Eagles Need to Address A.J. Brown’s Criticism Before It Derails Their Season

A.J. Brown hasn’t gone this far before. It seems that the star receiver has been openly criticizing the Philadelphia Eagles. That’s something he’s never done quite like this — and it’s a situation the Eagles would be smart to address.Chatting on a Twitch stream with gamer JankyRondo on Tuesday night, Brown spoke about his discontent while JankyRondo used the Eagles (and Brown) in a game of Madden. “Everything good?” JankyRondo asked.”No. “Where have you been?” Brown laughed. “Family’s good. What else? No.””Everything’s going to click,” JankyRondo said.Brown responded: “A s—show.” A.J. Brown is not happy that he has played in three games this season with less than 15 yards of receiving. Brown clarified the meaning of “s— show” with a little more context. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images). Later, he added: “If you have me on fantasy football, get rid me.” When the gamer showed the stats he’d racked up with Brown in the Madden game, Brown responded: “This [is] the only highlights of damn football I’m living right now.”During Wednesday’s radio show, Nick Sirianni responded to a question on Brown’s comment.”There’s obviously an ability to debate what he meant or what he said,” Sirianni said on 94WIP. “You should focus on your daily interactions with men, rather than what others speculate. … We are in tune to what’s going on here, and the relationships that we have in here, and the process that we have in here. A.J. And A.J.Brown had only two catches against the Packers during Week 10. This is another example of Brown’s up-and down season. He had six receptions for 109 yard and a score against the Rams during Week 3. Brown also turned six targets into 121 yard, two touchdowns and four catches against the Minnesota Vikings during Week 7. But he now has six games with five catches or fewer.It would be easy to say: You can’t argue with the results! The Eagles have a 7-2 record, and are comfortably sitting atop the NFC East. 1 in the NFC.But …There’s always a “but” with the Eagles’ offense.Brown’s frustrations are louder than they’ve ever been because the Eagles’ offense is uglier than it has ever been. The counting stats are all you need. Saquon barkley, who averaged 3.9 yards per carry in the past year, now averages 3.9. Jalenhurts is averaging 7.7 yards per try, compared to 8.0 last year. Brown’s yards per target (7.6), and yards in a game (51) are both at a low point for his career. His receptions per game (3.9) are the second lowest in his career.So here’s the next layer of how this year has been a statistical outlier for Brown.Over the past 20 games, the Eagles are 11-0 when Brown has eight or more targets. And they’re 7-3 when he has fewer than eight targets. It might not seem like much of a problem because most teams are happy with a 7-3 record. But of course, when the playoffs roll around, the Eagles can’t afford to lose a single game. They’re perfect when getting him the ball at a high clip. In a heated exchange with reporters Sirianni discussed the difficulties of feeding Brown. To Sirianni’s credit, the Eagles targeted Brown twice on the opening drive in their win over the Packers. This was most likely when the Eagles used their scripted moves. But why was he not targeted between the first drive and Philadelphia’s final play of the game: an incompletion on fourth-and-6?Sirianni pointed to DeVonta Smith’s touchdown as an example of a play they called for Brown, but he wasn’t open.”That play goes to A.J. They took it. Then [Smith] Sirianni told journalists that the team’s performance was “over the top”. “You can’t look at stats and just say, ‘This is what happened.’ You can’t paint the picture that way.”The Eagles can’t force the ball to Brown eight times per game and expect to win. That’s not how offenses work. But Sirianni can also help design plays to get Brown the ball to improve the receiver’s morale — and the team’s chances of winning. It’s a dangerous game because feeding a WR1 can derail an offense. But it’s a game the Eagles should play more often. Sirianni called Brown, “one of best receivers in league.” This brings us to the counterpoint: WR1s always find a way to get open, regardless of the situation, coverage, or defensive game plan. That’s what makes them the best in the league. So why isn’t Brown doing that? And/or why isn’t Hurts targeting Brown when he’s open?That’s the issue the Eagles will need to rectify. Given that they’re seemingly invincible when he gets the ball and seemingly fallible when he doesn’t, their hopes of repeating as Super Bowl champs may just depend on reigniting consistent production from Brown, particularly during their playoff run. Because if Brown starts to go off, then so will Barkley (and others).But circling back to Sirianni’s point about stat-watching and the incomplete picture in the box score, his comments remind me of the points that the Bills’ coaching staff made when Stefon Diggs wasn’t getting the ball. The star receiver cried on the sideline and caused drama in the media as well as in the locker-room. There are strong similarities between Diggs (back when he was in Buffalo) and Brown’s roles in their respective offenses, their personalities and their ages. The Eagles need to hope that’s where the comparisons stop. The Bills traded Diggs after they made similar comments that Diggs was one of best players in the NFL. The Eagles are in for a lot of disappointments if history repeats. Brown will also. As Brown’s criticisms become more direct, Eagles must act. Because they need his services. Henry McKenna covered the Patriots seven years for USA TODAY Sports Media Group, and Boston Globe Media, before joining FOX Sports. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna. Want the best stories delivered to your inbox every day? To receive personalized daily newsletters, create or log into your FOX Sports Account and follow teams, leagues and players!
2025-11-12 20:46:22