeared to assist him to that finish: after solely 4 targets towards the Panthers, he obtained a season-high 11 targets towards the Steelers, resulting in eight catches for 110 yards and a landing.
However the consensus within the locker room is that his want to be concerned is linked to his perception that it helps give his group the most effective likelihood of profitable.
He has a powerful argument. The Hurts-Brown connection is No. 1 within the NFL this season in yards per goal (12.1), in comparison with a mean of seven yards when Hurts targets the remainder of his playmakers, per ESPN Analysis. Hurts’ QBR jumps from 58 to 96 when throwing to Brown, whereas the primary down charge goes from 33% to 59%.
The stat that reveals Brown’s impression probably the most is that the Eagles are 10-0 with him within the lineup in comparison with 1-2 within the video games he sat out earlier within the season due to a hamstring harm.
“A.J. is likely one of the finest folks we now have on this group. Simply know he deeply cares about being a fantastic soccer participant. I do know he deeply cares about his teammates. And I get to see that every day,” coach Nick Sirianni stated.
“A.J. has been phenomenal for the reason that day he stepped foot onto this group. Man, I believe the best way he is performed elevates all people. The way in which he performs soccer elevates all people.”
Saquon Barkley just lately stated Brown was the most effective participant on the group throughout a lighthearted interview with Graham’s daughter. When he was with the New York Giants, Barkley and quarterback Daniel Jones used to observe movie of Brown and discuss his elite palms, noting how the ball “would not transfer in any respect” as soon as in Brown’s grasp.
“He is a freak of nature,” Barkley stated. “He weighs the identical as me, he is greater than me and he can transfer like me. I simply can’t run routes like him.
“I believe he is a fantastic chief. That is one thing that you do not know strolling into the door, me clearly being the brand new man right here. … Clearly vast receivers may need a preconceived notion of how folks view them, however our relationship and the best way he is available in right here, you possibly can’t hear nobody on this locker room say something detrimental about that man.”
It is debatable whether or not Brown’s shows of frustration — intentional or not — are all the time productive. There have been a number of moments final season when he was animated on the sideline or let his consternation over inefficiencies within the offense result in poor physique language on the sphere.
Because the season began going sideways towards the top of 2023, he’d generally present his discontent in media periods, the best way he did after the Carolina recreation, and generally he’d decline to talk altogether, below the precept of “if I’ve nothing good to say I am not going to say nothing in any respect.” That each one helped gas the sensation that every one was not nicely contained in the NovaCare facility partitions.
On this case, it seems his techniques have been the shot within the arm this offense wanted because the 12-2 Eagles gear up for what they hope is a protracted postseason run.
“I do not suppose we see him as a nasty man, we see him as a frontrunner,” Smith stated when requested about Brown’s feedback on taking part in that position. “He has a ‘C’ on his chest for a [reason]. He has each proper to carry folks accountable.”
Added Brown: “We’re not in it for emotions. We’re not in it attempting to carry all people’s hand. … We’re attempting to carry up a Lombardi Trophy. That is the top purpose. So who cares if [the public] desires to spin it and understand me as a nasty man, that I am throwing anyone below the bus, who cares? It is about what we’re attempting to do on the finish.”
