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Tim McManus, ESPN Staff WriterDec 10, 2024, 12:10 PM ET
- Tim McManus covers the Philadelphia Eagles for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2016 after covering the Eagles for Philadelphia Magazine’s Birds 24/7, a site he helped create, since 2010. You can follow him on Twitter @Tim_McManus.
PHILADELPHIA — Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said he does not believe A.J. Brown was pointing fingers at Jalen Hurts in his postgame comments Sunday, offering insight into the interactions he sees behind the scenes between his quarterback and star receiver as their relationship has come into question.
“I didn’t take it that way,” Sirianni told 94WIP during his weekly appearance Tuesday. “You can do anything and spin it any way. I took it as we want to get better as a passing attack. A.J. is part of the passing attack. And so, we all want to be better at it.
“Jalen and A.J. are both really outstanding people and both really outstanding players and I love that our players are wanting to get better and desire to get better, and that’s what we talk about all of the time — is how we get better and be able to do things that are special.”
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The Eagles beat the Carolina Panthers for their ninth straight victory, but the passing attack wasn’t up to the team’s standard as Hurts finished 14-of-21 for 108 yards with a pair of touchdowns. Brown was not targeted until the waning moments of the second quarter despite flashing open multiple times for what could have been big-play opportunities, and he showed his frustration following a three-and-out by slamming his helmet on the sideline.
Afterwards, a terse Brown said “passing” was what the offense needs to improve on and that “there’s not too much conversation” between he and Hurts during the game to troubleshoot when the pass game isn’t fully clicking.
While addressing those comments during a radio appearance Monday night, defensive end Brandon Graham suggested Hurts and Brown aren’t tight the way they once were.
“The person that’s complaining needs to be accountable,” Graham said. “I don’t know the whole story, but I know that [Hurts] is trying and [Brown] could be a little better with how he responds to things. They were friends before this, but things have changed, and I understand that because life happens. But it’s the business side that we have to make sure the personal doesn’t get in the way of the business.”
Graham later told ESPN he was reacting to the video circulating of Brown’s comments and “assumed that it was something that it wasn’t,” adding that he planned on apologizing to both Brown and Hurts.
But his original comments spurred questions about the relationship between Hurts and Brown, who were good friends long before they became teammates in 2022; Hurts is even the godfather to Brown’s daughter, Jersee.
“All I can judge things on is what I see on a daily basis,” Sirianni said. “When I see A.J. and Jalen communicating about the game plan, eating lunch together every single day, praying with each other before the game. There’s going to be speculation, and I get it — rightfully so based on what has happened the last couple of days — but all you can do is judge what you see.”
The Eagles have relied heavily on MVP contender Saquon Barkley and a ground game that ranks No. 1 in rushing attempts (473) and yards (190.5 per game). The flip side is that they are dead last in passing attempts (328) and have not established much of a rhythm through the air.
Brown said it was “incredibly tough” to get into a rhythm as a receiver when the offense wasn’t passing the ball much.
Brown and the team have experienced high levels of success since he was acquired via trade from the Tennessee Titans in April 2022. The Eagles went to the Super Bowl in his first year in Philly, and they have won double-digit games three times in as many seasons. On Sunday, the Eagles again clinched a playoff spot.
Brown surpassed 1,400 yards receiving with Hurts the previous two seasons; he has 836 yards and four touchdowns this season, having sat out three games at the beginning of the season because of a hamstring injury.
There have been bumps in the road despite overall success in Philly, including last season when the team collapsed with a 1-6 finish — a period marked by outward frustration from Brown and others and a disconnect between Hurts and coach Nick Sirianni that factored into the offense’s lack of identity.
When asked if he’s concerned infighting could lead to a similar derailment, Sirianni said this team is more like the 2022 Super Bowl version than the ’23 squad.
“Based off of what happened the last couple of days, [there’s talk of] ‘Oh, man, there’s a little 2023 vibes.’ I see a lot of 2022 vibes,” Sirianni said. “I just see joy.
“You can look at what you see in one week, but I’m looking at the big picture and, again, I see it as everybody wants to get better.”
