PHILADELPHIA — There were only 20 dropbacks for the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. A.J. Brown doesn’t seem to care.
Is 20 dropbacks low for any team in today’s NFL? Yes, but Philadelphia’s game plan didn’t call for the “pass to set up the run” philosophy that the league has trended towards for the last decade.
The Eagles could run at will last week. That won’t be the case every game.
“That’s something for y’all to say,” Brown said. “You know, I think we’re just gonna continue to go out there and play the game how it’s meant to be played, and, you know, have it unfold. Last week was a game on the ground we took advantage of.
“This week it may be different, maybe the same thing. So I think that’s something for you guys to try to get in point and talk about.”
The chatter outside of the NovaCare Complex was whether the Eagles should be a “run first” team going forward the rest of the season, based on how successful they were against the Giants on the ground. That’s now how the Eagles operate, nor how they should.
The organization pays Brown and Smith handsomely to catch passes. Jalen Hurts gets paid amongst the best at his position to throw the ball. The NFL is still built on passing the football to set up the run later in the game. That’s how the Eagles are going to operate.
“We do what we need to do to win each game,” said Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni. “There’s going to be a game where we’re going to have to pass it a bunch. There’s going to be a game we’re going to have to run it again like that. It’s just all going to be week-to-week.
“Again, you want to stay in things that you do well, but everything is going to be week-to-week based off of what’s going right that week.”
Even if the Eagles wideouts aren’t getting the ideal volume of targets, the opportunities are going to come over the course of a game. Brown and Smith are too good to just be ignored for long portions of the game.
“I think you take advantage of your opportunities and try to maximize as best as you can, you know, and just continue to do your job,” Brown said. “Eventually, they will throw the ball. If you get two catches, try to make the two touchdowns. And that’s my mindset.
“I think last week was very unique. I think Saquon [Barkley] was just on another level last week and that happens, and sometimes that’s how the game’s played.”
Don’t fret over Brown’s lack of targets. They will be in his favor more weeks than not.
