Eagles' Coach Lauds Superstar's 'Mental Toughness'

Superstar receiver A.J. Brown started his fourth season in Philadelphia last week in an unfamiliar role.

The three-time All-Pro went 58-plus minutes without touching the football against the Dallas Cowboys or even being targeted by Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.

Yet, head coach Nick Sirianni decided to single out Brown’s mental toughness after the game.

That’s because Brown’s one reception, a short eight-yard advance on second-and-11 from the Dallas 45-yard line with 1:45 remaining, turned a potential third-and-long into third-and-short, allowing Hurts to undress an undisciplined Cowboys pass rush on the next play to secure a 24-20 victory.

“What about that mental toughness by A.J. Brown?” Sirianni said on Monday when asked about the lack of traffic Brown and running mate DeVonta Smith had in the game. “‘OK, the ball hasn’t come to me in three quarters.’ “That might be the first time that's ever happened to him in his career as a football player because he's such a good player and you're always trying to find ways to do that.”

Sirianni was correct, Brown has never seen the ball less in his entire NFL career, yet he was ready when needed.

“He makes a play in a critical moment when his number was called,” the coach said. “You look for moments like that to really show and preach the stuff that's important to your core values and your culture. And that was just a great example by one of our captains of, ‘hey, it didn't go exactly the way you wanted it to go or any of us envisioned it going.’ That's life, that's football. But when called upon and the ball did come your way, you made this huge play.”

Most Important Play

Immediately after the game, Hurts called what is typically just a pedestrian play by Brown “the most important play of the game.”