Brown doesn’t think the outside reaction matters
PHILADELPHIA — A.J. Brown reading on the sidelines during Sunday’s wild-card playoff win catapulted the sales of “Inner Excellence” to the No. 1 best-selling book on Amazon. The Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver didn’t seem to mind that the book sales skyrocketed because he was reading it.
This isn’t changing the type of player Brown is. There will still be reading on the sidelines, as Brown has used the book to channel the mental aspects of the game.
“None of that stuff really matters,” Brown said on the success of “Inner Excellence” since Sunday and the feedback from it. “I’m going to continue to be myself. I’m not pretending, it’s not a facade or anything. Who cares who doesn’t like it?
“I’m a three-time All Pro. Yeah, I’m gonna pop my shit. That’s just what it is. I do that for myself. I don’t care if nobody likes it. I’m not a distraction. Most importantly, I go out there and do my job. So all the other shit, it don’t matter.”
Brown has been battling a knee injury late in the season that has been hindering his participation in practice. He didn’t practice on Wednesday, but said he’ll be practicing Thursday. The rehab schedule is different this week, as Brown didn’t practice last Thursday due to the knee injury — but was good to go for Sunday’s game against the Rams.
“I miss it [practice] because I’m a work junkie,” Brown said. “I love to work. That’s the way I try to get better. As you saw before the game, I did a whole individual [workout] myself. Just get going.
“Some things I missed during the week, I try to get it right before the game.”
Brown finished with one catch for 10 yards against the Packers in the wild-card round, tying a career low in catches with the Eagles. He was targeted just three times. The Eagles threw for just 121 yards and averaged 5.3 yards per attempt.
“I’m always going to be optimistic about [the passing game],” Brown said. “Last week wasn’t our best performance. We got a great opportunity ahead of us. Luckily we got another opportunity to go out there and perform. That’s what we focus on.”
No matter what Brown is battling physically and mentally, he’s staying true to who he is. “Inner Excellence” is helping Brown in both aspects.
“I’m very humble. So sometimes I forget who I am, in the sense of how big stuff can get blown out of proportion,” Brown said. “To me, I’m just being myself. I’m not trying to cause a distraction.
“Hat’s off to Jim [Murphy, the author of ‘Inner Excellence’]. He’s a great guy. The book is amazing. For all who bought the book, you should check it out.”
