The last month in Philadelphia has been terrible, to the point where they’ve had to introspect to understand the issues in Week 18.
Now isn’t the best time for this, especially with the postseason rapidly approaching. However, growth often stems from uncomfortable circumstances, something A.J. Brown has recently been experiencing.
Brown has receded into the shadows in the biggest moments of the Eagles’ last month, not entirely by his own doing, but as a result of Philadelphia’s offensive dysfunction. Both head coach Nick Sirianni and offensive coordinator Brian Johnson have admitted they’re frustrated and need to create more opportunities for Brown to make a difference. Brown, meanwhile, has declined to speak to reporters while in such a displeased state, fueling a new narrative in which Brown is featured as a malcontent.
On Wednesday, Brown tried to clarify things.
“Truthfully, I refrained from speaking to the media after the game to avoid negativity,” Brown shared with reporters in the Eagles locker room. “I had already accepted that we’re facing a challenging period. As a person, my personal response is to get back to work. There’s nothing else I can do about it. As I mentioned post-game, I was brought up on the principle that if I don’t have anything nice to say, I better say nothing. So, I won’t exacerbate the negative situation by adding to it.”
“So you guys can write more negative stuff. You guys watch the games, too, you guys already know. That’s why I was like there’s nothing more than I can say – I’m not trying to make it worse than it is. And then on top of that, everything that I do, if I say something or I do anything I’m classified as a monster, honestly. Honestly, it’s the opposite. You saw my frustration on the field about the play call. It was about my guy getting banged up. I’m gonna need Smitty (DeVonta Smith) moving forward.”
Brown stated that he had apologized to his teammates for making them answer on his behalf and clarified to the media that he did not harbor any resentment towards them for their coverage. He also sought to underscore one key fact: he holds no ill feelings towards his coaches; in fact, he feels quite the opposite.
“I could tell you that there may be things that Nick (Sirianni) wants to fix about himself and I’ll say, but one thing I can respect: Loyalty is not one of them,” Brown said. “And I say that because he takes up for us when it has nothing to do with him, and he gets the blame. But that comes with his job, and sometimes Jalen (Hurts) does the same thing. Just like Brian (Johnson), he gets the wrong end of the stick sometimes, when it be us.
However, as I emphasized today, the coaches won’t be playing a single snap this year. The responsibility falls on us, not them. As I previously mentioned, a single wrong move can end the entire play. From what you’ve seen, there are both highs and lows. That’s why I believe we’re close to improving. We’re on the brink of overcoming all this adversity and taking the next step forward. We’re right on the edge.
It has certainly been a rather uncomfortable month for the Eagles, who have lost four of their past five games, including last-second defeats at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals. In those two games, defensive breakdowns led to losses. But Philadelphia has also struggled to find a consistent offensive rhythm throughout much of the 2023 campaign, a stark contrast to where the Eagles stood at this point a year ago.
Brown stated his belief that the Eagles will be in the right place due to the great individuals in their locker room. These same individuals have managed to stay out of the intense scrutiny that has been focused on the star receiver for several weeks, and particularly in recent days.
Brown perceives this as a problem, not due to his inability to handle criticism, but because he understands that he’s drawing unwanted negative attention in difficult times. He recognizes that silence is necessary at this moment.
“Another thing I wanted to address is why I felt the need to apologize. You see A.J. Brown frustrated with the Eagles and it becomes all about ‘A.J. this, A.J. that.’ But this isn’t an isolated feeling – everyone in this locker room is feeling the same frustration. So why single me out for expressing this frustration? Is it simply because I’m more visibly emotional, shaking my head, showing my feelings? Look around, everyone in the stadium is exhibiting signs of frustration, their body language says it all. So, I wanted to clarify this – it’s not just about me. We’re all frustrated,” Brown clarified on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, Brown addressed the issue with reporters at a checkpoint, hopefully reducing some of the negative attention focused on the club. However, the bad buzz won’t completely dissipate until the Eagles show results on the field.
Such a process begins Sunday with a regular-season finale against the New York Giants with and a potential NFC East title to clinch with a win and and a Cowboys loss.
