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This week, social media was flooded with reports and speculation that Eagles Pro Bowl wideout A.J. Brown was embroiled in a feud with the team’s coaching staff. Today, Wednesday, January 3rd, though, the fifth-year wide receiver spoke to the media and tried to put those rumors to bed.
The Eagles have lost four of their last five games after starting the year 10-1. Just a week ago, on December 26th, fellow wideout Devonta Smith spoke to the media directly, saying, “As an offense, we’re not where we want to be. I’m not satisfied. Yeah, we got 11 wins. I’m not happy. It needs to be better for what I want to do, what everybody else in here wants to do, what we want to be. We’re nowhere near that, so no, I’m not happy.”
It Wasn’t Just One Incident That Led to Speculation of a Feud
Looking back, the phrase “I’m not happy” had to have colored the way reporters processed Brown’s lack of response in not meeting with the media for two straight weeks and then this past Sunday when he said, “I’m not about to talk. There’s nothing to say.”
What also added to media members assuming Brown’s frustration, aside from him being visibly upset on the sidelines, was a report from Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Inquirer. In his article, Hayes reports that, according to teammates, Brown was dissatisfied with the coaching staff due to his lack of usage in the second half against the Cardinals.
All of this, along with critiques of offensive coordinator Brian Johnson’s play calling and head coach Nick Sirianni’s handling of post-game interviews, led to a narrative that affected how fans and analysts interpreted Brown’s silence. Today, though, he finally spoke out, and even apologized.
“I’m a man. I can speak for myself, I was actually looking forward to seeing one of the reporters today who wrote a story saying a veteran said something about me, I was going to ask them, ‘Who was the veteran?’… I try to be careful with what I say because I know you guys are still going to write it up how you want to write it up, I was a journalism major. That’s your job.”
This quote seemed to refer to Hayes’ article in the Philadelphia Inquirer directly.
Brown Came to His Coaches’ Defense
Another quote from the same interview that has been making the rounds on social is, “The coaches played zero snaps this year. It is not the coaches.”
Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP tweeted today, showing Brown going into detail about the game against Seattle, where a long pass resulted in an interception. Brown claims Sirianni took the blame for the players’ improvisations that led to a failed play.
Amongst other things, Brown says, “That was on us. We did that.” Then, he ends the rant, saying, “I have nothing but respect for him,” talking about his head coach.
Brown also talked about the highly criticized final drive of the Cardinals game, saying, “Brian (Johnson) is getting crucified on the play call on that second play. If somebody goes to the left and blocks a certain person, it’s a 30-yard TD by Jalen.”
Jason Kelce also came to Johnson’s defense on his podcast “New Heights” where he breaks down the thinking behind the play calling and what went wrong.
Brown’s Words Could Serve As a Catalyst, But Is It Too Little Too Late?
It’s been a tough stretch, but hearing this level of authenticity and loyalty from a star player like Brown is what’s needed if this Eagles team is going to make a turn before the playoffs.
In his own words, “We’re right there. All this freaking adversity? We’re right there. That’s what happens when you try to get to the next step. Gravity pulls against you. Everything pulls against you. And I think we’re going to fight through it, push through it, and be fine. We have the right people in this locker room. We’re going to get it right.”
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