A.J. Brown Makes Titans Pay for Trading Him
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PHILADELPHIA - A.J. Brown declared himself the winner in the lead-up to Sunday's game between Philadelphia and Tennessee and stamped that sentiment with an eight-reception, 119-yard, and two-touchdown performance on Sunday as the Eagles improved to 11-1 with a 35-10 rout over the Titans.
Brown, of course, was traded by the Titans to the Eagles on draft night for first- and third-round picks before Philadelphia then gave the star receiver a $100 million extension.
Now, he's on the brink of becoming the first Eagles WR to go over 1,000 yards since Jeremy Maclin in 2014. Brown has 950 yards on 51 catches and his two TDs against Tennessee give him nine of those.
Brown had continuously downplayed the chance to show the Titans they made a mistake but after he did exactly that, the fourth-year wideout admitted this one was a little more personal than he let on.
And it wasn't about anger.
Brown had a big hug for his former head coach, Mike Vrabel, before the game, and noted how close he remains to many of the players on the Titans, including All-Pro running back Derrick Henry.
"I wanted to retire a Titan, and I tried to do everything in my power to remain a Titan, but it’s a business, and in that situation, I had to grow up," he said. "I ended up getting traded, and I had to learn it was a business. And of course, I wanted to make them regret the decision.
"To be honest, it’s been personal since the trade. I’ve just been trying to keep it down. ...This one meant a lot to me. Early on, I had mixed emotions about the trade and everything, and I’d be lying to you to say I didn’t circle this game.”
Brown bulled past cornerback Kristian Fulton for a 40-yard score early in the second quarter to put the Eagles' on top 14-7 and then victimized rookie CB Tre Avery on a 29-yard TD in the third quarter as Philadelphia was turning it into a laugher.
The first Brown score came one play after he nearly scored on a deep ball from Jalen Hurts but failed to get his second foot in the field of play. That didn't stop Brown from celebrating the TD by spanking the goalpost, something he described as punishing a loved one.
Hurts went right back to Brown on the next play.
"I think that was huge. I just think that shows the faith [Hurts] has in me," Brown said. "Just to come right back to me. I had regular out, but Jalen told me when I was leaving the huddle, he said, ‘pump it.’ So, I was like, ‘let’s do it.’”
With Avery, Brown took the football off the young CB's facemask in what was essentially a 50/50 ball.
While Brown is capable of doing things like that each week against any foe, there was a human-nature aspect that made it even more important for Brown against the Titans.
"Human nature is going to take over there," Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. "You try not to get any more up or down for any game. He's had big games like that before. Looked like that Pittsburgh game, very similar. The Detroit game, very similar. I thought he handled his business like a pro.
"Of course, he got himself up a little bit more for that. As much as we're telling him don't, don't, just let it happen naturally, human nature is going to take over there. I felt like he went through his process throughout the week to get himself ready to play. That's what's important. You have to go through that part."
And the part was played beautifully by Brown.
"Things didn’t work out (in Tennessee)," he said. "It was kind of just, here you go, we don’t want you anymore. You just kind of get pushed to the side. In that situation for me, I just had to grow up, and quick."
-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
