A.J. Brown says he let his 'frustrations boil over' but still wants to help the Eagles offense get cooking
Published in Football
PHILADELPHIA — Three days after he mysteriously posted a Scripture passage on social media after the Eagles won but without much of his involvement, A.J. Brown faced cameras and microphones Wednesday and wanted to begin with an opening statement.
The wide receiver’s Sunday evening message, before the Eagles had even taken off from Tampa, Fla., after their 31-25 victory against the Buccaneers that saw him catch just two passes for 7 yards, quoted the gospel of Mark, Chapter 6, Verse 11: “If you’re not welcomed, not listened to, quietly withdraw. Don’t make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way.”
“First off, I want to start off by saying Sunday after the game I let my frustrations boil over,” Brown said Wednesday. “I didn’t speak to the media. I had a chance to correct my frustrations and I continued to let it boil over. That’s on me. I take full accountability for posting that.
“My message on Twitter was not directed at anyone in the building. Not my coaches, not my quarterback, my GM, nobody. I take full accountability. I have open communication with all my coaches and with my quarterback as well.”
What are his frustrations?
“I think it’s normal to have frustrations because of the standard that we hold ourselves to,” Brown said. “We have a lot of talent on offense, and to be honest, defense and special teams have been low-key carrying us. We need to clean up what we need to clean up and get on the same page and play to the ability that we say we can and be who we are. It’s a standard that we preach. It’s easy to have that frustration, I think it’s fair to have that frustration. I just can’t let that boil over.”
Brown’s post overshadowed another Eagles win. They are 4-0, but their offense has at times looked dominant and at other times been dormant. The second half Sunday, when the Eagles did not complete a pass and struggled to run the ball, was a lot like the first half of their Week 3 win over the Los Angeles Rams.
After that game, when Brown helped the passing game open up during a comeback win, the star receiver said he wanted the Eagles to “let your killers do their thing, and play fast and play aggressive.”
But the “inconsistent is starting to be consistent, and that’s where the frustration comes in at,” Brown said Wednesday.
The message, along with Brown’s talk about wanting the ball and wanting the offense to be better, led to speculation that he was unhappy with the Eagles and wanted to depart. He was asked if he’s happy in Philadelphia.
“Absolutely,” he said. “This is home. This is my home. I did it to myself. This is my home. I love it here, but you just see frustration because we want to be great.”
Brown had just one catch on one target for 8 yards in Week 1 and five catches on eight targets for 27 yards in Week 2. In Week 3, he caught six passes, all in the second half, on 10 total targets for 109 yards and a touchdown. The Eagles had a dominant ground attack last season and at times didn’t need to throw it much. This season, running the ball has been an issue, and Brown said he wants to be a part of the solution.
“I think it’s fair to want the ball to get us going,” he said. “Last week against the Rams I caught the sluggo, got the offense going, next play opened up for Dallas Goedert. ... I don’t think it’s a bad thing for wanting the ball. It’s not just for targets or anything or putting numbers up. No, I see that we’re struggling and I’m a guy that wants the ball in those times when we can’t find a way. Give it to me. Like, when the game is on the line, give the ball to me. I want that. I want that pressure. I put it on myself, and I work hard for it.
“That’s where [you can] misconstrue whatever perspective you can about me, but it is what it is, and I don’t care, to be honest. My teammates know when the game is on the line, look at me. And I want, shoot, everybody in the stadium to know that. That’s not a secret. I’m not shying away from that.”
Brown said it’s “tough to stay engaged” when the ball isn’t coming in his direction.
Asked about his communication with Jalen Hurts, Brown said it’s not often they talk during games. Brown says he’s quiet on the sideline and isn’t asking for the ball. During the week, he said he and Hurts are “always trying to get better.”
Hurts said he saw Brown’s social media post but wasn’t “going to analyze or speculate it,” he said. “He always wants to contribute, and that remains. Everybody’s focused on trying to get better. Everyone is present here trying to improve.
“Looking at it from a macro perspective, it’s a collective thing. It’s not just two people. It’s about the offense generating and being what we believe it could be, and what we’ve shown it can be.”
Hurts said his relationship with Brown is “good.” Asked to expand, Hurts said: “We share a great passion for this game and we’re focused on this week.”
Brown said he is confident the Eagles will figure out how to be a more consistent offense.
“I trust my coaches,” he said. “I trust Jalen [that] we can get this thing figured out. We’re working toward it and because we see it at times.
“Let’s get this thing fixed before we run into a serious team and now we’re learning from losing instead of learning from winning.”
Brown said the locker room has been “normal” in the days since Sunday.
“I don’t know if they’re putting up a facade, but I think I’m still cool in here,” he said with a smile.
Left tackle Jordan Mailata said the Eagles are “not good enough right now and we know that. We’re our own worst critic.” Mailata wouldn’t say whether Nick Sirianni addressed the Brown issue at Wednesday’s team meeting that normally kick-starts the new game week.
“I think for us, we’ve turned the page,” Mailata said. “We’re focusing on Denver this week. Last week’s drama is last week’s drama. Have we addressed it as teammates? Yes, but we’re going to keep that in-house. As far as the rest of the locker room, we’re moving on to this week.”
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