On Monday, Jimmy Kempski of The Philly Voice reported that Eagles stars Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley and A.J. Brown had a "long, positive conversation" among themselves to discuss the team's issues on offense after falling 21–17 to the Broncos over the weekend.
On Tuesday, both Hurts and Barkley commented on the confab before reporters. And while they didn't say much, they did confirm that the conversation happened, while also shedding a little more light on what exactly was said.
"It was just us talking about the collective," Hurts told the media in a press conference. "Talking about taking ownership for what we can and talking about how we move forward as a team so we can continue to find ways to win games. ... It's really just teammates being teammates."
Barkley said similarly when asked about the meeting in the locker room.
"Yeah, we had a conversation, but I'm not going to speak too much on it and I feel like that conversation is meant to stay between us."
That said, the "focus was all about the team, and I think it was a good thing."
The running back also emphasized that the rendezvous wasn't your traditional "players meeting," which he takes to mean "all hell's breaking loose."
"It wasn't that at all. But we’re teammates. We’re all friends. We were just having a conversation."
Although they are still 4–1, the Eagles' offense hasn't looked totally like its Super Bowl-winning self to start the season. Brown, one of the top receivers in the league, has been openly frustrated with his utilization so far (he has just 194 yards and 1 touchdown, a decent cry from his 444 yards and three TDs at the same point last year), while Barkley, the team's other top weapon, had a season-low six carries on Sunday. As Stephen A. Smith recently implored coach Nick Sirianni, the Birds need to figure out their offensive identity, and fast, if they hope to defend their title at the end of the year.
And to that end, we'll see how and if the three-way meeting helped come Thursday, when the team travels to play the Giants at MetLife.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley Comment on Conversation With A.J. Brown After Eagles Loss.
