USA Today
Miles Sanders, A.J. Brown on Brink of Something Special
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PHILADELPHIA – If Miles Sanders does leave in free agency after this season, there’s a chance he could leave a mark that will still be talked about 25 years later.
It won’t just belong to the Eagles' running back, but A.J. Brown, too.
The two players are on the brink of doing something no Eagles running back/receiver tandem has done since 1996 and that was the only time it was done.
What Sanders and Brown can achieve, whether it’s Sunday in New York or at some point over the final five games, is they can both register 10-plus touchdowns with 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving.
Right now, Sanders has 924 yards and nine touchdowns; Brown has 950 yards and nine touchdowns.
The last, and only duo to do that in team history, was Ricky Watters (1,411, 13 TDs) and Irving Fryar (1,195, 11 TDs).
“It shows how balanced we are,” said right tackle Lane Johnson at his locker on Thursday afternoon. “Miles has always had the talent, always had the ability, and we’ve had games we stuck with the running attack and gave him opportunities.
"Then this last week we throw it up and those guys can’t cover A.J. I’m just here to make sure they stay open and hit the hole.”
Sanders had no idea of the historic precipice he and Brown were standing on, though, when asked by SI.com Eagles Today if he knew who the last duo was to accomplish it, he couldn’t name Fryar, but he did get Watters.
He also asked who the quarterback was that year.
For the record, it was Ty Detmer.
Anyway, Sanders gave his take on what it would mean to do something with another teammate that is so rare.
“I’m all with the legacy stuff,” he said. “I broke some records my rookie year and I felt like that, too, but now I think a lot of people on this team will go down in history. I think this team can go down in history if we keep doing what we’re doing and that’s taking it one day, one week, and one game at a time.”
Thousand-yard receiving seasons are nothing new to Brown. This will be his third in just four years in the league.
Thousand-yard rushing seasons are new to Sanders. This would be his first in what is now his fourth season.
"Getting that first 1,000-yard mark would make some dreams come true and some goals come true, too, but I just want to do my job and keep this thing going," he said. "I know the main thing at the end of the year and that’s where we’re trying to go. If that means 1,000 yards comes with it, I’m more than happy about that.
"It’s been a long time coming. I’ve been working hard for this and finally just prove what I can really do.
Sanders’ ability to stay healthy is a reason he is where he is now – 76 yards from 1,000. His inability to play every game since his rookie season is also something that motivated him.
“I took last year to heart," he said "Last year really rubbed me the wrong way with the things some people had to say. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t pay attention to what these fans and people said about me, but it drove me to prove everybody wrong.”
Whether the Eagles can re-sign him, or want to re-sign him, will eventually play out.
If he does leave, or even if he stays, Sanders could be the answer to that trivia question 25 years from now about who was the running back/receiver duo to last put up 10-plus touchdowns with at least 1,000 yards rushing and at least 1,000 yards receiving.
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglesmaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
