Overreactions to A.J. Brown-Jalen Hurts Statements After Eagles-Patriots Practice: Brown Comes Up Zero

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The biggest storyline coming from the Philadelphia Eagles joint practice with the New England Patriots was A.J. Brown. This was Brown's first time facing the Eagles since the trade -- even though it was a practice.
Brown was going to face the Eagles defense again, just like in training camp the past four years. he had a strong day, but what the outside world wanted to know was his fallout with the Eagles and Jalen Hurts.
Both Hurts and Brown were asked about this, and both didn't say much. A missed opportunity for Hurts and Brown.
Here are some overreactions from what Hurts and Brown said. Which overreactions have merit and which are too farfetched?
A.J. Brown not speaking with Jalen Hurts since the trade signifies the problems the duo had
Overreaction or reality: Reality
There appears to be nothing Brown wants to say regarding his relationship with Hurts. Brown admitted he hasn't spoken with Hurts since the Eagles traded him to the Patriots on June 1, which probably shouldn't be surprising.
Brown's problems with the Eagles seemed to stem with Hurts, which impacted his desire to be great. The relationship was strong when Brown got to Philadelphia, but some things along the journey affected the two.
Neither Brown nor Hurts seem to want to discuss what happened, looking at their issues in the rearview mirror. The Eagles keep a lot of things in house, including what happened between Hurts and Brown.
When athletes have a platform and media access is limited (this is an NFL thing), it's hard to uncover anything locker room related. The Hurts-Brown saga remains a mystery unless one of the team speak out.
Good luck with that.
A.J. Brown's answer to how he left things with Jalen Hurts was weak
Overreaction or reality: Reality
The quote: "Philly man, ya'll tough man. Listen, listen. Honestly guys, not of that stuff even matters.," Brown said after practice. "You all should want to support something positive. You know asking the question is going to turn negative. Let's not get into that. Let's keep everything positive. Just love my way."
Brown wanting to talk about something positive isn't the issue here. How he doesn't want to explain his side of what happened is.
Brown is the one who wanted out of Philadelphia. The Eagles didn't want to trade him with the amount of money and years left on his contract, but the front office decided to respect his request to leave.
There's nothing wrong with Brown wanting out and there was nothing wrong with the Eagles trading him. Both sides were professional with the departure.
However, Brown had an opportunity to set the record straight and tell his side of the story. Whether Brown created the in-house issues or not, this was his opportunity to speak up with what happened regarding his relationship in Philadelphia.
Brown tried to spin this in his own way by saying all this talk was negative. Not when you're creating the negativity. There is a such thing as accountability, a lost art in today's world.
A.J. Brown doesn't owe anything to Eagles fans
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
The quote: "I love you and I'm not looking in the past," Brown said. "That (49ers) game, no I didn't play my best, but I'm not going backwards. It doesn't exist. And that's the last question I'm gonna answer about the past."
Eagles fans need a little more than that from Brown after what transpired last year. An elite wide receiver -- and one of the best in franchise history -- just decided he didn't want to play in Philadelphia anymore.
When Terrell Owens departed Philadelphia, we knew why. Owens was fed up with Donovan McNaa and the two weren't on the same page. He was upset McNabb didn't back him when he asked for his contract to be redone and the Eagles didn't oblige. The Eagles kicked Owens off the team, so it was pretty clear he wasn't coming back.
Brown has bene upset with the offense for years. He voiced his frustrations with the passing game subtly and even showed the displeasure on the sidelines. Those were the clues, but this stemmed farther than three drops in the 49ers game.
Did Brown quit on the Eagles? No he didn't, but he clearly wasn't happy with how things were going there. When your heart isn't fully into something, that affects performance.
Putting the past behind you dosn't exactly work. Ask Simba in The Lion King.
Brown should have addressed the situation further than he did. He could have won some fans back over, but it's clear he's leaving Eagles fans in the past too.
Jalen Hurts did his best to avoid any A.J. Brown talk
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
The quote: "Think it was a great day out there. I know he's going out there (and) competing. Got a lot of love for him. Always have. Seems like it was a competitive practice."
This wasn't the best answer by Hurts, even if this isn't his situation to address. brown did have his issues with the Eagles offense, which does affect Hurts. At the end of the day, Hurts isn't the one who wanted Brown to leave Philadelphia -- no wanted him out of there to our knowledge.
Brown asked for the trade. That's not on Hurts, who has to adjust to life without Brown and a new offense. He wasn't going to get a lot of questions about Brown anyway.
While this wasn't the best answer by Hurts -- and he did try to downplay it -- this wasn't a bad answer either. He did say he had a lot of love for Brown and did appreciate the time he was in Philadelphia.
Hurts is ready to move forward, but him moving forward is different from Brown moving forward. Hurts is the one remaining in Philadelphia, not Brown.

Jeff Kerr covers the Philadelphia Eagles for On SI, part of the Sports Illustrated network and has covered the NFL for 10 years for CBS Sports. He's covered two Super Bowls, three conference championship games, and multiple playoff games in his career. Jeff also covers the Phillies for 97.3 ESPN FM in South Jersey and has been on the Phillies beat for multiple years. He also hosts multiple podcasts including an Eagles one for On SI.
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