The Philadelphia Eagles are under a ton of scrutiny after a horrific loss to the Arizona Cardinals. With the loss, the Eagles lost the lead in the NFC East race and have dropped down to the fifth seed in the NFC. Frustrations over the past month have been plenty for both fans and seemingly within the team. A lot of the frustration from the players has been apparent on the field, and many have been criticizing receiver A.J. Brown for his body language over the last four weeks.
Brown refused to speak with the media after the game last week, only stirring up more negative headlines for the team. However, he decided to come out and let all his thoughts out in front of the media on Wednesday. He shared a lot of interesting bits that shed light onto the Eagles locker room and the feelings they likely all are sharing now, including thoughts on Nick Sirianni and Brian Johnson.
I will speak tomorrow.
— AJ BROWN (@1kalwaysopen_) January 2, 2024
AJ Brown Shed Light on the Philadelphia Eagles Situation
Eagles Still Behind Sirianni and Johnson
The most intriguing thing that Brown shared with the media were comments about both his head coach and offensive coordinator. Brown shared his praise for Sirianni’s loyalty and the compassion he has for the players. In one moment in the Seattle Seahawks game, Brown shared how Sirianni shouldered the blame for the Eagles player’s mistake. Brown said, “We messed that up. We improvised and we went on our own and Nick came out and said he wanted to go and get a flag or something crazy like that. He really made himself look like a fool for us.” Brown made a point to quell the concerns over Sirianni’s control of the locker room and proved that the players still love playing for Sirianni, even through the frustration.
As for Brian Johnson, Brown also shared how he felt like he was getting a lot of hate and criticism over things that were not on him, but the players. Brown believes the Eagles problems are more on the player’s execution rather than the scheme or play calling. Brown went out of his way to take some of the heat on the coaching staff positively. His comments he had today really showed a bond of unity between the players and the coaches and a reminder they’re all together in this. “We’re ridin’ with Nick, we’re ridin’ with Brian. We’ve just got to come out and play ball.”
A.J. Brown Was Mad About Devonta Smith’s Injury, Not About Targets
Brown also cleared the air on a situation on the sidelines that saw him visibly upset and frustrated against the Cardinals. He said that situation was due to an injury Devonta Smith suffered while blocking on that drive, and it was not him being mad about a lack of targets. Brown admitted that he is frustrated about the Eagles current state, but he said that everyone was, fans included. Brown said that he has been singled out a lot in these types of situations, and he feels he is being vilified when everyone is frustrated, not just him. He also apologized to the entire team on Wednesday as he felt that all the players were seeing that he was upset with the team everywhere they looked.
A lot of what Brown said is true, and emotion is a hard thing to judge for fans on the outside. Every fan wants their players to have emotion and care about winning, but in certain situations, they crucify those same types of emotions when the team is struggling. It hit Brown hard this year but coming out and being transparent with his team and eventually, the fans and media was a very admirable thing to do. Eagles receiver and one of the greatest in the last twenty years, Julio Jones, shared his thoughts on A.J. Brown. “At the end of the day, you’re going to have stats, you’re going to have everything, it’s all about being a great teammate and putting the team first, … And he gets it. He’s a young player, he’s a phenomenal player, but he gets it.”
The Breakdown of A.J. Brown’s Comments
While there’s so much negativity around the Eagles currently, it was awesome to see Brown come out and reassure fans that the Eagles are still unified. So many of the reports over the last couple of months were leading people to believe this team was ripping apart. But these comments may turn out to be the rallying cry and motivation that could turn the Eagles season around. There are still problems on the field the Eagles are going to need to solve, but gaining confidence and comradery could be a big factor.
The Eagles will have one more game against the New York Giants before they head into the playoffs. The Eagles still have a chance to win the division with a Cowboys loss, but I think fans will be way more interested in how they play against the Giants. Everyone knows the Eagles have the talent to make a deep run even if they haven’t shown it at the end of the season. But we’ve seen the Eagles get hot before and give performances many wouldn’t expect.
Main Photo: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
