Eagles star responds to claims he anonymously criticized offense

Philadelphia Eagles WR A.J. Brown fails to come down with a catch against the San Francisco 49ers Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Eagles Pro Bowler responds to claims he was behind anonymous quote criticizing team's offense

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 12/15/23

Following ugly back-to-back losses, an anonymous Philadelphia Eagles player pointed fingers, criticizing the team's predictability on offense. While many attributed the comments to outspoken wideout A.J. Brown, the Pro Bowler clarified on Friday that it wasn't him.

Brown felt the need to clear the air after seeing a significant portion of the fanbase assume that he was the one who described the team's approach on offense as "very predictable."

We just got done chatting with A.J. Brown, who has noticed fans connecting him with a quote from an anonymous player to @RealDGunn about the Eagles' offense being too predictable.

Brown wanted to clarify that it didn't come from him.
— Dave Zangaro (@DZangaroNBCS) December 15, 2023

After a 33-13 blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14, Derrick Gunn of Jakib Sports said a player on offense told him that the Eagles pass routes "take too long to develop," especially compared to those of their NFC East rival.

The Eagles have tried to downplay the quote. On Tuesday, head coach Nick Sirianni said playcalling wasn't "the issue" before expressing confidence in first-year offensive coordinator Brian Johnson.

Meanwhile, tight end Dallas Godert told Sportradio 94WIP that emotions were behind the comment, adding that the anonymous player "didn't fully mean" it.

Whoever said what doesn't matter because when looking at the Eagles offense, the numbers don't lie. Despite ranking sixth in points per game (26.3) and eighth in yards (358.8), the unit has failed to get much going over the past two weeks. After scoring only 19 points in a Week 13 drubbing against the San Francisco 49ers, they managed just two field goals in a beatdown by the Cowboys.

Even more alarming, the Eagles are falling far behind a league-wide trend, which points to a lack of offensive creativity.

The more significant issue might be the Eagles play on the other side of the ball. While the offense hasn't helped matters, the defense has recently been arguably one of the worst in the NFL. Over the last three weeks, opponents are averaging 36 points against the Eagles. Philly gave up only 21.2 points per game through the previous 10 games.

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