Eagles

Since When Do People Want Wide Receiver Drama and Diva Behavior?

By Nick Piccone

Published: Sep 18th, 2025 · 8:57 PM EDT

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The Eagles currently sit 31st in the National Football League in passing yards. Through two games, Jalen Hurts has thrown for 253 and zero touchdowns.

Those two games resulted in two wins. You know, the stat that 10 years ago everybody thought was the most important stat in sports.

Do you know which team through two weeks leads the league in passing yards? That’s the New York Giants, with 579. Russell Wilson MVP szn? Not likely when the Giants are 0-2.

How can that be? Do you think those talking heads and fans can wrap their head around the team leading the league in passing yards as of Thursday, September 18th, is 0-2? Or do you think that because the Eagles are just so good, this is the angle to take to drum up interest because it’s so different from what other good teams are doing?

This isn’t a new conversation in this city. Last year, many people didn’t think the Eagles could win with Hurts’ pedestrian passing numbers. They did. They won a lot of games that way, actually. 

Many people think A.J. Brown is a powder keg ready to explode because he hasn’t gotten the ball much the first two games. In fact, it sounds a lot like people want Brown to explode, despite him saying that yes, he wants the ball, every offensive player does, but that winning trumps all.

Do any of these people remember what Brown said last year?

“We’re not in it for feelings. We’re not in it trying to hold everybody’s hand. … We’re trying to hold up a Lombardi Trophy. That’s the end goal. So who cares if [the public] wants to spin it and perceive me as a bad guy, that I’m throwing somebody under the bus, who cares? It’s about what we’re trying to do at the end.”

What about his teammate, who people also are zoning in on to see if any outburst occurs?

“I don’t think we see him as a bad guy, we see him as a leader,” [DeVonta] Smith said when asked about Brown’s comments on playing that role. “He has a ‘C’ on his chest for a [reason]. He has every right to hold people accountable.”

Ah, holding people accountable. Even when things are going good in terms of wins, because as we all watch this team, we know there are things in which they can improve; even during the winning streak last season, and through the first two games this year. Isn’t that exactly what we all wanted?

Do you know how long we’ve been waiting for a wide receiver – hell, any skilled offensive player – to have a mindset like that? Do you know how the media and fans would turn on Brown in the drop of a hat if he were making a huge outward display of being unhappy that he’s not getting the ball as much as he wants? Reading a book on the sidelines is his way of self-policing and remaining in the accountable mindset, and his head coach and teammates are fine with that. It’s as if people want him to give them sound bites to talk about, and maybe even some video footage of him doing sit-ups in his driveway, because they’re bored of the Eagles’ success at this point.

And when I say “people” I’m not talking about one specific group. This goes for talking heads who want a sound bite and fans on social media trying to poke and prod Brown because they like to be messy. It’s weird. Imagine having the best team with one of the best wide receivers in the NFL who is also one of the most fierce competitors on the field, and basically wanting him to bring us another T.O. situation, something he’s very clearly trying to avoid. 

I’m not saying Brown should never get mad when he doesn’t get the ball. It’s unrealistic for a highly-paid professional athlete to not feel like they’re earning that contract. And maybe that’s how Brown views it. Only he knows.

Brown is a competitor. Of course you’ll get bites like last year where he said they needed to work on the passing game despite winning the actual game. But, if you listen back to that, after the Carolina victory, it doesn’t sound like Brown was as disgruntled as people said or thought he was. It was pretty obvious he wanted to be a difference maker in the game so that it wasn’t as close as it ended up being.

He wasn’t even wrong. Everybody outside of the team was saying the same thing. According to Brown, players on the team were, too. If you don’t think Brown was happy his team got the win, you’re wrong. I know that’s the message Hurts likes to relay, too, but if you thought he was happy about his passing, you’re also wrong.

You know who loves the fact that the Eagles are currently 31st in the National Football League in passing yards? Sports “analysts” and boring people. They want drama. They need drama. And when there is none, they try their hardest to create it.

Imagine Brown is the type of diva wide receiver that is constantly moaning and groaning on the sidelines and in the locker room. Doesn’t it say something about the culture surrounding him that it’s not causing a huge disruption and creating turmoil? That’s what these kinds of people want. They believe there is inner turmoil and want to be the ones to exploit it. Winning be damned. 

Ten years ago, I’m sure they told themselves, “Man, imagine having an elite receiver who doesn’t cause a lot of drama despite not getting the ball as much as he wants but the team keeps winning football games. Couldn’t be us!” And now it is. This guy won the Super Bowl and wasn’t even satisfied. Didn’t we always want players with a killer instinct? Where did our love go when we finally got one?