PHILADELPHIA – A.J. Brown lingered with a few of his Eagles teammates outdoors the Los Angeles Lakers’ locker room like all fan who had even a touch of an opportunity to hug it out with LeBron James.
Positive sufficient, James noticed Brown, Darius Slay and different Eagles gamers, threw his arm as thick as a log round Brown’s shoulder and posed for photographs with the NFC champions. James is aware of a factor or two — 4, truly — about profitable championships, and the great fortune of actually rubbing shoulders with the NBA’s scoring king was one the star Eagles receiver couldn’t move up.
“He is certainly one of my favourite gamers,” Brown mentioned. “I did not develop up watching Michael Jordan. I grew up watching LeBron.”
Brown even ripped a web page out of James’ championship playbook this season when he was caught studying a e-book on the bench. James flipped by means of “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho throughout a shootaround within the 2018 NBA Japanese Convention Finals whereas Brown handed time throughout a sport with “ Interior Excellence ” by self-help creator Jim Murphy.
Brown, who studied journalism whereas in school at Mississippi, is aware of the final word headline in daring letters above the fold nonetheless awaits the Eagles: Tremendous Bowl champions.
Brown and the Eagles have been oh so near hoisting the Lombardi Trophy once they misplaced 38-35 to the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs two years in the past. Right here the groups are once more, prepared for a rematch subsequent weekend in New Orleans, with the Eagles nonetheless haunted by the reminiscence of how they let their likelihood at profitable the franchise’s second Tremendous Bowl championship slip away within the remaining minutes.
A play right here, a play there and the Eagles may have been Tremendous Bowl champions. As an alternative, most Eagles gamers tense up and recoil at any questions — quarterback Jalen Hurts replied “subsequent query” when requested his most vivid reminiscence of the Tremendous Bowl — about that sport and Brown recounted a missed alternative for him to attain a landing that might have swayed the end result.
“The play actually stored me up interested by, how did I miss that and what I bought confused on,” Brown mentioned.
The play?
“I do not wish to get into it as a result of we might run it again,” he mentioned.
Time for the Chiefs to fireplace up the sport movie.
Brown in any other case did his half that February evening in Arizona, with six catches for 96 yards and a landing towards the Chiefs. These form of numbers are the norm for Brown. Enjoying by means of accidents that value him 4 video games and an usually staid passing assault, Brown nonetheless completed with 67 catches and a team-high 1,079 yards this season, the third straight 12 months he is topped 1,000 yards receiving with the Eagles and fifth time total in six NFL seasons.
“A.J. is the perfect receiver that this metropolis has ever seen,” coach Nick Sirianni mentioned.
Brown was rewarded final April with a three-year contract extension that included $84 million in assured cash. He was set to turn into the highest-paid large receiver within the NFL at $32 million a season — till Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson topped him later that summer season — and he may earn as a lot as $96 million over the lifetime of the extension.
He is paid like an elite receiver.
Within the Tremendous Bowl, Brown mentioned, he felt like nothing however a “paid actor.”
Brown mentioned if he had his manner, the Eagles would arrive Friday in New Orleans, maintain a walkthrough on Saturday and play the sport Sunday. His Tremendous Bowl expertise was like one thing out of a film the place he performed the function of soccer participant reasonably than performing like he would in a regular-season lead-up to a sport. He has tried to metal his feelings amid this 12 months’s Tremendous Bowl hype.
“It is about us, but it surely’s not about us,” he mentioned. “We have now a lot we’ve got to do for everybody else. The media, the followers. There’s solely so little time that we get to concentrate on what’s essential and that’s the sport.”
The Eagles have a determined edge over the Chiefs amongst receivers, with Brown the top of the pack.
DeVonta Smith, who topped 1,000 yards receiving the earlier two seasons, additionally missed 4 video games however led the Eagles with 68 catches and had 833 yards receiving. Tight finish Dallas Goedert — who threw three stiff-arms in a playoff landing towards Inexperienced Bay — and even 2,000-yard rusher Saquon Barkley are common threats to catch the ball.
“They take delight in the way in which they catch the ball. They take delight in the way in which they run routes,” Sirianni mentioned. “They take delight in the way in which they modify video games with the ball of their palms. And so they take delight in the way in which they block and assist their teammates succeed.”
The Chiefs boast tight finish Travis Kelce — who has misplaced a step however nonetheless had 97 regular-season catches — however high large receivers DeAndre Hopkins and Juju Smith-Schuster have been every held with no catch in a playoff win towards Houston.
Brown mentioned he is been turning down media requests “left and proper” as a result of in relation to Tremendous Bowl hype, “none of these items issues.”
All he cares about is profitable that championship ring — identical to LeBron.
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