A.J.'s Not Alone: Eagles' Playmakers Are Aligned

PHILADELPHIA - A.J. Brown’s social-media activity this week was the star of the show at the NovaCare Complex.

If you’re paying attention, however, the Eagles’ second-team All-Pro receiver had a healthy supporting cast trying to kickstart the 31st-ranked passing attack in the NFL.

Everything about the Philadelphia passing game screams 0-4 rather than 4-0, but an opportunistic defense, killer special teams, elite red-zone play, and 42 takeaways vs. nine giveaways over the past 21 games have the reigning Super Bowl champions looking like the same inevitability they were last season.

The passing attack has the parts of a Ferrari stuffed into a jalopy welded together with a conservatism that may have made Ronald Reagan blush, route concepts from a previous century, and the creativity of the average accountant.

Some of those other Eagles' playmakers spoke in concert with Brown on Friday in advance of a Week 5 matchup against the 2-2 Denver Broncos.

"He's a great leader,” running mate DeVonta Smith said of Brown. “I mean, probably like most of the guys on this team, he wants what's best for the team.

“Things aren't necessarily going our way offensively, and I don't think there’s nothing wrong with him wanting better in that situation. And I mean, I certainly feel the same way.  Offensively, we need to be better, and I think there's nothing wrong with voicing that.”

All-Pro running back Saquon Barkley had a similar sentiment.

The Message Is The Same

“I'm not gonna speak too much on it because I feel like AJ spoke on it and I think he did a really good job with that,” Barkley said. “...I'm a player first, so I get the frustration. I get it where his Tweet might have come from, but my goal and my thing is to make sure I got his back and make sure I got the team's back at the same time.

“I think if you really listen to the message, it's all the same thing. That's where the media tries to portray it and make it seem like we're different and we're all in this together.”

Smith alluded to similar frustration in his own way.

“Everybody handle things differently,” Smith said. “I control what I can control. You know, the play calls are the play calls, the coverages we get are the coverages. Sometimes things don't work out the way you want it to, and that's just that."

The former Heisman Trophy winner actually has fewer targets than Brown this season and was asked how he handles the kind of light traffic that’s only a dream come true for morning commuters.

“Um, It's up and down,” Smith said. “Every week's different. Some weeks I handle it well. Some weeks I don't."

So how did Smith handle only two targets in a 31-25 win at Tampa Bay last Sunday?

"I'm gonna keep that to myself," Smith said.

Things aren’t quite boiling over at the NovaCare Complex, but they are simmering, and the only way to take the heat off is to get the playmakers going.

"It makes everybody's life easier,” Barkley said. “That's the beauty of being part of the Philadelphia Eagles. If Smitty's going, everyone's life is easier. When A.J.'s going, everyone's life is easier. When I'm going, I make their life easier. If Jalen [Hurts] os going, it makes all our lives easier.

“Reality is, even with how important we all are, when the O-line's going, no one stands a chance. Because football's played up front. We know how special A.J. is. And we know we thrive off him when the ball's in his hand. So we've got to do a better job of that. We've got to find ways to make plays when the balls come to us. And most importantly, win games."

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