Book it: AJ Brown, Eagles ready to turn page after sluggish playoff start

PHILADELPHIA – AJ Brown isn’t exactly a legend. He does not like reading about unreal things. He prefers to find “peace” in his truth and inner strength, so that his mind does not stray too far from the path he chooses.

That’s how he found himself sitting on the sidelines late in the Philadelphia Eagles’ wild card game Sunday afternoon, doing something that seemed unusual to the world when the act was caught on camera. He wasn’t spending time on the iPad or playing with the assistant coach, and he wasn’t hanging out with his teammates as they prepared for the next series.

He was reading a book called “Inner Excellence” by a self-described “Performance Coach” and former baseball player named Jim Murphy. It seemed unusual, given the time. It even looked bad, considering Brown had one catch and was an afterthought in the game plan.

But for him it was part of his routine – turning to the book he vowed to read during each game.

“It gives me a sense of peace,” Brown said after the Eagles beat the Green Bay Packers 22-10 at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday to advance to next weekend’s playoffs. “That’s the book I bring to every game. My teammates call it ‘the recipe.’

“This is the first time you put me on camera.”

The timing was perfect for the cameras to zoom in on him, really, as this seemed to be the kind of play where a top receiver like Brown could end up derailing. He’s certainly let his frustrations spill over before, either with the Eagles’ offense or at one point with fellow quarterback Jalen Hurts. He rarely goes full-diva like other No. 1 receivers. 1 around the NFL. But when there is tension, it is often not easy for him to hide.

And this proved to be one of those times. He had just one catch for 10 yards in the game, on a day when everyone in the locker room admitted to frustration that their offense was struggling. Brown is the type of game-breaker who can shake an offense out of its doldrums. But he missed just three of Hurts’ 21 field goals. And there are a few times when he looks wide open, but doesn’t get the ball.

But instead of getting angry, he turned to an old friend – a well-worn paperback of “Inner Excellence: Train Your Mind for Extraordinary Performance and the Best Possible Life” written by a health coach, of sorts, to the stars of professional golf. and other top athletes in every field of sports. The letter was given to him by Eagles defensive tackle Moro Ojomo and it is clear that it has been well read by Brown. During the post-game show, it was dogged, full of highlights and underlined parts. Brown had even written his notes on the inside of the cover – points he wanted to remember constantly during the game.

“It has a lot of points there,” he said. “It’s a lot (about) the mental game. There’s a lot of mental aspects to it. Because to me the game is mental. And that’s how I refresh every drive. Whether I’m scoring a touchdown or throwing a pass, always go back to that book every drive and refocus, re-key.”

To be honest, the rest of the Eagles team needed help focusing on a game they probably should have – and probably should have – won much more easily than they did. Their offense, which was very strong in the regular season – ranked eighth, second in rushing – did not get a chance against the Packers. Saquon Barkley, who is coming off his 2,005-yard season, had a few early runs and one late one, but was mostly neutral. And Hurts was flawed, going 0-for-7 midway through the game.

They won in large part because of four Packers turnovers, including three sacks by Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love. But the Eagles know they can’t count on that as the playoffs roll on in the next few weeks. Hurts, who has been sidelined for three weeks due to a concussion (and the Eagles haven’t played much) looked rusty. Nothing looks sharp about this Eagles team.

And Brown, who said he feels healthy after injuring his knee in practice last week, was among those. He was their best receiver this season with 67 catches for 1,079 yards and seven touchdowns despite missing four games. Everyone understands that in order for the Eagles to continue to advance, they must not only be a blocker and a cheater.

He needs to be involved.

Brown vowed that he was not frustrated by his lack of involvement. In fact, he sounded pleased that even without him — at least as far as the stat sheet was concerned — the Eagles did enough to win. The defense shut down the Packers and they got those threes. The special teams forced a fumble on first down and Hurts turned that into an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jahan Dotson on a play that seemed to take a long time to develop.

And when the Eagles needed a cushion in the third quarter, they got one on a screen pass to tight end Dallas Goedert, who powered his way down the field for a 24-yard touchdown, shoving Packers quarterback Carrington Valentine three times. way. That, Brown marveled, was “an aggressive, grown-up ball.”

It was also the only sign of real Eagles football since the scrimmage all game.

But as Brown learned from reading his self-help book, it’s not about him, and it’s not about what has happened. It’s about what happens when you free your mind from the burdens of what went wrong.

“I always look at the beginning of the book,” said Brown. “It says that if you can have a clear mind and remember that nothing else is important – to know clearly, there is nothing wrong or good – and if you are willing to take risks … It also says that if you are humble you can ‘ I will not be ashamed.

And you are right. Right there in Chapter 1.

“It’s a terrifying vision, a dangerous path for our dreams to come true,” Jacobs wrote. “It’s very comfortable to follow the easy, wide path of less risk, less failure and more indulgence. We don’t like to look at that unknown possible path; it’s too scary. It’s easy to give in to that part of the mind that wants instant gratification and short-term pleasures, to cover the big, scary picture of what we really want, times sacred things that come from feeling truly alive.

“In the pursuit of extraordinary performance, it is easy to succumb to anxiety and stress, because there is so much beyond your control. However, when you learn to live a fully engaged life, you can do your best. again live life and love a challenge.”

The challenge in this case is obvious. The Eagles are trying to return to the Super Bowl for the second time in three years, and win it for the first time in seven years. In the short term, they are looking to win one game and advance to another NFC Championship Game. And to do any of that, they’re going to need a “fully engaged” Brown to get there, and they’re going to need to be “fully engaged” with him, too.

So they all need to learn from what happened on Sunday, take it seriously and move on without regrets. Brown said he learned that “This team is physical. This team is going to try to find a way to win without anything going wrong. We’re going to try to find a way to win.

“Nothing new there. It didn’t surprise me.”

No, the surprise was not just how the Eagles survived the poor play on offense. And of course it was a big surprise that, just as the world expected Brown to get angry, he was reading the book he vowed to carry with him several times as he ran onto the field during preseason games. And while the cameras may have missed him during all 17 games during the regular season, he insisted he read the book after every drive.

And if that’s what he needs to focus on, it’s better than throwing his helmet or yelling at his teammates or just sitting in silence with his frustration, wondering why he’s not involved. The lessons of this book must also be sinking in, because he swore that frustration was not on his mind.

“No, I wasn’t upset,” Brown said. “I realized that’s what you all might be thinking. But I wasn’t frustrated. Why do you always think I’m going to be frustrated?

“I like to read.”

Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He spent the last six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him on Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.

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