A media circus continued to follow the defending-champion Eagles—especially disgruntled wide receiver A.J. Brown—after the club's 34–17 loss to the division-rival Giants, Philadelphia's second straight defeat. There were flashes of Philadelphia's offense, namely its passing game, taking the next step and breaking out of its early season rut, but largely, the same inconsistencies that have plagued the unit thus far—lack of a rhythm in the run game, missing open receivers downfield, etc.—popped up Thursday night.
As it was reported earlier this week, one of the ways the Eagles' top playmakers are working to sort through these offensive issues is by talking through them out in the open. The likes of Brown, quarterback Jalen Hurts and running back Saquon Barkley were said to have a "long, positive conversation" on Monday. Both Hurts and Barkley confirmed the meeting took place, with Hurts sharing that it detailed "taking ownership." Barkley said "the focus was all about the team."
As for Brown? The star receiver seemed to have a case of selective amnesia when asked about the meeting following Thursday's loss.
"I don't recall a meeting," Brown said. "Yeah, I don't know what you're talking about."
When told that both Barkley and Hurts had confirmed the meeting took place, Brown encouraged reporters to talk to his teammates, then repeated, "I don't recall" twice before letting out a chuckle. It's clear that the three-time Pro Bowl selection simply wasn't interested in divulging what was said in the discussion, and decided to play possum with the media. And to be fair to Brown, it's a stance (keeping the meeting between the players) that Barkley himself expressed, albeit with a different method.
As the Eagles offense has struggled through some early-growing pains under first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, Brown has been quiet. He's been held under 50 receiving yards in four games this season, and has twice been limited to less than 10 receiving yards in a game. All the while, Brown has urged the Eagles offense to become more "aggressive."
He even took to social media after a quiet showing in the Eagles' Week 4 win over the Buccaneers, posting a cryptic message that opened the door to plenty of questions and forced coach Nick Sirianni to address Brown's future with the team.
And while there's clearly frustration from Brown and all parties about the offense's struggles, the team, including the star wideout, did show unity around Patullo, who has drawn criticism for his performance thus far.
"Oh he's non-stop," Brown said of Patullo's willingness to discuss adjustments and different plays with players. "Honestly, I think he's doing an amazing job. He's trying to get us the ball and talk about things that we may see and the ideas that he has. It's non-stop communication and I know he's getting a lot of scrutiny but I think he's doing a good job and keeping this thing going."
Despite the noise surrounding the Eagles, Brown said the team is "eager" and "optimistic" to fix what ails the offense. And Philadelphia can look to last year for a lesson on how to navigate a particularly trying period offensively. The Eagles, under then-first year play-caller Kellen Moore, started slowly, then rattled off 16 wins in its final 17 games en route to winning the Super Bowl.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as A.J. Brown Cannot Recall Being in a Meeting With Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley.
