Philadelphia Eagles star A.J. Brown does everything full speed, no stop. And he does it with a shameless thousand-watt smile. It makes him a little hard to read sometimes, which is exactly why he’s such a tough cover.
You see, Brown prides himself on running through the catch and bulldozing anyone in his way. That could be via a nasty stiff arm, or two-man foot race. The one-time Pro Bowler is going to whatever it takes to win the matchup.
“I think anytime the ball is in my hands, it could be an explosive play, that’s how I think,” Brown told reporters. “I’m always … whenever I got the ball in my hand, how can I turn this into 10 extra yards? That’s my first initial thought. I gotta get 10 every time I touch it, and if I actually get 10, I may even go for 30.”
Brown has been the best wide receiver at training camp, not to mention the most targeted. On Tuesday, the 6-foot-1 ball magnet went up for a contested catch – hiding his hands until the very last minute so as not to tip off the defender – but James Bradberry met him in the air and knocked it out. Great offense, better defense.
A.J. Brown grew up idolizing Julio Jones, hence why he uses the stiff arm. But don’t be fooled. He’s fast.
“I know whenever a guy stops his feet, I got him. Once I get in front of him, I don’t think I’ve been caught yet … I know I can’t get caught.” #Eagles #FlyEaglesFly
It’s a technique Brown works on to fool opposing cornerbacks. Nine out of 10 times Brown is probably going to win that battle. Then again, Brown isn’t going up against a corner as talented as Bradberry 9 out of 10 times.
“I call it late hands. I’m giving him late hands,” Brown said “I keep them around. I’m in drive phase, with my arms swinging, he doesn’t know where the ball is at, so I just try to stay calm and relaxed and throw my hands up last minute and make a catch. I call it winning late, too. If I don’t win the release, I gotta win late.”
Bradberry breaks up pass to AJ Brown in 1-1 drill on sidleine, then Brown says “good play, baby.” It was. #Eagles
Then, Brown’s voice trailed off a bit, but the smile didn’t fade: “Man, I’m giving away all my jewels.”
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Flashing Big Personality, with Pro Bowl Skills
Brown has been better than advertised on the field through nine practices. Yet his personality might be the best part of his game, an underrated selling point that has Eagles fans swooning with each twinkle of Brown’s eye. Some 30,000 rowdies serenaded him with cheers at Sunday night’s live scrimmage as he hauled in a 30-yard touchdown. He heard every one of them, hence why he broke his cardinal rule of not diving during practice.
“I was in game mode. I felt the fans, the energy from them, that’s why they probably got the reaction,” Brown said. “I even caught myself diving afterward, making the play on the ball, and I don’t dive in practice. That’s the rule. You never dive in practice.”
Another angle of Jalen Hurts ➡️ AJ Brown
Looks like Brown made a one-handed grab
Running through every catch? That’s a different story. That’s something he does on every single rep.
“I know the majority of the time guys don’t want to tackle [me] so I try to keep running,” Brown said. “Run through every catch, that’s what I try to do.”
Not Wearing Another Man’s Initials
His response to a reporter’s question about his diamond “JB” necklace was going viral on Tuesday after practice. The joke was that the “JB” stood for James Bradberry. No, it doesn’t. Those are the initials of his daughter, Jersee Brown.
The question appeared to be in jest since Bradberry beat him 1-on-1 at practice. Everyone was laughing. And Brown had fun with it, too.
“Do you think I have another man’s initials around my neck? Nah, that’s funny though,” Brown said. “You trying to get a reaction out of me. That’s what it was, yeah, you got it.”
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Eagles Star A.J. Brown Reveals Secret Technique: ‘I Call It Late Hands’