PHILADELPHIA — Hours after video surfaced of him saying things are “a s—show” outside of his family life, Eagles receiver A.J. Brown got to the root of his frustration.
In comments to the media at his locker late Wednesday afternoon, Brown said his discontent is with Philadelphia’s offense as a whole, not his own situation.
And he’s not apologizing for what he said.
“It’s not just solely about my situation. I want to win, too,” he said. “I think if we’re really focused on winning and doing our job, we can’t just keep slapping a Band-Aid over the defense doing their job and getting us out of trouble. At what point are we going to pick up our slack as an offense?
“That’s what I’m getting at. It’s not about, ‘I don’t care about winning, all I care about is stats.’ No. It’s been week after week sometimes we’re not doing our job on offense. You can’t keep slapping a Band-Aid over that and expect to win late in the year and think you’re going to go to that at the end of the year. It’s not going to f—ing happen.”
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Brown was targeted three times in Monday’s 10-7 win over the Green Bay Packers and finished with two catches for 13 yards.
On Wednesday morning, video surfaced showing streamer JankyRondo playing a game of “Madden.” At one point, the gamer asked Brown if everything was going well.
“I mean, no,” Brown responded. “Where have you been? Family is good. Everything else, no. It’s a s—show.”
Asked about the video Wednesday, Brown said he was “just talking to my friend, having fun with my friend. I’m not apologizing for that. Because if you have eyes, you can see that. It’s not that I was throwing anybody under the bus. I’m literally trying to laugh through this s—.
“This s— is tough. But I’m trying to make fun of the situation to try to get through it.”
Speaking earlier Wednesday, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said he didn’t think Brown’s continued voicing of his discontentment has become a distraction to the team.
“No, I don’t think so,” Sirianni said. “You can only go from your interactions with everybody and the way they go about their work on a daily basis that you guys aren’t able to see. But no, it’s business as usual.”
Brown has 31 catches for 408 yards and three touchdowns in eight games this season. He’s on pace to finish with 867 receiving yards, which would be a career low.
The reigning Super Bowl champions rank 25th in the NFL in passing yards (191.7) and 12th in points per game (24.2). Third-down offense also has been an issue; they are 27th with a conversion rate of 42.4% and have gone three-and-out on 41% of their drives, which ranks 28th.
“Last year is what it was, thank you for the ring, but it’s a new season,” Brown said. “They adapted, we have to adapt, and we have to continue to get better and find new ways. That’s where the frustration comes in. … I want to win, yes, and help contribute as well and do our thing on offense as well. I think that’s fair.”
“Last year is what it was, thank you for the ring, but it’s a new season. They adapted, we have to adapt, and we have to continue to get better and find new ways. That’s where the frustration comes in … I want to win, yes, and help contribute as well and do our thing on offense as well. I think that’s fair.”
Eagles WR A.J. Brown
Brown has voiced his frustration on social media multiple times this season, including after wins.
Sirianni was asked how he can reconcile his statement that it’s been “business as usual” with the receiver when his latest comments seem to contradict that.
“I’m close to being done answering these questions with this,” Sirianni said. “He’s working hard and he is a big part of this game plan [for Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions] and he’ll be a big part of the game plan going forward. He’s working like crazy when he’s here, and I’m excited to have him.”
Similarly, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts shut down questions about Brown after a few queries from the media Wednesday.
“We’ve got the Detroit Lions [this week], so I’m definitely going to put a halt to that,” he said. “The more we drive that, the more of a distraction it becomes. And I think ultimately, it’s about the group.”
The Eagles leaned conservative Monday night, particularly on third-and-longs in what developed into a defensive contest with the Packers. Brown was targeted only twice over the first 59 minutes of the game before Hurts went to him on a deep pass on fourth-and-6 from the Packers 35-yard line that fell incomplete. That gave Green Bay a chance to tie it, but Brandon McManus’ 64-yard attempt was well off the mark, and Philadelphia held on to improve to 7-2.
“If you look at how the game went, there were a lot of plays that are going to [Brown] that for different reasons don’t,” Sirianni said. “For instance, [DeVonta Smith]’s touchdown, that play is going to A.J.; they took it away, and [Hurts] threw it over the top. You can’t look at stats and just say this is what’s happening. You can’t paint the picture that way.
“A.J. Brown is one of the best receivers in the NFL, so of course we’re trying to get him involved in the game every single time.”
