PHILADELPHIA — A.J. Brown isn’t really into fiction. He’s not interested in reading about things that are not real. He prefers finding “peace” in his own truth and his inner strength, so his mind doesn’t get too far off of his preferred path.
That’s how he found himself sitting on the sidelines late in the Philadelphia Eagles’ wild-card game on Sunday afternoon, doing something that appeared completely unusual to the rest of the world when the act was caught on camera. He wasn’t pouring over an iPad or going over plays with an assistant coach, and he wasn’t huddling with teammates getting ready 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 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 the divisional playoff round next weekend. “That’s a book I bring every single game. My teammates call it ‘a recipe.'”
The timing was perfect for the cameras to zoom in on him, actually, since this seemed to be the kind of game where a top receiver like Brown might end up going off the rails. He’s certainly let his frustrations boil over before, either with the Eagles’ offense or sometimes with his best-friend quarterback, Jalen Hurts. He rarely goes full-diva like some other No. 1 receivers around the NFL. But when there’s tension, it’s not usually easy for him to hide.
Brown is the kind of game-breaker that can shake an offense out of its doldrums. But he was the target on only three of Hurts’ 21 passes. And there were quite a few times when he appeared wide open, yet still didn’t get the ball. Instead of turning angry, he turned to an old friend — a well-worn paperback copy of “Inner Excellence: Train Your Mind for Extraordinary Performance and the Best Possible life” written by a life coach, of sorts, to stars of professional golf and other pro athletes across the sports spectrum.
The book was given to him by Eagles defensive tackle Moro Ojomo and it was obviously well-read by Brown already. When he showed it off after the game, it was dog-eared, complete with highlighted passages and underlined sections. Brown even had written his own notes inside the cover — points he wanted to always remember during a game.
“It’s got a lot of points in there,” he said. “It’s a lot (about the) mental game. There’s a lot of mental parts about it. Because for me the game is mental. And it’s how I refresh every drive. Regardless of if I score a touchdown or I drop a pass, I always go back to that book every drive and refocus, re-lock back in.”
The whole Eagles team needed some help refocusing in a game they probably should have — and could have — won a lot easier than they did. Their offense, which was so powerful during the regular season — eighth-ranked overall, second in rushing — never could find a groove against the Packers. Saquon Barkley, fresh off his 2,005-yard season, had a few big early runs and one very late, but was often stuck in neutral. And Hurts was erratic, suffering through an 0-for-7 stretch in the middle of the game.
The Eagles won in large part because of four Packers turnovers, including three interceptions by Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love. But the Eagles know they can’t rely on that as the playoffs push onward over the next few weeks. Hurts, who hadn’t played in three weeks due to a concussion (and the Eagles having little to play for) looked rusty. Nothing about this Eagles team looked particularly sharp.
Brown swore he wasn’t frustrated by his lack of involvement. In fact, he sounded thrilled that even without him — at least as far as the stat sheet is concerned — the Eagles still did enough to win. The defense shut the Packers down and got those three interceptions. The special teams forced a fumble on the opening kickoff and Hurts turned that into a quick 11-yard touchdown pass to Jahan Dotson on a play that seemed to take forever to develop.
As the Eagles look to advance to the next round, they’ll need Brown to be more than just a blocker and a decoy. He needs to be involved. And it seems he’s learned from his self-help book that it’s not about him, and it’s not about what already happened. It’s about what could happen if you free up your mind from the burdens of what went wrong.