Eagles notebook: A.J. Brown making the most of his opportunities

A.J. Brown isn’t surprised about the Eagles’ run-pass disparity this season, especially since the bye week.

Why not?

“Because what we have in the backfield is rare,” Brown explained.

Saquon Barkley is an MVP candidate this year and he’s running behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. That means fewer throws and fewer targets for Brown.

So the Pro Bowl receiver has a big focus this year: Make the most out of the targets he does get.

“You have to switch your mindset up a little bit and not get comfortable with touches,” Brown said. “I’m going to give you a little context because guys can run with that. It’s the same sense of, like, whenever you get your opportunities, you have the make the most of it. When guys get a lot of touches, you may not go as hard here or there because you know you got another touch coming. 

“But when you don’t know, you’re going to make the most of it because of who is in the backfield and how special they are. That’s just my mindset.”

Brown said he got used to being in a run-first offense in Tennessee when he played with Derrick Henry but it was harder to accept back then because Brown was younger. Now, he understands it more.

Last week in LA, Brown had 6 catches on 7 targets for 109 yards and leads the team with 727 receiving yards in 8 games in 2024. What’s really standing out is how good he’s been creating extra yards after he makes these catches.

While Brown is 49th in the NFL in YAC this season with 243, he’s third in the NFL in YAC over expected with 130 yards. He’s behind just Ja’Marr Chase (195) and CeeDee Lamb (142) in that category. And Chase has played 11 games, Lamb has played 12, while Brown has played just 8 this season.

That basically means he’s creating YAC when it isn’t really there and he’s doing it better than any player in the league.

What makes Brown so good at creating these extra yards?

“Probably just mentality,” offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said. “I think he's really physical with the football. He does an excellent job. I think he does a good job with ball security still within that.”

Brown agreed that his mentality is what allows him to create extra yards but there’s a lot of work that goes into it too.

He’s constantly trying to get better at it.

“Yeah, just watch Saquon,” Brown said. “He’s probably one of the best at it in the league, just how he creates and stuff like that. I’m always trying to learn and set up angles. I even asked him a couple times, setting guys up and angles and stuff. But it’s just a mindset too.”

Staying grounded

The Eagles have taken their final flight of the 2024 (regular) season.

Their Week 12 win in Los Angeles is the final time the Eagles will have to board a flight in 2024. Four of their last six games are at home and the two road games are in Baltimore and Washington — two bus trips.

For a team that began its season in São Paulo, Brazil, that’s a nice way to finish off the slate.

“At this time of the year, it's a benefit. There's no doubt,” head coach Nick Sirianni said. “To be in Philadelphia where you have these close teams next to you that you can take bus trips to, that's huge. We played a lot of road games early on, but when you play a lot of road games early on, now you have the opportunity to play some home games. We love being at home in front of our fans where it's loud. The best place to play in the NFL. We know how rowdy it will be when we get back home in a week.

“I think it's an advantage to teams that think it's an advantage. And we definitely think it will be an advantage for us, the opportunity to be home and not get on a plane here. So, excited about that. I think that's big picture, and that's something that I need to look at every once in a while. The only thing we're focused on right here as a football team is the Baltimore Ravens.”

BG is still around

Brandon Graham is out for the season after tearing his triceps against the Rams on Sunday in Los Angeles. But the Eagles can’t miss him too much because Graham is still around.

As the Eagles got back on the practice field on Wednesday, Graham was out there in a No. 55 hoodie as a spectator. He’s still going to be a leader for this team, just from the sideline.

“That’s a guy that you can’t replace and you shouldn’t even try to replace in the sense of how valuable he is as a player, as a leader and all those things,” Jalen Hurts said. “He’s still there, he’s not gone. He’s here and he’s still being a great teammate, still smiling, being supportive and being who he is. I do look forward to that and having him along the journey and being there.”

Remembering Swarthmore Football

Vic Fangio dropped a hilarious line during his press conference this week when asked how much he enjoys the challenge of facing a top offense like the one the Ravens have.

“Yeah, I'd rather play Swarthmore,” Fangio said.

Funny line. But I wonder what the Swarthmore football team thinks of it. … Well, there isn’t team anymore. The Swarthmore College football program was dissolved in 2000 after a 122-year run.

The Division III Garnet Tide went 4-5 in its final season back in 2000.

The decision to cut the football program — along with wresting — came 24 years ago after the board of managers cited a lack of athletes to fill all the sports. 

Here’s an excerpt from a New York Times story in 2000:

“To be competitive in all 24 intercollegiate sports on campus, university officials said, 30 percent of each incoming freshman class of 375 students would have to be recruited essentially as athletes. Anything beyond 10 to 15 percent would compromise the desired diversity on campus, administrators said. In other words, the more football players admitted means that fewer aspiring musicians, mathematicians and political science majors can be admitted.”

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