Eagles news: A.J. Brown silences the rumors about team dysfunction, coaching disapproval
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Well, a man is only as good as his word suggests he is, and on 2024's third day, A.J. Brown kept his promise after nearly setting X ablaze with four words. "I will speak tomorrow". The Philadelphia Eagles team captain and star wide receiver hasn't addressed the media for two weeks. That has led to some harsh and often unjustified criticism. The banter has been all over the place.
Some have called him a d'iva'. Some say he's selfish. The verbal attacks usually come from the fans who are teetering on unhealthy fanaticism. It's for those reasons, we'd rather hear from those that know him better, as head coach Nick Sirainni would say, those "who are around him every day".
Here's what we hear when emotion is taken out of the argument and those who know him describe him. Jordan Mailata says he's the quintessential leader and that A.J. has arranged team get-togethers to foster camaraderie. That doesn't sound like a 'diva' to us.
Jason Kelce respects him. DeVonta Smith calls him a brother. We repeat, it's unhinged fans who have found issues with his personality.
Eagles star A.J. Brown speaks with the Philly media as promised.
12 minutes.. It doesn't seem like a long time, but it's a huge number when you factor in players needing to prepare for practice. A.J. Brown spoke to members of the Philly media for 12 minutes. He reasoned that he had declined to speak to the media because he didn't want to add more negativity. He also stated his frustration shown during the Week 18 loss was the result of seeing DeVonta Smith get injured.
The conversation then shifted to Eagles Head Coach Nick Sirianni. Has the team turned on him? No! As a matter of fact, they have found newfound respect for him as he took the blame for some of his players after they determined they would freelance on the final offensive play.
Remember all of that controversy stemming from Nick stating the goal was to draw a flag for pass interference? It turns out Nick wasn't to blame at all.
Check out some of the highlights.
“I didn’t want to be negative. I just have to go back to work. I’m not trying to make it worse”
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) January 3, 2024
-AJ Brown says he was upset about DeVonta Smith getting hurt on the 3rd and 20 not the playcall
“Everybody in the lockeroom is frustrated. I want to win.“ pic.twitter.com/WZ2KPaR9uQ
AJ Brown on why he hasn’t been talking
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) January 3, 2024
Says it isn’t about play calling. Says he didn’t want to be negative. pic.twitter.com/KVRvhP8oT3
#Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown explained why he hasn’t been talking to the media. pic.twitter.com/gQSUuwuHCe
— Garry Cobb (@GarryCobb) January 3, 2024
AJ Brown says he is not mad at Nick Sirianni. Says Sirianni took the blame in the Seattle game on the "drawing the penalty quote" Says Nick fell on the sword for them #Eagles pic.twitter.com/xHSdsHHULU
— Chris Franklin (@cfranklinnews) January 3, 2024
AJ Brown goes into detail about the final play in Seattle
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) January 3, 2024
Says the players improvised that long pass that resulted in an INT. Then Sirianni took full blame to protect the players. Says he really respects that
“I have nothing but respect for him” #Eagles pic.twitter.com/MXvvL1Bc81
AJ Brown says he really respects the loyalty Nick Sirianni has shown during this stretch
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) January 3, 2024
Says the issue is not the playcalling or coaching. Says it’s player execution #Eagles pic.twitter.com/uxIwwCW0Q5
— Chris Franklin (@cfranklinnews) January 3, 2024
Thoughtful... Sincere... Polite... That's the A.J. Brown we have been seeing for two seasons now. With that, we'll leave you with this.
We ask for inside access. We bash players for making emotional statements postgame AFTER PLAYING AN EMOTIONAL GAME FOR THREE HOURS.
A.J. elected, rather than add fuel to the fire, to collect his thoughts and offer a well-thought-out response when he had gotten his emotions together. If that's a 'diva' in your mind or a 'locker-room cancer', we assure you that Number 11 isn't the problem.
Frankly, we tip our caps to him for avoiding the possibility of speaking through emotion and giving the media negative takes to run with. Okay, we're done standing on our soapbox. Can we get back to football now?
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