It was hard to imagine any drama stemming from a 38-7 blowout win in the NFC Divisional Round in a game that was never in doubt. Yet, people walked away from it questioning A.J. Brown’s motives for causing a scene on the sideline as time was winding down.
The star receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles appeared to be pouting with 5:11 left in the fourth quarter. He had been benched due to an undisclosed injury at the time, after making only 3 catches for 22 yards on 6 targets.
Was he upset about getting hurt? Or was he mad about not being more involved in the passing game? It appears both issues were eating at him.
“They throw the ball to me 100 times, I’m going to want it 101 times,” Brown told reporters, via ESPN’s Tim McManus. “Me personally, I just feel like I can change the game at any moment. Getting the ball often keeps you going, keeps you in a rhythm.”
Brown — remember, he owns the Twitter handle “Always Open,” with the same motto slapped on a sign above his locker — acknowledged the chaotic scene on the sideline was the result of frustration boiling over. Then, quickly and maturely, the Pro Bowler fired back at accusations that he was a diva.
“I’m not that guy,” Brown said. “I think that’s what you could describe as a diva, but I’m not that person.”
On the mindset of a top receiver:
“If you throw the ball to me 100 times, I’m going to want it 101 times. Me personally, I just feel like I can change the game at any moment.”
Nick Sirianni Explains What Happened vs. Giants
Head coach Nick Sirianni wasn’t necessarily upset with Brown’s outburst on the sideline. He didn’t want to encourage that kind of behavior, but he didn’t want to condemn it either. He was the first person to go over and calm Brown down when it happened. Sirianni, a firm believer in promoting competitiveness, understood what was going through his star receiver’s mind.
“He’s always going to want the ball. He’s a really good player,” Sirianni told reporters. “Not really anybody in the pass game really got a lot of targets or a lot of opportunities because we were running the ball so well. But that’s what you want from your receivers, to want to have the football.
“Part of the reason why receivers are good is because they want and crave the football. They want the ball to change the game. But make no mistake about it, he was thrilled that we won the football game.”
The head coach has a great perspective on wide receivers. Remember, Sirianni played the position at the University of Mount Union, and then coached it early on his NFL career as an assistant with the Chiefs and Chargers. He gets Brown.
A.J. Brown Absent From Eagles Injury Report
The Eagles released an estimation of an injury report after Wednesday’s walk-through. Good news, Brown wasn’t listed on it. The team did list starting right tackle Lane Johnson (groin) and nickel cornerback Avonte Maddox (toe) as limited participants, something to monitor throughout the week.
Before taking the field, Sirianni was asked about Brown and Maddox specifically. Here’s what he said: “Yeah, we’re expecting everybody to be doing stuff at practice today. We’re hopeful that they’re going to be ready to go, but we’ll take it one day at a time.”
Coach Sirianni gives updates on Avonte Maddox and A.J. Brown.
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Eagles Pro Bowler A.J. Brown Fires Back at Diva Accusation